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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
SEATTLE (AP) -- Shaun Alexander showed he's going to help the Seattle Seahawks immediately.
|  | | Shaun Alexander's Seattle debut featured 57 yards rushing and two touchdowns. |
"I'm not surprised about it," coach Mike Holmgren said. "He's a good player. He has very good instincts. He has instincts that are very solid."
Alexander, drafted to give veteran running back Ricky Watters some help, scored two touchdowns in his NFL debut Saturday night in a 28-16 preseason victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
Alexander, the 19th pick in April from Alabama, tallied on a
pair of inspiring 11-yard runs after the Colts (0-2) took a 7-0
lead.
"I could have played worse, but I'm pleased with how I did,"
Alexander said. "The coaches put me in position to make good plays
today."
Alexander, the Crimon Tide's all-time rushing leader, said he wasn't nervous.
"Confidence has never been a problem for me," said Alexander, who was just the third running back drafted in the first round by the Seahawks in the franchise's 25-year history.
The Seahawks played their exhibition opener at University of Washington's Husky Stadium, where they will play their home games for two seasons. A new $430 million outdoor football stadium is being built for the team at the site of the Kingdome, which was imploded last March 26.
The defending AFC West champion Seahawks, who ended a 12-year
playoff drought in Holmgren's first year last season, went ahead to
stay at 14-7 on a 75-yard touchdown drive to open the second half.
Alexander, 5-foot-11 and 218 pounds, scored on a run around left
end when he faked out free safety Tony Blevins at the 6-yard line and went into the end zone standing up with 3:44 gone in the second half. Glenn Foley, one of Seattle's backup quarterbacks, had a 28-yard pass
to rookie James Williams in the drive.
Foley passed 3 yards to Darrell Jackson, another rookie, for a
touchdown with 3:10 left in the third quarter to give Seattle a
21-7 lead.
Mike Vanderjagt's 39-yard field goal with eight seconds left in
the third period made it 21-10.
In the final period, quarterback Brock Huard scored on a 13-yard scramble, and backup Colts quarterback Kelly Holcomb passed
5 yards to free-agent rookie Trevor Insley for a touchdown.
The score was tied at 7 at halftime after a 52-yard field goal attempt by Seattle's Todd Peterson was short as time ran out.
With Holcomb at quarterback in the second quarter, the Colts
drove 94 yards in 17 plays for a touchdown with 4:38 left in the
half. Free-agent rookie Kevin McDougal scored on a 1-yard run.
The Seahawks took the kickoff and drove 87 yards in eight plays
for the tying TD with 1:55 to go in the opening half as Alexander
scored on a nifty 11-yard run. He appeared stopped in the middle,
but broke outside and outran the Colts' secondary.
Alexander's first TD was his favorite. Watters was there to congratulate him. Alexander made it clear there's not going to be any public comments from him about taking Watters' starting job.
"Ricky is always saying things to make me feel good,"
Alexander said. "He came up to me and said, 'That's a big play and
that's what the good players do."'
Huard, playing at his former college stadium, directed Seattle's first TD drive.
The starting quarterbacks played only in the first quarter. In
three series, Peyton Manning of Indianapolis was 1-for-3 for 20
yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Seattle's Jon Kitna
was 5-for-7 for 36 yards with no TDs and one interception.
"I didn't really get much going," Manning said. "We stayed
pretty basic, but obviously we can do much better."
The Colts, last year's AFC East champion and winners of 13
games, lost their preseason opener to Atlanta 20-13 at home last
Saturday night.
Both teams came out of the game without any major injuries.
Colts' reserve cornerback Mustafah Muhammad suffered a sprained
right knee, but he was walking around in the locker room all right.
Jerome Pathon, who was Huard's teammate for Washington, sustained a stiff back when he was hit and landed hard after making a 22-yard catch to set up McDougal's touchdown.
Seahawks rookie linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski suffered leg cramps
and backup defensive tackle Antonio Cochran sustained bruised ribs.
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ALSO SEE
NFL Scoreboard
Indianapolis Clubhouse
Seattle Clubhouse
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