Today in 2007 - Tennessee Titans vs Houston Texans

October 21, 2007 – Today in 2007, the Titans went to Reliant Stadium to take on their AFC South rivals in their former home town, the Houston Texans, in a Week 7 matchup.

Tennessee got on the board first with a 52 yard field goal by Rob Bironas.  Houston answered with 26 yard fumble recovery and return for a touchdown by DeMeco Ryans.  Bironas kicked a 25 yard field goal to close the gap at the end of the first quarter, 7-6.

The Titans dominated the second quarter.  Bironas kicked his third field goal of the day, this one from 21 yards.  LenDale White had a 1 yard touchdown run and Bironas kicked two more field goals from 30 and 28 yards.  Tennessee led 22-7 at halftime.

In the third quarter, it was still all Tennessee.  Bironas kicked his sixth field goal of the day from 43 yards.  Chris Henry added to the score with a 4 yard touchdown run.  Tennessee led 32-7 at the end of the quarter.

The Texans refused to give up.  In the fourth quarter, Sage Rosenfels threw a 7 yard touchdown pass to David Anderson and made a 2 point conversion.  Rosenfels then threw a 6 yard touchdown pass to Kevin Walter and the score was 32-22.  Bironas kicked his seventh field goal of the day, but Houston came back with a 7 yard touchdown pass from Rosenfels to Jeb Putzier and then took the lead on a 53 yard touchdown pass from Rosenfels to Andre Davis.  The score was 36-35.

But Tennessee would not be denied.  Bironas kicked his NFL record setting eighth field goal to win the game.  The Tennessee Titans beat the Houston Texans 38-36.

For the Texans, Rosenfels passed 22-35 for 290 yards with 4 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.  Kevin Walter had 6 receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown.  Andre Davis had 4 receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown.  DeMeco Ryans recorded Houston’s only sack for the day. 

For the Titans, Kerry Collins passed 25-42 for 280 yards.  LenDale White had 27 rushes for 104 yards and a touchdown.  Roydell Williams had 5 catches for 124 yards.  Cortland Finnegan and Kyle Vanden Bosch each recorded a sack.  Keith Bulluck had an interception and Nick Harper snagged 2 picks.

Houston went to 3-4 with the loss.  They finished the season with an 8-8 record, fourth in the AFC South.  Tennessee improved to 4-2 with the win.  They finished the season at 10-6, third in the AFC South.  They lost to the San Diego Chargers in a wild card playoff game.

Trivia

• This was Gary Kubiak’s second season coaching the Texans.  He became head coach in 2006 and is still there today.
• This was Jeff Fisher’s 14^th season coaching the Titans.  He coached the team from 1994-2010.  He was named head coach when the team was the Houston Oilers.
• Kubiak backed up John Elway for the Denver Broncos from 1983-91.
• Fisher played for the Chicago Bears from 1981-84.
  
• Fisher’s Bears beat Kubiak’s Broncos the two times they faced each other as players, in 1983 (31-14) and 1984 (27-0).  Both Fisher and Kubiak played in the 1984 game.
• Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is now the head coach of the Detroit Lions.
• Texans offensive coordinator Mike Sherman was the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 2000-05.
• Bironas’ record 8 field goals in one game beat the record of 6 held by multiple players.

Here are some historical scores on this day for teams facing each other this week, on October 21,

1984 – Chicago 44 – Tampa Bay 9

2001 – Washington 17 – Carolina 14 OT

2001 – Minnesota 35 – Green Bay 13

2007 – Kansas City 12 – Oakland 10

Game stats can be found on Pro-Football-Reference.com at Tennessee Titans vs Houston Texans - October 21, 2007.

Today in 1994 - Green Bay vs Minnesota

October 20, 1994 – Today in 1994, the Minnesota Vikings hosted their NFC Central rival Green Bay Packers at the Hubert Humphrey Metrodome in a Week 7 contest.

Anthony Parker scored for the Vikings’ defense with a fumble recovery for the touchdown, which was the only score in the first quarter.  In the second quarter, Chris Jacke got the Packers on the board with a 50 yard field goal.  Backup quarterback Mark Brunell scored on a 5 yard touchdown run and Green Bay led at halftime 10-7.

