Dameon Pierce got to see first-team action against the San Francisco 49ers, and he did not disappoint.
While the Houston Texans’ fourth-round running back capped off an 11-play, 85-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run on Aug. 25 at NRG Stadium, it wasn’t the scoring run that enthused coach Lovie Smith.
“Pro-I leads, maybe one of my favorite plays last night,” Smith told reporters Friday. “It’s a lead with Troy (Hairston) leading as the fullback and Dameon carried the ball for nine yards — one of my favorite plays from the game.”
On a first-and-10 from the Texans’ 40-yard line, Pierce demonstrated that he can flourish in a system such as offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton’s that places an emphasis on power football.
“We want to be a tough football team that loves to run the football and I think that’s what we have been trying to establish throughout the preseason,” Smith said. “That should open up things.”
The running game did help quarterback Davis Mills as he went 6-of-10 for 58 yards, a touchdown, an interception, took two sacks, and posted a 70.0 passer rating. The results were acceptable when considering the first-team offense was without left tackle Laremy Tunsil, center Justin Britt, and receiver Brandin Cooks.
“That doesn’t mean we don’t want to be a good passing team,” said Smith. “Our practices we have nine-on-seven, where the defense knows the offense is running the ball and they need to do something about it. Yes, we want that to be our personnel.”
The Texans established in the preseason that they won’t be the same team that struggled running the football in 2021 when they averaged 3.4 yards per carry and an 83.6 rushing yards per game, both league lows. Houston may have a fighting chance to run the football successfully starting in Week 1 when they take on the Indianapolis Colts Sept. 11 at NRG Stadium.