Jones-Drew runs rampant in Jags' win

Football Betting Lines

10/16/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Penn State running back Ki-Jana Carter averaged almost eight yards per carry during his final season in Happy Valley. It's no wonder why the Nittany Lions went 12-0 that year and defeated Oregon in the Rose Bowl, a game in which Carter broke off an 83-yard touchdown run.

Jacksonville running back Maurice Jones-Drew had a similar uplifting performance in the Jaguars' 37-17 throttling of the AFC South-rival Houston Texans on Sunday. Jones-Drew ran for 125 yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries, averaging a mind-boggling 10.4 yards per touch.

While the Jags are not undefeated like Carter's Lions were, they are practically unstoppable when Jones-Drew runs wild.

"This guy is a real champion. He's a treat to coach," Jags head coach Jack Del Rio said of Jones-Drew, who ended with a career-high 184 yards from scrimmage thanks to 59 yards receiving and added 76 more on kickoff returns. "I don't even have to wait until we got to tape to give him a game ball. He was sensational."

The compact back ripped off a 57-yard touchdown run during the fourth quarter on Sunday, the second consecutive week in which he has recorded a touchdown run longer than 50 yards. His 52-yard TD scamper contributed to a 17-7 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5.

Let's just hope his NFL career doesn't fizzle in the wind like Carter's did. Carter unfortunately blew out his knee in a preseason game months after the Cincinnati Bengals selected him No. 1 overall in the 1995 NFL Draft.

Jones-Drew and the Jaguars have now won four straight since a season-opening loss to Tennessee and sit in second place in the AFC South standings, one game behind the 5-0 Indianapolis Colts. Jacksonville is now headed for a crucial home showdown with the Colts this Monday night.

Veteran running back Fred Taylor contributed to Jacksonville's season-high 244 rushing yards, amassing 90 on just six carries that included a 76-yard scamper during the first quarter.

The run game also got a huge lift with the return of starting center Brad Meester, who was out since training camp with an injured ankle. Meester made a big block to spring Taylor on his 76-yard sprint.

Jacksonville's ground attack ranks fourth in the NFL and has been improving each week. In a season-opening loss to the Titans, the Jags mustered just 75 rushing yards, with Jones-Drew earning 32 yards and Taylor just 16. Jones-Drew has been playing like Hall of Famer Barry Sanders ever since, and doesn't seem as if anything will slow him down. Not even the defending Super Bowl champion Colts.

"It was huge," Taylor said of Sunday's win. "This is a new face, a new team. We took another step up that hill. We've still got a ways to go. It helps our confidence. It gives us a little bit more momentum to the main objective, the main goal, and that's to get on top of the hill. Right now, this is one more step."

CAN GARRARD BE STOPPED?

Jaguars quarterback David Garrard reached the 100 mark in passer rating for the fourth consecutive week on Sunday, a new team record. He is also one of only two quarterbacks, along with Tampa Bay's Jeff Garcia, to not throw an interception this season.

Garrard, who hasn't been picked off since the Chiefs' Ty Law intercepted one of his passes on December 31 of last season, completed 22 of his 34 passes for 221 yards and a pair of touchdowns on Sunday for a 102.7 passer rating.

"I'm playing smart," Garrard said after the win over Houston. "I'm putting the ball in the right positions and not letting (opponents) get their hands on it."

Garrard also ran five times for 26 yards to keep Houston's defense in check. The athletic signal-caller, who has six touchdown passes and 134 rushing yards this season, will now get a chance to outduel Peyton Manning and the Colts on Monday night.

DEFENSE STANDS STRONG AGAIN

Jacksonville couldn't have asked for a better time to play fantastic defense. With Indianapolis next on the schedule, the Jags tuned up with a strong defensive effort versus the Texans.

Del Rio's defense limited the opposition to under 100 yards rushing for the fourth straight game. After Tennessee racked up 282 yards on the ground in a Week 1 win, Jacksonville has surrendered a combined 200 yards in wins over Atlanta, Denver, Kansas City and Houston.

Titans running back Chris Brown had a career-high 175 yards in the season opener against the Jaguars, who have yet to allow a 100-yard rusher since. Texans running back Ahman Green returned from an injury on Sunday, only to post 44 yards on 16 carries.

The defense also produced a score in the fourth quarter. End Paul Spicer sacked Houston quarterback Matt Schaub and forced a fumble in the process. Linebacker Daryl Smith then scooped up the loose football and scampered 77 yards for a touchdown.

"I saw [Smith] pick it up and start running, and I said to myself, 'Let me take a break.' I could have gotten up and ran with him, but I couldn't catch Daryl if I tried," said Spicer, who has three sacks in his last four games.

Smith's score was the first defensive touchdown of the season for Jacksonville and the team's first since the eighth game of last season, when cornerback Scott Starks returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown against Tennessee.

UP NEXT: BRING ON THE COLTS

Jacksonville will be on primetime television for the first time this season when they host the unbeaten Indianapolis Colts on Monday night, with first place in the AFC South division on the line.

Indianapolis should be well rested after having a bye this past week. The Colts are 5-0 and sit atop the division standings, one game ahead of the Jaguars. The last time Indy visited Jacksonville was on December 10 of the 2006 season, and the Jaguars posted a 44-17 rout. Jones-Drew rushed for 166 yards on 15 carries and scored three touchdowns, while Taylor finished with 131 yards on nine carries and one score.

The optimistic Jags will try to repeat that ground success against the Colts' 13th-rated run defense. Indy will try to do the same, since it is fifth in the NFL in rushing while the Jags are 11th against the run. Expect a lot of work from rested Colts running back Joseph Addai, while Jones-Drew and Taylor will also get their share of carries.