After a scoreless third quarter, Fuad Reveiz kicked a 29 yard field goal to tie the game in the fourth quarter.  At the end of regulation, the score was 10-10 and the game went to overtime.

In the overtime period, Minnesota drove to Green Bay’s 20 yard line and set up a field goal attempt by Reveiz.  The field goal was good and the Minnesota Vikings beat the Green Bay Packers 13-10.

For the Packers, Brett Farve passed 6-10 for 32 yards and an interception.  Mark Brunell passed 11-24 for 79 yards.  He had 4 rushing attempts for 9 yards and a touchdown.  For the Vikings, Warren Moon passed 31-50 for 271 yards and two interceptions.  Cris Carter had 10 receptions for 68 yards.  Jake Reed had 8 receptions for 95 yards.

Sean Jones got 2 sacks for the Packers.  Reggie White and Steve McMichael each had a sack.  James Willis and Terrell Buckley had a pick for Green Bay.  James Harris and Ed McDaniel each had half a sack for the Vikings, and John Randle had 2 sacks.  Harris also had an interception.

The Packers fell to 3-4 with the loss.  They finished the season at 9-7 and lost to the Dallas Cowboys in a divisional playoff game.  The Vikings went to 5-2 and finished the season at 10-6, winning the NFC Central division.  They lost to the Chicago Bears in a wild card playoff game.

Trivia

• There were 4 Hall of Famers present: Warren Moon, Randall McDaniel, and John Randle for the Vikings, and Reggie White for the Packers.
• This was Mike Holmgren’s third season coaching the Packers.  He coached the team from 1992-98 and led them to two Super Bowl appearances, one of them a championship.  He never had a losing season with Green Bay.
• This was also Dennis Green’s third season coaching the Vikings.  He coached the team from 1992-2001.  He only had one losing season with the team, in 2001.
• There were two future head coaches on Green’s staff.  Brian Billick coached the Baltimore Ravens from 1999-2007 and led them to a Super Bowl victory.  Tony Dungy coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1998-2001 and the Indianapolis Colts from 2002-09.  Dungy led the Colts to a Super Bowl championship.
• There were four future head coaches on Holmgren’s staff.  Dick Jauron coached the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, and Buffalo Bills.  Steve Mariucci coached the San Francisco 49ers from 1997-2002 and Detroit from 2003-05.  Jon Gruden coached the Oakland Raiders from 1998-2001 and took over for Dungy in Tampa Bay from 2002-08.  He led the Bucs to a Super Bowl title over his former team the Raiders.  Andy Reid is the only one of the four who is still coaching.  He has been the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles since 1999 and led them to a Super Bowl appearance.
• Minnesota linebacker Jack Del Rio is now the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars and has coached the team since 2003.
• Tony Dungy and Dick Jauron were divisional opponents as players in 1978.  Jauron played for the Cincinnati Bengals and Dungy played for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Here are some historical scores on this day for teams facing each other this week, on October 20,

1968 – Kansas City 24 – Oakland 10

1985 – Pittsburgh 23 – St. Louis Cardinals 10

2002 – Baltimore 17 – Jacksonville 10

2003 – Kansas City 17 – Oakland 10

Game stats can be found on Pro-Football-Reference.com at Green Bay Packers vs Minnesota Vikings - October 20, 1994.

Last Place Update - October 18, 2011

So much for the Cam Newton warning.  He played like a rookie quarterback against the Atlanta Falcons and threw three picks.  He still has the potential to be a very good quarterback and Carolina will improve.  Now for this week’s Last Place Update.

The 0-6 Indianapolis Colts once again earned their Kings of the Cellar title for the week by losing to rookie quarterback Andy Dalton and the 4-2 Cincinnati Bengals 27-17.  The 0-5 Miami Dolphins and St. Louis Rams are a close second.

Speaking of, this week’s honorable mention goes to Miami, because their loss to the New York Jets extended their losing streak to eight games.  Except for a 17-16 loss to Cleveland, the Dolphins have been easily beaten every week this season. 

A second honorable mention goes to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have also lost five straight.  Yes, they are rebuilding.  Yes, they’re not expected to do that well.  Their only saving graces are that they’re 10^th in rushing and 8^th in opponents’ passing yards.  They face the Baltimore Ravens this week on Monday Night Football for their sixth straight loss.  Look at the bright side.  They face a slumping Houston Texans in two weeks.

