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QB Young gets another crack at the Jaguars

Dec 17, 2006 - 3:14 PM Jacksonville (8-5) at Tennessee (6-7) Sunday 1:00 pm EST

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) -- Vince Young has a score to settle with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Riding a four-game winning streak, the rookie quarterback gets his chance on Sunday when the Tennessee Titans host the Jaguars in a battle of AFC South rivals.

Young was intercepted three times and completed just 15-of-36 passes in the Titans' 37-7 loss at Jacksonville on November 5. Tennessee averted a shutout when Young hit Drew Bennett with a 32-yard touchdown pass with under three minutes left.

Cornerback Rashean Mathis had two interceptions in the first half to set up a touchdown and field goal. Nickel back Scott Starks returned another of Young's interceptions 55 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter.

The third overall pick in the draft, Young is 6-4 since taking over as the starter. In the four-game winning streak, he engineered fourth-quarter comebacks in victories over the New York Giants and Indianapolis and ran for an electrifying 39-yard touchdown in overtime last week in a 26-20 triumph at Houston.

The Titans rallied from a 21-0 deficit with less than 10 minutes left in a 24-21 win over the Giants on November 26 and came back from a 14-point deficit in a 20-17 victory over Indianapolis on December 3.

But no win was sweeter for Young than the one in his hometown of Houston, especially after the Texans passed on the chance of selecting the quarterback who led Texas to the national championship with the first pick in the draft.

The Jaguars have an impact rookie of their own in second-round pick Maurice Jones-Drew. The 5-7 back rushed for a season-high 166 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries and returned a kickoff 93 yards for a score in Jacksonville's 44-17 victory over Indianapolis last week.

Jones-Drew wears No. 32 as a reminder of how many teams passed him over in the first round.

"That was back when I was bitter," Jones-Drew said. "I'm still bitter. It was like the whole world was against me."

The Jaguars set a franchise record with 375 rushing yards in the win over the Colts, who have the league's worst run defense. Fred Taylor gained 131 yards on just nine carries.

The 375 yards tied for the second highest rushing total in the NFL since the 1970 merger and was the most since Cincinnati rushed for 407 yards in an October 22, 2000 game against Denver.

Taylor rushed for 79 yards on 13 carries and Jones-Drew added 56 on eight carries in the first meeting with Tennessee.

The Titans rushed for 218 yards, including 86 by Young, in last week's win at Houston.

Jacksonville is tied with Cincinnati in the battle for the two wild-card spots, one game ahead of Denver, Kansas City and the New York Jets.