This time, Texans don't let victory slip through grasp

HOUSTON - Andre Johnson hung his head, furious at himself for fumbling near the goal line.

Coaches urged him to snap out of it. If Houston was going to win, they told him, he'd have to make a play.

They were right.

Johnson had an acrobatic 23-yard reception on fourth and 10 that kept the last drive alive and Matt Schaub ran for a 3-yard touchdown with three seconds left to lead the Texans to their first win, 29-28 over the Miami Dolphins yesterday.

The Dolphins (2-3) had knocked down consecutive passes in the end zone before Schaub ran for the score on fourth down. The 2-point conversion failed, but Houston (1-4) had enough points, winning in dramatic fashion a week after blowing a 17-point fourth-quarter lead against the Colts.

Johnson led the way with a franchise-record 178 yards receiving and one touchdown.

"That fourth-down play happened, so I was able to redeem myself," Johnson said. "I think this win shows what we can do and hopefully it can be the start of something special."

The game was still in question after that catch, but the Texans believe it turned the momentum in their favor.

"He was covered pretty good, but he made an unbelievable catch," Kevin Walter said. "After that I said, 'We're gonna win this game.' "

Ronnie Brown's 6-yard run with less than two minutes remaining gave Miami the lead, 28-23. Chad Pennington was intercepted by Eugene Wilson moments earlier, but Wilson fumbled on the return and Miami recovered, giving the Dolphins a new set of downs to set up Brown's score.

Schaub finished 22 of 42 for 379 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions - coming on the Texans' first two possessions. Houston's 485 yards set a franchise record.