Next Loss…

Indy goes to the newly named Mercedes-Benz Superdome to face the 4-2 New Orleans Saints, who just got stung by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  This is their first meeting since Super Bowl XLIV.  Andy Dalton is no Drew Brees and Indy's only hope is a suspect Saints defense.  Expect the Saints to bring their A-game and spank the Colts. 

Miami hosts the 1-4 Denver Broncos.  This may be an Upset Special.  Tim Tebow starts for the Broncos.  Can Denver’s defense stop Reggie Bush?  Well…yeah, because he’s averaging 3.8 yards per carry this season.  He still dances too much.  This could be an ugly game and it’s Miami’s to lose.

The St. Louis Rams visit the 2-3 Dallas Cowboys.  Upset Special II?  Not if Dallas gets its act together.  Dallas had one of the hardest schedules up to this point in the season, facing teams that are .500 or better.  Okay, never mind.  This should be an easy Rams loss.

Some BCS Top 10 Trivia for this Week

October 17, 2011 – I'm changing things up a bit here.  Since the BCS rankings are out, that is where the trivia will come from.  So here is this week’s BCS Top 10 trivia.

The #20 Auburn Tigers go into their second Death Valley to face the #1 LSU Tigers.  Auburn went to another Death Valley in Clemson a month ago and lost 38-24.  LSU leads the series 24-20-1.  LSU is also 9-5 against Auburn since 1995.  Each team has a winning home record against the other.  Auburn is 15-10 at home and LSU is 14-4-1 at home.  The last time Auburn beat LSU in Baton Rouge was 41-7 in 1999.  Their lone tie was 7-7 in 1941.  The last time LSU shut out Auburn was 6-0 in 1935.  The last time Auburn shut out LSU was 3-0 in 1924.  It was the third of three successive shutouts against LSU.

The #2 Alabama Crimson Tide welcomes the Tennessee Volunteers, fresh off their spanking by LSU.  Alabama leads the series 48-37-8.  The Tide is 7-10-1 against the Vols since 1993, but has won the last four games.  The last time Alabama shut out Tennessee was 27-0 in 1980.  The last time Tennessee shut out Alabama was 24-0 in 1970.

Texas Tech goes to Norman to take on the #3 Oklahoma Sooners.  The Sooners lead the series 13-5, but are 3-3 against the Red Raiders since 2005.  The last time Texas Tech beat Oklahoma in Norman was their first win in the series, 22-12 in 1996.  Neither team has ever shut out the other.

The Missouri Tigers host the #4 Oklahoma State Cowboys in Columbia.  Missouri leads the series 28-22, but Oklahoma State won three out of the last four games.  The Cowboys are 8-5 against the Tigers since 1991.  Like the LSU-Auburn series, each team has a winning record at home versus the other, Oklahoma State 12-11 and Missouri 17-10.  The highest scoring game in the series was a 51-50 win by Missouri.  The last time Missouri shut out Oklahoma State was 7-0 in 1967.  It was the third in three consecutive shutouts.  Oklahoma State has never shut out Missouri.

The #5 Boise State Broncos play the Air Force Falcons for the first time ever at home this week.

The #6 Wisconsin Badgers invade East Lansing to take on the Michigan State Spartans.  Michigan State leads the series 29-20, but the Badgers are 8-6 against the Spartans since 1993.  Each team has a winning record at home versus the other.  The last time Michigan State shut out Wisconsin was 36-0 in 1988.  The last time Wisconsin shut out Michigan State was 32-0 in 1983.

The #7 Clemson Tigers welcome the North Carolina Tarheels at Memorial Stadium.  Clemson leads the series 34-19-1, but is 7-6 against the Tarheels since 1993.  Their lone tie was 13-13 in 1977.  Their first ever meeting was a 28-0 drubbing by North Carolina in 1897.  The last time North Carolina shut out Clemson was 45-0 in 1996.  The last time Clemson shut out North Carolina was 17-0 in 1967.  Their highest scoring game was a 54-32 Clemson win in 1974.

