Dyson's Catch One Yard Short

Titans Fall Short; Rams Win Championship

The Titans looked to be on the verge of pulling off another second half comeback Sunday in Super Bowl XXXIV, only to have Kevin Dyson's catch to come up one yard short.

St. Louis held off the Titans 23-16 Sunday night at the Georgia Dome to capture the world championship.

Tennessee, down 16-0 early in the second half, scored on three consecutive drives, tying the game at 16 with just over two minutes to play as Al Del Greco connected on a 43-yard field goal. Then, Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner hit Issac Bruce for a 73-yard touchdown with 1:54 remaining. But the Titans had hope.

Quarterback Steve McNair drove the Titans the length of the field, setting up a pass play to Kevin Dyson. But the Rams' Mike Jones tackled Dyson on the one-yard line, ending the game and the Titans' season.

'I thought he was going to get in,' McNair said. 'It was a matter of who won the one-on-one battle, and they won it.'

The second half comeback was made possible by the Tennessee defense which held the Rams out of the endzone in the first half. Despite gaining 294 yards in the first two quarters, St. Louis could manage just three field goals. The Rams' first touchdown looked to be a killer for the Titans as Warner hit Torry Holt for a 9-yard score late in the third quarter. Warner finished the game with 414 yards passing.

But Tennessee came alive thanks to the running of McNair and Eddie George. George got two touchdowns in the next two drives as well as most of his 95 yards rushing. McNair completed passes and rushed for 64 yards, a Super Bowl record.

Titans safety Blaine Bishop, who left the game in the 3rd period after making a big hit, rejoined the team at the Georgia Dome after a precautionary trip to the hospital. Doctors termed it a neck sprain.