EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Trung Canidate, filling in for injured running back Marshall Faulk, rushed for 195 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start Sunday to lead the unbeaten St. Louis Rams to a 34-14 rout of the New York Jets.
The Rams became only the second team in NFL history to have a 6-0 start three consecutive seasons. The Green Bay Packers, coached by Curly Lambeau, started 8-0 from 1929-31.
"I'm so happy for Trung," Rams coach Mike Martz said. "We're excited about him. We believed in him. We knew he'd be great."
Faulk, the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player, had been regarded as irreplaceable, but Canidate stepped in and the Rams' explosive offense did not skip a beat.
A first-round pick in 2000, Canidate possesses breakaway speed and is an effective pass-catching back, but had been plagued by an assortment of injuries in his rookie year. He has capitalized on his opportunity this year.
After Faulk went down with a knee injury last week, Canidate ran for the winning touchdown and made two other key plays in St. Louis' 15-14 win over the New York Giants.
On Sunday, Canidate victimized the Jets for a Faulk-like 233 yards from scrimmage. Showcasing his speed, the 5-11, 192-pound Canidate scored touchdowns on a 44-yard run off a lateral and on a 12-yard run up the middle while lining up as a quarterback. He carried the ball 23 times and caught three passes for 38 yards.
"We were going to continue to do the things we do with Trung," Martz said. "We gave him the ball in some critical situations last week and knew we'd be fine with him today."
"I was definitely nervous," Canidate said. "I was trying to settle down and get a feel for the game. But I was really looking forward to this opportunity (to start)."
The Rams' revamped defense once again responded, containing the Jets offense and producing a touchdown of its own on a 42-yard interception return by cornerback Aeneas Williams.
New York's Vinny Testaverde entered the game as the only NFL starting quarterback without an interception, but his first was costly, putting the Jets into a 21-7 hole at halftime.
Tight end Anthony Becht caught a pair of scoring passes for the Jets (3-3), who lost for the third time in four home games and fell out of first place in the AFC East.
"In order to beat them (Rams), you have to play a near perfect game," Testaverde said. "We weren't even close."
The Rams continued their mastery of the New York teams, winning for the eighth straight time against the Giants and Jets combined.
Under rookie coach Herman Edwards, the Jets have faltered against the run, ranking second-to-last in the league. On Sunday, they yielded 234 yards on the ground.
Canidate's 195-yard performance was the best rushing game against the Jets since New York's Curtis Martin, then of the New England Patriots, rushed for 199 yards four years ago.
With Canidate slicing through the Jets defense, Kurt Warner left early in the fourth quarter after completing 18 of 27 passes for 215 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown to Az-Zahir Hakim.
Testaverde was nine of 13 for 74 yards and a touchdown before departing in the fourth quarter. Chad Pennington, a first-round pick in 2000 and the heir apparent to Testaverde, was nine of 14 for 68 yards and a touchdown.
Martin entered the game with a league-leading 516 rushing yards, but was held to 63 yards on 14 carries, although he sat out most of the second half.
The Jets played the Rams to a scoreless first quarter. St. Louis went three-and-out on its first possession and penetrated deep into New York territory on its second possession before a turnover. Warner hit tight end Ernie Conwell with a 16-yard pass to the New York 15, but Conwell fumbled after being hit by linebacker Marvin Jones and cornerback Aaron Glenn recovered for the Jets at the 13.
The Jets controlled the ball for 9 1/2 minutes in the first quarter and reached the St. Louis 45 on their second possession, but were forced to punt after Testaverde recovered his own fumble on a third and two play.
The Rams erupted for 21 points in the second quarter. Warner engineered an eight-play, 80-yard drive with the help of Canidate, who rushed four times for 42 yards. On a third and nine play, Warner drilled a 15-yard scoring pass over the middle to Hakim with 10:10 left in the half.
Recently signed Craig Yeast returned the ensuing kickoff 50 yards to the St. Louis 47. After a nine-yard pass interference penalty against cornerback Dexter McCleon on a third-down play kept the drive alive, Testaverde hit running back Richie Anderson with a 20-yard pass to the St. Louis 12.
Four plays later, Testaverde threw a five-yard touchdown to Becht with 4:51 remaining in the quarter.
But the Rams scored two touchdowns in a 55-second span.
After Warner hit Isaac Bruce with a 22-yard pass to the St. Louis 44, Martz reached into his bag of tricks. Moving in from his wide receiver position, Hakim took a handoff, ran 12 yards and pitched to his right to a streaking Canidate, who raced 44 yards for a touchdown with 3:11 left.
The Jets were so confused on the play that Canidate actually slowed down at the New York 10 and looked back to see if any players were around him.
On New York's ensuing possession, Testaverde overthrew Anderson on a second-down play and Williams picked it off. Williams went to the left sideline and easily fended off a weak push by Testaverde inside the five and fell into the end zone, giving the Rams a 21-7 lead with 2:16 remaining in the half.
It was Testaverde's first interception in 176 attempts. He led the NFL with 25 interceptions in 2000.
The Rams opened the third quarter with an eight-play, 57-yard drive which resulted in a 47-yard field goal by Jeff Wilkins. Canidate rushed three times for 32 yards.
After the Jets went three-and-out, the Rams put together an eight-play, 70-yard touchdown drive. Canidate rushed four times for 28 yards and scored on a 12-yard run off a direct snap from center as Warner lined up at the left flanker position, increasing the lead to 31-7 with 4:47 left in the third quarter.
The Rams followed with a successful onside kick and Dre' Bly recovered at the St. Louis 41.
"They have to do what they have to do," Edwards said of the surprise onside kick. "They were executing that for later on down the road. We have to be alert."
"It doesn't matter what the score is, you have to be ready for it," Testaverde said.
Wilkins then kicked his 30th straight field goal and second of the game, a 24-yarder early in the fourth quarter.
Becht's second touchdown of the game, a seven-yard catch from Pennington, came with just 1:34 left in the game.
