Patriots Win as Game Gets Out of Hand, 33-3

When Indianapolis quarterback Gary Hogeboom couldn’t get his hands on the high snap, the New England Patriots grabbed control of the game Sunday.

Leading 10-3, the Patriots recovered that third-quarter fumble and charged to a 33-3 victory over the Colts behind quarterback Tony Eason.

With Indianapolis driving for a tying touchdown, Ray Donaldson’s bad snap from the Patriots’ 10-yard line was picked up by rookie defensive end Brent Williams at the New England 31. Williams then ran 26 yards to the Colts’ 43.

Eason launched a 43-yard scoring pass on the next play to Stanley Morgan. That gave the Patriots a 17-3 lead with 7:38 left in the third quarter.

“At the time something like that happens you hope it’s just a temporary setback,” Indianapolis Coach Rod Dowhower said of the high snap. “But after a while it really seemed to add up.”

Tony Franklin kicked field goals of 38, 39, 49 and 25 yards, and Craig James ran for a three-yard touchdown as the Patriots went on to win their first season opener here against the Colts in four tries.

The Patriots’ final score came with 1:55 left when Andre Tippett knocked the ball out of Hogeboom’s hand and Johnny Rembert fell on the ball in the end zone.

The Colts’ only points came on Dean Biasucci’s 25-yard field goal with 4:59 left in the half.

Morgan caught seven passes for 116 yards in the game, and Stephen Starring, starting in place of injured Irving Fryar, caught 5 for 102.

Morgan left the game midway through the third quarter because of a concussion. The touchdown was the 49th of his career, tying him with Sam Cunningham as the all-time Patriots leader.

Hogeboom, obtained in a trade with Dallas, completed 15 of 32 pass attempts for 241 yards but was sacked six times as New England’s defense held the Colts to 284 yards. THe Patriots recovered three fumbles. Eason completed 18 of 29 passes for 252 yards.