NewsChannel 5.com - Nashville, Tennessee - GAME PREVIEW: Titans vs. Jacksonville

GAME PREVIEW: Titans vs. Jacksonville

TENNESSEE FAST GAME FACTS
TENNESSEE (9-0, 3-0 AFC SOUTH)
vs. JACKSONVILLE (4-5, 2-1 AFC SOUTH)
Sunday, Nov 16, 2008
Jacksonville Municipal Stadium (67,164)
Jacksonville, FL
3:15 p.m. CT

Coaches:
Tennessee, Jeff Fisher (128-104 in 14 seasons, same overall)
Jacksonville, Jack Del Rio (52-42 in 6 seasons, same overall)

Series:
Tennessee leads, 16-12, after the Titans 17-10 win at LP Field in the season opener on September 7, 2008.

TV:
CBS/NewsChannel 5 HD (Dick Enberg, Randy Cross)

Radio:
Local: Titans Radio Network (Mike Keith, Frank Wycheck, Cody Allison, Larry Stone)

GAME ON:
Coming off a solid win against Chicago (5-4, 3-0 NFC North) at Soldier Field in Week 10, Tennessee hits the road for the second week in a row against division rival Jacksonville.

Jacksonville enters Sunday's game coming off a 38-14 defeat of the 0-9 Detroit Lions. Running back Maurice Jones-Drew ran for three touchdowns, and quarterback David Garrard added two touchdowns in the air. It was just Garrard's second game of the season with more than one touchdown. Dante Culpepper was 5-for-10 for 104 yards and one interception in his Detroit debut before being benched in the fourth quarter.

The game is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. (CT) and will be broadcast nationally on CBS.

THE TENNESSEE-JACKSONVILLE SERIES:
Sunday's game will be the 29^th contest between Tennessee and Jacksonville going back to the Jags' inaugural NFL season in 1995. The Oilers spoiled in the festivities with a 10-3 win. The game sparked an intense rivalry now in its fourteenth year.

The Titans and Jaguars have played at least twice each season since 1995. The two teams played three times in 1999 when they met in the AFC Championship Game in Jacksonville. Tennessee won 33-14 and advanced to their only Super Bowl in franchise history. (They lost to St. Louis 23-16.)

Jacksonville would like nothing more than to hand Tennessee their first loss of the season.

THE LAST MEETING:
The Titans defense left its mark in the season opener against Jacksonville. Tennessee held the Jags to 10 points and 189 yards. The Titans recorded seven sacks and two interceptions. The game stayed fairly close until Lendale White's 1-yard touchdown run with 3:47 left in the fourth quarter, putting Tennessee up 17-7. Jacksonville moved the ball downfield to score three points on a Josh Scobee field goal.

The Jaguars got the ball back on a failed 4^th and 1 at their own 30 with 14 seconds left. Their first play netted 11 yards, but any momentum ended on the next play when Albert Haynesworth sacked QB David Garrard for a 9-yard loss at time expired.

Overshadowing the defense performance was the drama surrounding Tennessee starting quarterback Vince Young. Young was intercepted twice - the second time just one play after an interception by Cortland Finnegan. The Titans got the ball back after a Jacksonville punt, but fans at LP Field booed Young as he was slow to head back onto the field.

Just a couple plays later, Young sprained his knee. Kerry Collins first play of the game was a screen pass that turned into a 44-yard gain. The drive resulted in White's winning touchdown and a 17-7 lead. Collins has been the Titans QB since, leading Tennessee to their first ever 9-0 start.

ON THE TUBE:
Sunday's game will be broadcast live to a national audience on CBS, and broadcast locally on NewsChannel 5 in high definition with play-by-play from Dick Enberg and color commentary from Randy Cross. Enberg has gained a reputation as one of the most prominent and respected play-by-play announcers in sports in his 40+ year career. He has called NFL games for CBS since 2000. Cross was a two-time All-American at UCLA. He played 13 NFL seasons at San Francisco from 1976 to 1988, where he earned three All-Pro selections, three Pro-Bowl selections and three Super Bowl championships.

A LOOK BACK: TITANS - BEARS
Tennessee overcame the hungry Bears at Soldier Field after their worst rushing performance of the season. Known for their run, Chicago held Tennessee to just 20 yards on the ground. Their 21-14 win was facilitated by veteran QB Kerry Collins and his cast receiving core. Collins was 30-for-41 with a season-high 289 yards passing and two touchdowns. Seven receivers had at least one catch - including running back Lendale White. Four receivers averaged at least 10.3 yards per catch. Collins completed 12-straight passes at one point.

RECORD START:
A win over Jacksonville would give Tennessee a 10-0 record for the first time in franchise history. The undefeated Titans have won 12 straight regular season games and six straight away wins. Their last loss was a 6-17 defeat from San Diego in a wildcard playoff game on January 6, 2008.

SI COVER JINX?
The Tennessee-Jacksonville game comes less than a week after Sports Illustrated featured defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth on the cover. The Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx is the myth that individuals may be cursed with poor performances after appearing on the cover. SI addressed the curse themselves in a 2002 issue with a black cat on the cover and the headline "Is the SI Jinx for Real?"

Haynesworth is the first Titans player to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated since QB Vince Young has been on the cover of Sports Illustrated four times - two twice during Texas' National Championship season, once before the 2006 NFL Draft, and once during his first year with Tennessee - just before being names the NFL's Rookie of the Year.

FOR THE RECORD:

• Defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth is just a half-sack away from a new career high for sacks in a season.
• Safety Chris Hope has had an interception in each of the last three games. With an interception against Jacksonville, he would tie for the second-longest streak in franchise history.
• Running Back Chris Johnson is just 98 yards away from a 1000-yard season.
• Wide reciever Brandon Jones needs two receptions to reach 100 for his career, and just one more to reach a career high in receptions in a season.
• Linebacker Keith Bullock should start his 107th consecutive game, the longest active streak of any Titans player.

TITANS-JAGS CONNECTIONS:

• Titans coach Jeff Fisher and Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio both played at the University of Southern California. (Fisher 1997-90; Del Rio 1981-84)
• Jaguars DT Theo Horrocks was born in Fayetteville, Tenn. and played for Vanderbilt University.
• Jaquars DT Tony McDaniel played for the University of Tennessee.
• Jaquard DT John Henderson was born in Nashville and attended Pearl-Cohn High School before playing for the University of Tennessee.
• Jaguards S Gerald Sensabaugh played high school football at Dobyns-Bennett in Kingsport, Tenn.
• Jaguars defensive coordinator Gregg Williams spent 11 seasons with the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans from 1990 to 2000.