Saints  14
Rams    30


The Saints logged only 3 second-half 1st downs in a loss to the Rams.


On the third play from scrimmage, Billy Joe Tolliver hit Keith Poole for
a 42 yd pickup; the Saints ended up with a 29 yd Doug Brien FG.  Following
a pooch kickoff that gave the Rams the ball at their 41, the visitors
converted a pair of 3rd downs en route to a 1 yd Holcombe TD reception.

Another sizeable Poole catch put the ball in St. Louis territory; again
the team settled for a FG.  The ball went back to the O when Wayne Martin
recovered a fumble forced by Keith Mitchell at the Ram 31.  The turnover
was converted into a 2 yd Cam Cleeland TD catch (his first of the season).
Eddie Kennison caught a 2-point throw to make it 14-7 Saints with 9:09
left in the half.

A 30 yd Bruce catch put St. Louis in position to make a 40 yd FG.  The
subsequent kickoff return was the Saints' best of the season, as Dino
Philyaw took the ball to the Ram 45.  However, a play later miscommunication
between Tolliver and his intended receiver resulted in an interception.
On 3rd & 3 from the St. Louis 48, Warner evaded multiple Saints rushers to
hit Proehl for 14 and a 1st.  Bruce took a throw to the 4 on the next play,
and a play later Faulk ran in for the score.

At the two-minute warning, pressure caused a Tolliver INT near midfield; the
Rams needed only about a minute to score, via a 30 yd Faulk catch-and-run.
The halftime score was 24-14 St. Louis.

In every second-half Ram possession (save a game-ending kneeler), the
visitors made it inside the NO 25.  One time Fred Weary notched an INT;
the other four possessions ended with FG attempts (2 made, 2 missed).
The Saints, meanwhile, did not even breach FG range.
 

stats (view with a fixed-width font, like Courier)
^^^^^

runnin'........../..........passin' & catchin'

 1-  6                       B.J. Tolliver
14- 54    Wilmont Perry          1-  4
 1-  2       Troy Davis          1- 20
            Lamar Smith          2- 15
 1-  0       Dino Philyaw
            Eddie Kennison       2- 19
            Keith Poole          3- 83
 1-  4      Andre Hastings       2- 45
          Cameron Cleeland       1-  2-1
18- 66         TOTAL            12-188-1
                inc             13
                INT              3

 
runnin'........../..........passin' & catchin'
 
 1-  5                         K. Warner
29-154-1 Marshall Faulk          5- 56-1
 1-  0     Robert Holcombe       1-  1-1
            Torry Holt           6-113
            Isaac Bruce          4-102
         Az-zahir Hakim          1- 25
            Ricky Proehl         2- 23
           Roland Williams       2- 26
31-159-1       TOTAL            21-346-2
                inc              9
                INT              1


notes
^^^^^

* points scored by the Saints this season in the first half: 140
  points scored by the Saints this season in the second half: 68


*******************************************************************************
Frank Serpas III    serpas@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu