CNNSI.com - Pro Football - Texans spanked by Dolphins 24-3 in home debut

Rout at Reliant

Texans open new stadium with 24-3 loss to Dolphins

Posted: Saturday August 24, 2002 11:22 PM
Updated: Sunday August 25, 2002 2:32 AM

Ricky Williams plunged in from the 1-yard line to score the first touchdown at Reliant Stadium. AP

HOUSTON (AP) -- The Miami Dolphins celebrated another memorable moment in Houston sports history and won the game too.

The Dolphins won a Super Bowl at Rice Stadium in 1974, played a pulsating Monday night game against the Houston Oilers in 1978 and Saturday rolled to a 24-3 victory over the expansion Houston Texans.

It was the first game played in $449 million Reliant Stadium before the largest crowd to see a football game in Houston, 69,432. The fans had their fun despite the loss.

Ricky Williams scored the first touchdown for Miami (1-2).

"I thought we were real efficient on offense," Miami head coach Dave Wannstedt said. "Special teams gave us a chance with good field position. I thought for the most part, we cleaned up the penalties pretty good."

Williams liked his effort.

McNair soaks in team's first game under home lights

HOUSTON (AP) -- Five years and more than $1 billion in private and public money later, Houston Texans owner Bob McNair basked in the glow of his team competing on its new home turf for the first time Saturday night.

"The stadium is fantastic and the fans love it," McNair said during halftime of the Texans' preseason home opener against the Miami Dolphins at Reliant Stadium. "Everybody who comes up to me can't say enough good things about it.

"It's a great moment for us."

McNair, who spent $700 million to win the expansion franchise in 1999 and helped oversee construction of the $449 million stadium, backed largely by hotel and car rental taxes, called the 69,500-seat stadium "a good asset for the community" that will pay for itself some day.

"It's the greatest stadium in the world," McNair said from his south end zone luxury suite. "I don't think there's any doubt about it."

The major negatives of the night -- confusion over parking and the gridlocked traffic outside the stadium that caused some fans to miss much of the first half -- will be addressed by stadium and city officials.

"We'll have to work on that," McNair said. "They've had a number of meetings and what have you. ... I know there will be a special effort for [congestion prevention]."

"I'm getting there," he said. "Tonight doesn't really count for anything. I was excited, it's been a while since I've scored a touchdown. It was nice."

Regardless of the outcome, it was an exciting return of pro football to the city, which hadn't hosted a pro game since the Oilers lost to Cincinnati on Dec. 15, 1996 before moving to Tennessee.

The Texans appreciated their fans.

"They were wanting to get into the game," head coach Dom Capers said. "The challenge to us is we have to be more efficient. It's a step-by-step process. We have to do some things."

The Texans (1-3) didn't have too many bright moments in their debut in their retractable-roof stadium, including the pregame introductions.

Six flag bearers ran onto the field with flags containing one letter, supposedly spelling out "Texans." But they erred, spelling it T-X-E-A-N-S.

Fireworks went off prematurely late in the game when Texans running back Travis Prentice scored on a touchdown run but a penalty nullified the play. The Texans settled for Kris Brown's 46-yard field goal with 3:49 remaining.

Snarled traffic kept many fans from seeing the opening kickoff. When they got inside the stadium they saw the defense of the Dolphins give Texans rookie quarterback David Carr a rough time in his first game before the home fans.

"We flat out didn't play well and we got our tails kicked," offensive tackle Chester Pitts said. "We're professionals. We can't have that. I don't think I've ever played in a game we got beat so bad. It was a complete lack of focus."

Carr was sacked four times, including three times in the second quarter. He played three quarters and threw two interceptions, one setting up a late third-quarter touchdown run of 1-yard by Robert Edwards.

Carr completed 6-of-15 for 69 yards in his roughest outing of the exhibition season.

"We just missed the big plays that we had to make and we just came up short," Carr said. "I missed a pass and we dropped a few balls, and we have to make those plays because it is something that would put points on the board for us."

Williams, the Heisman Trophy winner from the University of Texas, got the Dolphins off to a fast start with a 1-yard touchdown run with 6:20 left in the first quarter.

Williams had three rushes for 16 yards in Miami's second drive that ended with a 4-yard TD run by Rob Konrad on the first play of the second quarter. Williams finished with 50 yards on 15 carries first half.

Linebacker Jeff Posey sacked Miami quarterback Jay Fiedler, forcing the Dolphins' Olindo Mare to kick a 39-yard field goal with four seconds left in the second quarter for a 17-0 halftime lead.

The near-sellout crowd -- 68 short of the 69,500 capacity -- thought it had a big moment in the second quarter when Carr hit Corey Bradford with an apparent 82-yard touchdown pass with Bradford alone behind the Dolphin defense.

A holding call on tight end Billy Miller, however, brought the play back and the Texans ended up punting.

Miami's victory added another historical moment for the Dolphins in Houston. The Dolphins played the last outdoor pro football game in the city at Rice Stadium on Jan. 13, 1974 when they beat Minnesota 24-7 in Super Bowl VIII.

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