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TEXANS 34 | TITANS 31 THE DEFENSE Unit finds footing in second half Big plays hurt

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Updated Sep 22, 2009 10:30 PM ET
     
 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Three veterans averaging 36 years of age and 16 years of experience made a dive for a loose ball on the most important play of the game Sunday. And the oldest came up with it to save the day for the Texans . The Texans led 34-31 with 1:42 remaining. The Titans had a first down at their 38. Quarterback Kerry Collins, 36, couldn't find a receiver open, so he took off up the middle. The ball hit his leg and popped free. He went for it. So did Texans defensive tackle Jeff Zgonina, 39. "I saw Kerry take off, and then I saw the ball out," Zgonina said. "I didn't know if it had been knocked out or what, but I went for it. I got my arm around it." There was a pile of Titans trying to get the ball. There was a pile of Texans trying to pull the Titans off Zgonina. "Kerry and I actually tied, but I was able to wrestle it away from him," Zgonina said. "Then (center) Kevin Mawae (38) was trying to pull my fingers off it, but I held on and kept yelling, ?Blue ball. Blue ball.' And the officials finally gave it to us." And the offense ran out the clock on the Texans' 34-31 victory. "It was a game of big plays for both of us," Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. "It was feast or famine." Long TD plays The Texans' defense allowed three touchdown plays - a 57-yard run, a 69-yard pass play and a 91-yard run - by running back Chris Johnson, who might be the fastest player in the NFL. Subtract those three plays, and the Texans surrendered 232 yards. "We fought so hard for four quarters, but we let them off the hook so many times," middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans said. "We made some huge mistakes that cost us big plays. "Johnson is a fantastic player. He can take it to the house any time. We've got a lot of mistakes to correct. Once we do, who knows where we can be." The Texans surrendered only one TD in the second half, and that came on Johnson's 91-yard run that capped a five-play, 99-yard drive. Rookie outside linebacker Brian Cushing, who had a team-high 10 tackles in the second game of his career, elevated the intensity level and made a lot of big plays, like when he threw Johnson for a 2-yard loss on third down in the fourth quarter. "All I want is an opportunity to help my team," said Cushing, whose 10 tackles included seven unassisted. Cushing knows the Texans drafted him to turn up the intensity level. "Hey, that's my Football personality," he said. "I've always been a hard hitter. "I'm a guy that'll give you four quarters. I'll still be running to the ball. I know the running back on the other side is going to get tired of me tackling him, and I know the offensive line is going to get tired of blocking me. Exciting environment "I'm a nonstop guy. I bring that intensity." It was the Texans' second victory at LP Field and ended a four-game losing streak. "I love this kind of environment," Cushing said. "I love getting booed. It makes you feel like you need to stick together as a unit. "This was a conference game. These are two teams that really don't like each other too much. Overall, we were able to get by until the end." john.mcclain@chron.com
Tagged: Titans, Jeff Zgonina, Raiders, Chris Johnson, Brian Cushing, Texans, Chris Johnson

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