Former Tennessee Vols standout had a very memorable game on Monday Night Football against the Cowboys
Houston Texans defensive lineman Derek Barnett, a former Tennessee Vols standout, had a memorable game against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football. Barnett, a former first round draft pick by the Philadelphia Eagles who was claimed off waivers by the Texans late last season, was the main character in the craziest play of Houston's […]
Houston Texans defensive lineman Derek Barnett, a former Tennessee Vols standout, had a memorable game against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football.
Barnett, a former first round draft pick by the Philadelphia Eagles who was claimed off waivers by the Texans late last season, was the main character in the craziest play of Houston's 34-10 win over Dallas.
In the fourth quarter, with the Texans leading 20-10, Barnett sacked Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush, which resulted in a fumble. The ball was recovered by a Dallas offensive lineman, who then fumbled the ball again. Barnett somehow recovered the second fumble and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown.
You don't often see two fumbles by one team on the same play. But that's the kind of night it was for the Cowboys.
Barnett, by the way, had a memorable play earlier in the game, too.
The former Vol was called for a head slap penalty on a 64-yard field goal attempt by the Cowboys (Barnett pushed a Cowboys player's head to the side as he attempted to block the field goal).
According to analyst Ross Tucker, it was the first head slap penalty called in the NFL since 1978.
Dallas made the field goal, but the penalty gave them a first down, wiping the points off the board and allowing the drive to continue.
The Cowboys went on to turn the ball over on downs after a failed fourth down conversion in the red zone (which means the head slap penalty actually saved three points for the Texans).
It was certainly quite a night for Barnett.
