C.J. Stroud Breaks Rookie Passing Record In Win vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers…
Against the Bucs, C.J. Stroud created history with a 470-yard, five-touchdown performance.
Texas — Breathing out, C.J. Stroud stepped off the Houston Texans’ sidelines to take charge of the huddle. With 46 seconds remaining, a 14-yard touchdown throw from Baker Mayfield to Cade Otton gave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the lead.
During his two seasons as Ohio State’s starting quarterback, Stroud was always in the forefront of highlight drives. He advised his teammates to take each play one at a time. In order to get the ball out, he implored his offensive line to give him “just a little time” and promised to “make them pay.”
With six seconds left in the game, Stroud, who had already broken the record for the most passing yards by a rookie quarterback in a game (470), completed his historic afternoon with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Tank Dell. In the 39-37 triumph, Stroud set a new career high with five passing touchdowns and 71.6 percent completion percentage.
“He had a gusty performance,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans remarked. “It wasn’t all clean, but he gutted it out, he was tough in the pocket, made some plays, some big-time throws for us and the receivers, they were reliable for him.”
The Texans looked to Stroud to step up and save the day on a day when the run game was invisible without starting running back Dameon Pierce. Things were going well for the offense after a Dalton Schultz fumble on the first possession.
Stroud dispersed passes so that the Bucs could not cover a single receiver. With nine minutes left in the first quarter, Nico Collins opened the score with a 14-yard touchdown.
Noah Brown, a former Ohio State pass-catcher, started the third quarter with a 75-yard touchdown and a team-high 153 yards on six catches. Dalton Schultz had four first-down catches that resulted in scoring drives among his 10 receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown.
“I’ve seen some smart players, and those two are among the best,” Stroud remarked. “You know we had to hit the O-H because Noah is a Buckeye. Being able to play with those guys is awesome. Though we still have a long way to go, we’re headed in the right direction.”
The players already believe that Stroud is the solution to help Houston snap its three-year losing streak, but confidence in the locker room atmosphere is still growing. Losing out on the top choice in favor of winning the season finale against Indianapolis, according to third-year tight end Brevin Jordan, may have “been the best thing to happen to the Texans organization.”
Some are more complicated than others, but it’s not unusual to see the offense respond with a counteroffensive.
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At midfield, Brown caught a 14-yard curl route. For a gain of 26, Dell, who finished with 129 yards, hauled in a pass towards the sideline. Stroud returned to Dell, this time for six, to regain the lead as his pocket began to collapse.
“For those two to connect again with the touchdown, the connection and that bond I think Tank and C.J. have is real,” Ryans said. Both on and off the field, you can witness it. It’s interesting to watch those men collaborate because they have a genuine bond.”
With kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn sidelined by a quadriceps injury, the No. 2 pick would end the game with a kneel-down over the 2-point conversion. On the last play, the Buccaneers made a mistake that gave