The Washington Huskies go to sunny California to play the #8 Stanford Cardinal.  Washington leads the series 40-37-4, but Stanford is 5-1 against the Huskies since 2004.  The series has gone in streaks since 1957.  Stanford’s longest streak was ten games from 1967-76.  Washington’s longest streak also ten games, from 1983-93.  Their last tie was 7-7 in 1955.  The last time Stanford shut out Washington was 41-0 last season.  The last time Washington shut out Stanford was 34-0 in 1985.

The Ole Miss Rebels host the #9 Arkansas Razorbacks in Oxford.  Arkansas leads the series 30-26-1, including two Sugar Bowl victories in 1963 and 1970.  Arkansas is 11-10 versus Ole Miss since 1990.  Ole Miss is 6-4 at home versus the Razorbacks since 1991.  Their first ever meeting was a 33-0 Arkansas romp in 1908.  The lone tie game was 14-14 in 1984.  The last time Arkansas shut out Ole Miss was 34-0 in 1998.  The last time Ole Miss shut out Arkansas was 19-0 in 1993.

The #10 Oregon Ducks go to Boulder to face the Colorado Buffaloes.  Colorado leads the series 8-7, but Oregon is 5-3 since 1979.  The last time these two teams played was in the Fiesta Bowl in 2002, when Joey Harrington’s Ducks beat Daniel Graham’s Buffaloes 38-16.  Their previous two meetings were also bowl games and Colorado wins; the Aloha Bowl in 1998 (51-43) and the Cotton Bowl in 1996 (38-6).  The only shutout in the series was a 35-0 Oregon win in 1956.

Here are some historical scores for this week’s BCS Top 25 matchups played on October 17,

1903 – Purdue 24 – Illinois 0

1908 – Nebraska 0 – Minnesota 0

1935 – Kansas State 14 – Kansas 7

1931 – Tennessee 25 – Alabama 0

1931 – Kansas State 13 – Kansas 0

1936 – Tennessee 0 – Alabama 0

1942 – Alabama 8 – Tennessee 0

1942 – Minnesota 15 – Nebraska 2

1953 – Tennessee 0 – Alabama 0

1959 – Tennessee 7 – Alabama 7

1959 – Kansas 33 – Kansas State 14

1964 – Alabama 19 – Tennessee 8

1964 – Washington 6 – Stanford 0

1970 – Tennessee 24 – Alabama 0

1981 – Alabama 38 – Tennessee 19

1981 – Michigan State 33 – Wisconsin 14

1987 – Alabama 41 – Tennessee 22

1992 – Oklahoma State 28 – Missouri 26

1992 – Alabama 17 – Tennessee 10

1992 – Ole Miss 17 – Arkansas 3

1992 – Syracuse 20 – West Virginia 17

2009 – Oklahoma State 33 – Missouri 17

Today in 2000 - Atlanta Falcons vs Carolina Panthers

October 15, 2000 – Today in 2000, the Atlanta Falcons swooped in to Ericsson Stadium to face the Carolina Panthers in a Week 3 matchup.

The only scoring in the first quarter was a 31 yard field goal by Morten Andersen.  In the second quarter, the Falcons added to their lead on a 26 yard touchdown run by Jamal Anderson.  The Panthers responded in kind with a 33 yard field goal by Richie Cunningham and a 9 yard touchdown pass from Steve Beuerlein to Muhsin Muhammad.  The game was tied at halftime.

After a scoreless third quarter, Morten Andersen broke the tie with a 27 yard field goal.  Then Atlanta sealed the deal with a safety.  The Atlanta Falcons beat the Carolina Panthers 15-10.

Beuerlein passed 21-37 for 241 yards with a touchdown and 2 interceptions for the Panthers.  Tim Biakabutuka was held to 45 yards on 12 rushes.  For the Falcons, Chris Miller passed 21-27 for 174 yards and Jamal Anderson had 22 rushes for 97 yards and a touchdown.  He also had 2 receptions for 12 yards.  Jason Peter and Reggie White each had a sack for Carolina, and Ashley Ambrose and Ray Buchanan each had an interception.  Shane Dronett and Travis White recorded a sack for the Atlanta, while Chuck Wiley had 2 sacks.

Carolina went to 1-2 for the season and Atlanta went to 2-1.  The Panthers finished the season 7-9.  The Falcons finished the season at 4-12.

Notables

• There was 1 Hall of Famer present:  Reggie White for the Panthers.
  
