Veteran passer, rookie runner
Brunell's arm, Taylor's legs push Jags past Ravens 24-10
Posted: Sunday September 20, 1998 11:52 PM
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Back in form: Brunell threw for 376 yards -- 43 more than he amassed in the first two games combined AP |
JACKSONVILLE, Florida (AP) -- Mark Brunell proved he's
still a major factor for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Fred Taylor looks like
he's becoming one.
Coming off the bench for the injured James Stewart, Taylor had
a 52-yard touchdown run and finished with 128 yards rushing Sunday to lead
Jacksonville to a 24-10 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.
Brunell, who struggled through two mediocre games to open the season,
threw for 376 yards and two touchdowns as the Jaguars (3-0) continued to
dominate the Ravens (1-2), whom they've beaten in all five meetings.
Taylor also finished with nine receptions for 85 yards and was key in
helping the Jaguars surpass the 100-yard mark on the ground for the third
straight game.
"He really raised a lot of eyebrows today," receiver Jimmy Smith said. "I was
talking to him on the sideline. He really didn't expect to play today. But
he got in and he made some big plays when James went down. That's what we
needed for our running game."
But these were not the same Jaguars who spent the first two games
establishing the run at the expense of Brunell's stats. Instead, they came
out looking for the big play and cashed in often, finishing with 519 yards
in total offense.
Jacksonville took a 17-10 lead early in the third quarter when Brunell hit
Smith for a 72-yard touchdown.
The score came on a medium-range sideline pattern, when Baltimore safety
Corey Harris missed on
his dive to break up the pass, allowing Smith to go untouched down the
sideline for the score.
The play was typical of the whole game for the Ravens, whose gambling
style backfired often.
"Too many mistakes, too many missed tackles, giving up too many big
plays," said cornerback Rod
Woodson, who had two interceptions last week but was not a factor
against Jacksonville.
"We just played like Pop Warner football out there today."
The Jaguars went ahead 24-10 on a 14-play, 80-yard drive capped by
Brunell's 1-yard pass to Damon Jones. The score was
set up by a 22-yard pass to Reggie Barlow on
third-and-21 and Taylor's 11-yard run to the Ravens 1.
For the second time this season, Harbaugh (4) was forced to leave a game with a finger injury AP | |
The ninth overall pick in this year's draft, Taylor failed to impress
coach Tom Coughlin in the preseason and never truly challenged Stewart for
the starting position.
But Taylor looked like the juking, jiving Florida Gator of old when he got
his chance after Stewart left in the first quarter with a knee injury.
Two plays after the injury, Taylor took a handoff, saw no opening,
reversed field and took off down the right sideline.
He started pumping his fist in celebration at the 20-yard line and ended
up with his first career touchdown and the longest regular-season run in
the team's four-year history.
His 128 yards were also a record, breaking the one Stewart set with his
115-yard performance two weeks ago against Chicago.
"The coaches just told me to be patient," Taylor said. "They showed me
some tapes of my runs in the preseason. There wasn't much blocking. I was
hesitating. I went back and worked on it. And since the season started,
I've made progress."
For the third straight game, Baltimore's Eric Zeier relieved Jim Harbaugh, who has a
sore index finger on his throwing hand. Zeier finished 13-for-25 for 189
yards, one touchdown and one interception.
He hit Jermaine Lewis
for a 56-yard score and a 10-7 lead midway through the second quarter.
But a depleted Jacksonville front line held tough and prevented big plays
for the remainder of the game. The Ravens finished with just 12 first downs
and converted only three of 15 third downs.
They finished with 313 yards of offense, but 94 came during a late,
desperation drive that ended with an incompletion by Zeier at the
Jacksonville 2 on fourth down.
"I told the team that they have worked hard since July 13 and how they
come up with a game like this is hard to understand," Ravens coach Ted
Marchibroda said. "We haven't played like this. Then, all of a sudden, the
biggest game of our life and boom, they come up with a game like this."
Extra points
Brunell threw for 43 more yards than he had in the first two games
combined. ... Stewart was wearing a splint and walking on crutches after
the game. Team doctors were going to examine the knee Monday. Jacksonville
also lost LB Brian Schwartz with a sprained right knee. ... Baltimore LB Ray Lewis left the game on
the last play of the first quarter with a dislocated elbow. He got caught
in a pile and the elbow bent backwards, prompting players from both teams
to yell to the sidelines for help. ... Brunell and OL Tony Boselli both made
their 43rd starts with the Jaguars, breaking former OL Dave Widell's record. ...
The Jaguars also went 2-0 against the Cleveland Browns, making them 7-0
against the Cleveland-Baltimore franchise.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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