This Day in Browns History (sixth in a series)

Bernie Kosar struggled in the first half of his first start in the NFL. But he rallied the Browns to victory - mainly on some big pass plays with Clarence Weathers.

Kosar finished 9 of 18 passing for 208 yards and a touchdown as the Browns defeated the Houston Oilers, 21-6, on Oct. 13, 1985.

One week earlier, Kosar relieved Gary Danielson in a 24-20 victory over the New England Patriots.

Here's the game story, as it appeared in The Plain Dealer on Oct. 14, 1985:

Kosar proves too slick for Oilers;

Passes Browns into 2-game lead

By Tony Grossi

Staff Writer

HOUSTON - The Browns won a football game yesterday on a home run.

When was the last time that happened to a Cleveland team?

A 68-yard touchdown pass from Bernie Kosar to Clarence Weathers early in the second half disrupted Houston's eternal blitzing tactics and carried the Browns past the skidding Oilers, 21-6.

With Pittsburgh losing to Dallas, the Browns' third straight victory pushed them two games on top of the AFC Central with a 4-2 record.

And when was the last time they held such a lead over the Steelers?

"We can play better, and we will play better," pronounced coach Marty Schottenheimer.

For one half, it seemed Kosar's pro starting debut would be a flop. The Oilers threw everyone at the rookie quarterback but Howard Slusher. When their safeties weren't pressuring Kosar into throwaways, their linemen were crashing into his ribs.

"Man, did he take some hits," said center Mike Baab. "He got stuck in the mouth one and he got it in the chest, too."

Selected Stories

This Day in Browns History

Sept. 2, 1979:

Sept 8, 1981:

Sept. 16, 1962:

Sept. 23, 1984:

Sept. 29, 1946:

Oct. 5, 1986:

Oct. 13, 1985:

Oct. 19, 1958:

Oct. 29, 1979:

Nov. 4, 2007:

Nov. 10, 1986:

Nov. 19, 1961:

Nov. 25, 1951:

Dec 1, 1968:

Dec. 11, 1960:

Dec. 17, 1995:

Dec. 24, 1950:

Jan. 1, 1995:

Jan. 6, 1990:

Two Tony Zendejas field goals gave Houston a 6-0 lead at halftime. The Browns had 34 yards rushing and two measly first downs at the break. Kosar had 44 yards passing. What happened to all that practice time devoted to picking up the blitz?

"They did nothing we didn't expect. We just didn't execute,' shrugged Schottenheimer.

On third-and-9 from the Browns' 32, Kosar correctly read the Oilers' disguised blitz. He gave a little signal to Weathers at the line of scrimmage.

"We tried the same thing the first half, but I broke it off," Weathers said. "Bernie came up to me on the sideline and said I could beat the guy."

This time, Weathers flew past rookie cornerback Richard Johnson and accepted a perfect Kosar pass at the Houston 30, then broke free from safety Bo Eason for his first touchdown as a Cleveland Brown and Kosar's first pro TD pass.

As soon as Kosar let go of the ball, he clapped his hands. "I knew we had it," he said.

"It shows what speed can do," Schottenheimer said. "I think they misjudged Clarence's speed."

Matt Bahr's conversion gave the Browns a 7-6 lead, and Houston's defense was never the same.

After the Browns dispatched the Oilers on the ensuing series, Reggie Camp flooring Warren Moon for one of Cleveland's seven sacks, the Browns went on another touchdown drive.

Suddenly, the running game started popping. An inside handoff out of the shotgun to Earnest Byner resulted in a 22-yard gain for a first down. Kevin Mack took a pitch left and rumbled 7 yards. Another 7-yarder by Byner took the ball to the Houston 27.

Again, Kosar and Weathers hooked up for the big play.

Weathers swept behind Kosar for a fake reverse, but Byner, the intended receiver, was hounded near the goal line.

"It looked like they knew the play," Kosar said.

So Kosar lumbered his 6-5 frame to the left and lofted a 21-yard pass to Weathers breaking down the left sideline. Two plays later, Mack swept right and trotted in untouched for a 4-yard touchdown.

"The biggest thing I saw in Bernie in training camp was that he can make things happen," said Ozzie Newsome. "The second half, he just ad libbed."

Moon, the higher-paid of the two heralded quarterbacks, came out firing, nailing completions of 13 yards to Drew Hill and 17 to running back Butch Woolfolk. But a 10-yard sack by linebacker Clay Matthews foiled the threat.

"We were unable to throw when they knew we would have to, because we were unable to protect our quarterback," said Houston coach Hugh Campbell, whose club dropped to 1-5. "We must be able to protect our quarterback when they know we must throw."

Another Houston series was halted, and Moon retreated to the bench amid a chorus of boos from the 38,386 fans in the Astrodome.

The Browns then put the game away with a 92-yard, 10-play drive highlighted by of course, the Kosar-Weathers connection.

On third down from the Browns' 13, Kosar squeezed underneath the rushing Houston linemen and broke free long enough to spot Weathers racing down the left sideline."

"People say Bernie's not a scrambler," said Schottenheimer. "But he can feel the presence of pressure."

"I don't mind if he throws better than me, but I didn't expect him to scramble better, too," remarked Gary Danielson.

Kosar got the ball to Weathers around the Cleveland 30, and Weathers did the rest. He jerked and squirted his way through the entire defensive secondary, running across the field until he was run out of bounds after a 57-yard play to the Houston 30.

Byner and Mack took it from there, and Byner scored the touchdown on a 5-yard run. It marked the fifth straight game Byner scored a TD.

Moon (14 of 23 for 97 yards) was a basket case the rest of the way and was replaced in the final minutes by Mike Moroski.

The Oilers' only points came as a result of Cleveland turnovers.

A Kosar interception off the hands of Byner led to a 50-yard field goal by Zendejas in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Mack had the ball stripped loose by Steve Brown at the Cleveland 28. The Oilers advanced the ball to the 9, setting up a third down with a foot to go.

Mike Rozier got the call - a dubious pitch to the right - and Chris Rockins stuffed him for no gain. The Oilers settled for a 27-yard field goal by Zendejas.

Besides their ineffectiveness on offense the first half, the Browns had to overcome the loss of two more starters.

Left tackle Paul Farren suffered a rib injury on the second play of the game, and spent the rest of the day trying to catch his breath on the sideline. The ever-versatile Dan Fike moved from right guard to take Farren's place, and Robert Jackson was inserted at right guard.

The makeshift line rallied together. Kosar was not sacked, and the running game regrouped the second half to finish with 152 yards.

On Houston's first offensive series, Cleveland linebacker Eddie Johnson was lost because of an injury to his left knee. For the second game in a row, Scott Nicolas filled in and the defense didn't miss a beat.

Houston receiver Tim Smith, a notorious Browns killer, didn't catch a pass. Running backs Mike Rozier, Woolfolk and Larry Moriarty were held to 83 yards on the ground.

Kosar's passing numbers were inflated by Weathers' big gains. Kosar completed 9 of 18 passes for 208 yards.

So who's the starting quarterback against the Los Angeles Raiders Sunday at the Stadium?

Scottenheimer said, "We shall wait and see."

He was smiling from ear to ear.