• This was George Seifert’s second season coaching the Panthers.  He coached the team from 1999-2001.  He was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers from 1989-96 and led them to two Super Bowl victories.
  
• This was Dan Reeves’ fourth season coaching the Falcons.  He coached the team from 1997-2003 and led them to a Super Bowl appearance.  Reeves was featured in recent entries of this blog.
  
• Falcons kicker Morten Anderson holds the team scoring record for the Falcons and New Orleans Saints.  His career spanned from 1982-2005.

Here are some historical scores on this day for teams facing each other this week, on October 15,

1978 – Philadelphia 17 – Washington 10

2000 – Minnesota 28 – Chicago 16

2006 – New York Jets 20 – Miami 17

Game stats can be found on Pro-Football-Reference.com at Atlanta Falcons vs Carolina Panthers - October 15, 2000.

Today in 1952 - Los Angeles Rams vs Green Bay Packers

October 12, 1952 – Here’s a real old school game for you.  Today in 1952, the Los Angeles Rams went to Milwaukee (Lambeau Field didn’t exist yet) to take on the Green Bay Packers in a Week 3 contest. 

The Packers scored first on a 14 yard touchdown run by Bobby Jack Floyd.  At the end of the first quarter, Green Bay led 7-0.

Bob Waterfield got the Rams on the board in the second quarter with field goals from 16 and 32 yards.  The Packers answered with a 69 yard touchdown pass from Tobin Rote to Billy Howton.  Green Bay led 14-6 at halftime.

In the third quarter, Green Bay added to their lead with a 17 yard touchdown pass from Rote to Bob Mann and a 6 yard touchdown pass from Babe Parili to Mann.  At the end of the quarter, the Packers led the Rams 28-6.

The Rams came to life in the fourth quarter.  Dan Towler scored on a 1 yard touchdown run to make it 28-13.  Waterfield kicked a 25 yard field goal.  Even the defense got in on the action.  Bob Carey recovered a Green Bay fumble and ran 16 yard for a touchdown.  The score narrowed to 28-23.  Towler finished the comeback with a 3 yard touchdown run and the Los Angeles Rams beat the Green Bay Packers 30-28.

Both teams went to 1-2.  Green Bay finished the season at 6-6.  Los Angeles finished the season at 9-3 and lost to the Detroit Lions in the playoffs, who ended up winning the NFL Championship.

Notables

• There were 7 Hall of Famers present: Tony Canadeo for the Packers, and Norm Van Brocklin, Bob Waterfield, Tom Fears, Elroy Hirsch, Andy Robustelli, and Dick Lane for the Rams.
  
• This was Gene Ronzani’s third season coaching the Packers.  He coached the team from 1950-53.
  
• This was Hampton Pool’s first season coaching the Rams.  He coached the team from 1952-54.  He replaced Hall of Famer Joe Stydahar after the first game of the season.  Stydahar coached the team from 1950-52.
  
• Pool and Stydahar were teammates with the Chicago Bears from 1940-43.  Ronzani and Stydahar were teammates with the Bears from 1936-38 and 1945.
  
• Van Brocklin went on to become the first head coach of the Minnesota Vikings.  He coached the team from 1961-66.
  
• Bob Waterfield went on to become the head coach for the Rams from 1960-62.
  
• Tom Fears was the first head coach of the New Orleans Saints.  He coached the team from 1967-70.
  
• Jerry Williams was the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1969-71.
  
• Norb Hecker was the first head coach for the Atlanta Falcons.  He coached the team from 1966-68.
  
• Van Brocklin replaced Hecker as the head coach of the Falcons.  He coached the team from 1968-74.
  
• The Rams had players with unique names, like Skeet Quinlan, Vitamin Smith, Charlie Toogood, and Dick “Night Train” Lane.  The Packers had Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch.

Here are some historical scores on this day for teams facing each other this week, on October 12,

1952 – San Francisco 28 – Detroit 0

1969 – Minnesota 31 – Chicago 0

1980 – Minnesota 13 – Chicago 7

1997 – Miami 31 – New York Jets 20

2003 – Cleveland 13 – Oakland 7

2009 – Miami 31 – New York Jets 27

Game stats can be found on Pro-Football-Reference.com at Los Angeles Rams vs Green Bay Packers - October 12, 1952.