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Slaton scores twice as Texans trounce Jags

Dec 2, 2008 - 6:41 AM By Ted Dunnam PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

HOUSTON (Ticker) -- The Houston Texans' first appearance on Monday Night Football was a successful if not picturesque one.

Running back Steve Slaton rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns and Houston 's swarming defense smothered error-prone Jacksonville for a 30-17 victory in a matchup of AFC South teams.

Texans quarterback Sage Rosenfels threw a touchdown pass and Kris Brown added three field goals as the Texans improved to 5-7.

Jacksonville (4-8) trailed 23-3 with less than three minutes left before scoring two late touchdowns - a 4-yard run by Fred Taylor and an 18-yard pass from David Garrard to Reggie Williams.

Both teams exhibited offensive futility throughout the game, but the Jaguars clearly struggled more.

Much of the Jaguars' woes began with Houston defensive end Mario Williams.

"We came away with a win and that's the most important thing," said Williams, who had five tackles, including three sacks and a forced fumble. "We pretty much go out there and try to make things happen.

"We just have to stay focused and tackle. We finally got the chance for the whole world to see us, so you've got to take advantage of it."

The Texans took a 7-0 lead after the opening drive of the game with it culminating in quarterback Rosenfels' 31-yard touchdown pass to Andre Johnson.

Two possessions later, the Texans had a 10-0 lead on Brown's 38-yard field goal with 6:29 left in the first quarter. That abbreviated march was set up by Texans' defensive back Jacques Reeves' interception of a David Garrard pass.

Two turnovers in their first three possessions typified Jacksonville 's sloppiness on offense in the first half.

The lone occasion the Jaguars managed to put together a potential scoring drive ended when Josh Scobee's 43-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right.

"There's a lot of disappointment on this team," Garrard said. "We had high hopes and high expectations. We just didn't execute to the point to win football games.

"Houston came out and played great, but we pretty much beat ourselves."

Houston had an opportunity to extend its lead near the end of the first half, but a mishandled snap on a 21-yard field goal attempt killed that threat.

Slaton scored on a 7-yard run with 4:35 left following a fumble recovery by Jeff Zgonina, and later added a 40-yard scoring scamper with 2:04 showing following an onside kick recovery.

Rosenfels says Slaton gives Houston a much-needed extra dimension.

"He's become a great every-down back," Rosenfels said. "He's got great balance to stay up and get another four or five yards and sometimes break them. He's become a gem for this team."

Texans head coach Gary Kubiak was just pleased to emerge with a win.

"Our defense was excellent throughout the game," Kubiak said. "I think if we had been playing really sharp on the offensive side of the ball, we could have put some points on the board.

"It wasn't easy. We kind of struggled to put them away but found a way to do it."

Jaguars wide receiver Matt Jones bluntly summed up Jacksonville's offensive effort.

"We kept shooting ourselves in the foot," Jones said. "We controlled the ball, but we didn't get points. We pretty much had self-inflicted wounds."