**NASHVILLE - From start to finish, the Texans ran all over the Tennessee Titans at LP Field on Sunday on their way to first place in the AFC South.
With Arian Foster and Ben Tate both rushing for more than 100 yards, the Texans outgained their division rival 518-148 in a 41-7 victory. It was the largest margin of victory in team history and put their record at 4-3, a half-game ahead of the 3-3 Titans.
"I wanted to stay committed to the run today, and we did," Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. "We made some big plays in the play-action today and defensively, we just continued to play well. I think the difference was we were consistent all day as a team."
Foster had three touchdowns on 115 rushing yards and 119 receiving yards. He became the first Texans player and the 32nd player in NFL history with more than 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same game.
"He's always a guy that we try to get in space," quarterback Matt Schaub said. "Once he gets the ball in his hands, it's hard to bring him down."
Tate ran for 104 yards on just 15 carries (6.9 average), his third 100-yard game of the season, to help the Texans dominate time of possession 37:58-22:02.
The Texans limited Titans running back Chris Johnson to 18 yards on 10 carries (1.8 average). Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck had just 104 yards and a 38.8 passer rating and was pulled in the fourth quarter after throwing his second interception of the game.
Texans free safety Danieal Manning picked off Hasselbeck in the second quarter to set up the Texans' first touchdown. Tight end Joel Dreessen capped a seven-play, 87-yard scoring drive with a 10-yard touchdown catch, putting the Texans up 10-0 with 7:24 left in the first half.
Foster caught a career-long 78-yard touchdown pass, the longest of Schaub's career, on the Texans' next drive.He caught the ball about 15 yards down the left sideline, then cut to the right between two defenders on his way to the end zone.
"It was a good play call," Foster said. "We caught 'em in a good play, and once I had the ball in my hands, I just tried to make a play, tried to make a guy miss. That's what we get paid to do, and we did it."
The Texans added a 29-yard field goal by Neil Rackers to go up 20-0 at halftime. They continued their dominance by forcing the Titans to punt on the first drive of the second half.
That was followed by a 20-yard pass from Schaub to Kevin Walter, a 17-yard run by Foster and runs of 17 and 24 yards by Tate. A nine-yard catch by tight end Owen Daniels set up Foster for a one-yard touchdown run that made the score 27-0.
The Titans got on the scoreboard with 5:34 left in the third quarter. Tight end Jared Cook caught a five-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal, beating rookie safety Shiloh Keo on the play. That was the only time Tennessee got into the red zone in the entire game.
Foster scored his third touchdown six minutes into the fourth quarter. His five-yard run on third-and-goal made the score 34-7 and sent Titans fans to the exit aisles in droves.
Three plays later, Texans cornerback Brice McCain picked off Hasselbeck and scored on a 38-yard return. Houston's defense forced a three-and-out on the next drive, and the Texans milked 6:46 off the clock with 10 consecutive handoffs to Tate and Derrick Ward. The Titans got the ball back with 1:09 remaining, and the game ended two plays later.
Schaub finished 18-of-23 for 296 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He had a passer rating of 147.7. He completed passes to seven different receivers in the absence of injured wide receiver Andre Johnson, which included four catches by Daniels for 71 yards.
Texans linebacker Brian Cushing had a team-high six tackles. Rookies Brooks Reed and J.J. Watt both recorded sacks, and cornerback Johnathan Joseph had two passes defensed and a forced fumble.
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