HOUSTON, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- David Carr threw two touchdown passes in his professional debut Sunday night, and the Houston defense made life miserable for Dallas quarterback Quincy Carter, giving the expansion Texans a shocking 19-10 victory over the Cowboys.
Before a Reliant Stadium crowd that produced a defeaning roar all night, the Texans made the first game in their history an almost perfect one.
Carr, this year's No. 1 overall draft pick who at this time last season was playing at Fresno State, threw a 19-yard pass to Billy Miller just 74 seconds into the contest, and the Cowboys were forced to play catchup the rest of the evening.
Although Dallas did eventually tie it in the third quarter, Carr again put the Texans in front with a 65-yard scoring pass to Corey Bradford with 12:18 to play in the game.
Houston then turned conservative on offense, relying on its surprisingly dominating defense to control the contest.
That defense clinched the contest with 2:37 to play when, after a punt pinned the Cowboys at their own 2-yard line, ends Seth Payne and Gary Walker both hit Carter and brought him down for a safety.
"I'm not embarrassed about anything," said Cowboys Coach Dave Campo. "I'm upset by the way we played. We gave the football game away. They deserve to win because they made fewer mistakes,
but we beat ourselves. We definitely took a step backwards tonight."
Kris Brown, who struggled all season long in 2001 with the Pittsburgh Steelers, gave the Texans a 10-0 lead in the second period with a 42-yard field goal, but the Cowboys cut their deficit to 10-3 late in the first half on a 33-yard field goal by rookie Billy Cundiff.
Dallas tied it 5:12 remaining in the third quarter when Michael Wiley, the Cowboys' third-string running back, sprinted through a hole on the left side and went 46 yards for a touchdown.
Houston maintained excellent field position most of the night while winning the battle of special teams, allowing Carr to properly execute a conservative game plan.
"I thought we prepared very well," said Houston Coach Dom Capers, who also was in a similar position with the expansion Carolina Panthers. "Our players were focused and determined. I came into the game with a good feeling as a coach because I knew how well we had prepared. I could not be prouder of our guys to win our first game, especially against the Cowboys."
Carr completed 10-22 passes for 145 yards and was sacked five times. Carter, in his first full year as a starter and being counted on to move the Cowboys up the NFL ladder this year, was a mere 13-30 for 131 yards.
"I compliment the Texans, I am proud for the Texans and I am disappointed for Cowboy fans everywhere," said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. "They were well-prepared. I look at how well they played and they were coached. Our defense gave them challenges, but they made plays with good players. Give them credit."
"We played the game we had to play to win," Capers said. "It was a ballgame of field position and defense. We were aggressive on offense early, we got the pass interference call and that led to the first touchdown and that set the tone."
Dallas superstar Emmitt Smith, who began the season needing 540 yards to surpass the late Walter Payton as the No. 1 rusher in league history, picked up 67 yards on 17 carries. At that pace, he would break the record in the ninth game of the season. He is now within 472 yards of the record.
