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A Moss-terful game

October 2, 2006 12:50 am

LANDOVER, Md.--Early in the game, Santana Moss was bubbling as he weaved through the Jacksonville Jaguars' defense. Though just 5-foot-10, the Redskins' lightning-footed wideout felt like he could catch anything that soared his way.

So he approached quarterback Mark Brunell.

"Just throw the ball up," Moss told Brunell. "I'm not saying I'm going to get all of them, but just give me a chance."

And with 13:12 left in overtime at FedEx Field, that's what Brunell did. On a second-and-13 from the Redskins' 32 yard-line, Brunell looked toward Moss near the left sideline. Jaguars safety Donovin Darius and cornerback Deon Grant were there, as well.

Brunell fired a pass that traveled about 15 yards. Grant swiped at the ball, but missed. Moss felt Darius approaching quickly.

"I peeked at him," Moss said. "No receiver wants to get knocked out."

Darius went for the interception, but it landed in Moss' hands. The receiver then turned and exploded down the left sideline in a blur, scoring the 68-yard touchdown that gave the Redskins a 36-30 victory.

Moss leapt into a crowd of roaring fans who patted the top of his helmet and pumped their fists. Brunell put both index fingers in the air and ran toward the celebration. Backup quarterback Todd Collins tossed a football into the stands. The field was covered with cheerleaders and television cameras.

Amid the din, though, the referee announced that the play was being reviewed to see if Moss had stepped out of bounds before making the catch. Brunell watched the official to see how long he peered into the replay monitor.

"He didn't look at it for very long," Brunell said. "Usually when that happens, you're pretty sure it's going to stand."

The quarterback was right. The play stood. Euphoria returned, the marching band blasted its trumpets and tubas, and the Redskins evened their record at 2-2.

Moss finished with four catches for 138 yards and three touchdowns, and Clinton Portis had 27 carries for 112 yards and a score, becoming the first running back this season to top the 100-yard mark against Jacksonville.

Earlier in the week, Jaguars (2-2) linebacker Mike Peterson said he was "looking forward to shutting [Portis] down." Those words found their way to the Redskins' locker room.

"I thought it was a shot, just disrespectful," Portis said, "so I made it my goal to come out and run downhill."

In addition to clearing holes for Portis, the Redskins' offensive line kept Brunell's jersey dirt-free, as the quarterback was not sacked. Brunell suffered a gash on his throwing elbow late in Washington's victory over the Houston Texans last weekend. He did not practice Wednesday or Thursday of last week, but on Friday his arm was as fresh as a good tomato.

Brunell, who played for the Jaguars from 1995-2003, was sharp yesterday evening, as well. Wearing a black sleeve on his left elbow, the quarterback completed 18-of-30 passes for 329 yards and three touchdowns.

The Jaguars combined for just 33 yards on 15 carries. But Jacksonville quarterback Byron Leftwich, who is a native of Washington, was 21-for-35 for 289 yards with three touchdowns and an interception.

"Byron did a great job leading us back and giving us an opportunity there," Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said.

With 12:24 left in the fourth quarter, Brunell found Moss for an 8-yard touchdown that gave the Redskins a cozy 27-17 lead. But Leftwich needed just four plays to provide an 81-yard reply. The final snap of the brief drive resulted in a difficult 21-yard touchdown catch by Reggie Williams, who lost his helmet when he was popped by Sean Taylor.

Redskins wide receiver Brandon Lloyd then fumbled a catch at his team's 24-yard line, and the Jaguars got a 43-yard Josh Scobee field goal to tie the score at 27 with 6:40 left.

After Rock Cartwright returned the ensuing kickoff to midfield, the Redskins pushed into Jacksonville territory. On third-and-1 from the 20, Ladell Betts was stopped for no gain, and Washington settled for a 37-yard John Hall field goal to take a 30-27 lead.

Again, Jacksonville responded, as it moved 54 yards and got a 41-yard field goal by Scobee to send the game to overtime.

But they never had a chance in the extra session. The Jaguars called "tails" on the coin toss. Moss was standing at midfield.

"I said, 'You never bet on your tail; bet on your head,'" Moss recalled, smiling.

Sure enough, the coin came up "heads," the Redskins took the ball, and Brunell and Moss took care of the rest.

About 30 minutes after the game, Moss passed Brunell in the team interview room.

"I appreciate you, there," Moss told Brunell.

"Alright baby, good job," Brunell replied.

And the quarterback and the wide receiver pounded each other's fists and went their separate ways.

To reach ADAM HIMMELSBACH: 540/374-5442
Email: ahimmelsbach@freelancestar.com

Jacksonville

10

7

0

13

0--

30

Washington

7

6

7

10

6--

36

First Quarter

Jac--FG Scobee 46, 10:37.

Was--Moss 55 pass from Brunell (Hall kick), 8:25.

Jac--R.Williams 33 pass from Leftwich (Scobee kick), 4:33.

Second Quarter

Was--FG Hall 44, 12:59.

Jac--Jones-Drew 51 pass from Leftwich (Scobee kick), 11:20.

Was--FG Hall 37, :06.

Third Quarter

Was--Portis 1 run (Hall kick), 2:49.

Fourth Quarter

Was--Moss 8 pass from Brunell (Hall kick), 12:24.

Jac--R.Williams 21 pass from Leftwich (Scobee kick), 10:20.

Jac--FG Scobee 43, 6:40.

Was--FG Hall 37, 1:55.

Jac--FG Scobee 41, :06.

Overtime

Was--Moss 68 pass from Brunell, 13:11.

A--89,450.

TEAM STATISTICS

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

RUSHING--Jacksonville, F.Taylor 7-16, Leftwich 5-14, Jones-Drew 3-3. Washington, Portis 27-112, Betts 11-37, Randle-El 2-3.

PASSING--Jacksonville, Leftwich 21-35-1-289. Washington, Brunell 18-30-1-329.

RECEIVING--Jacksonville, R.Williams 5-93, Wrighster 5-53, Jones-Drew 3-53, Wilford 3-30, Lewis 2-40, M.Jones 2-13, F.Taylor 1-7. Washington, Moss 4-138, Cooley 4-70, Lloyd 3-49, Portis 2-28, Randle-El 2-23, Fauria 1-11, Sellers 1-6, Betts 1-4.