The Oakland Raiders opened the 2015 preseason at O.co Coliseum Friday night squaring off against the St. Louis Rams.
At halftime, the Raiders lead the Rams 9-3,* *so here are the highlights from the first half.
The St. Louis Rams won the coin toss and elected to receive.
After driving down into Raiders territory, Nick Foles tried to connect with wide receiver Jared Cook on 3rd and 4, but TJ Carrie provided the coverage and forced a St. Louis field goal attempt to put the Rams up 3-0 with 12:28 left in the first quarter.
On their first offensive play of the evening, Derek Carr handed the ball off to Latavius Murray who rushed straight up the middle for a gain of three.
On the next play, Carr connected with rookie wide receiver Amari Cooper for a gain of 12 and a Raiders first down.
Later on the drive, Carr found Murray on a delayed handoff, and the big back rumbled through the Rams secondary for a gain of 17.
Facing a 3rd and four at the Rams 40-yard line, Carr found Kenbrell Thompkins for a gain of 6 and a Raiders first down.
The Raiders drive stalled, but Sebastian Janikowski connected on a 44-yard field goal to tie the game at 3 with 7:20 remaining in the first quarter.
With just over four minutes left in the first quarter the Rams found themselves facing a 3rd and 4, and defensive end Shelby Harris burst through the St. Louis offensive line, taking down Foles for a loss of 14 which forced a punt.
The Silver and Black took over at the St. Louis 48-yard line, and on the first play of the drive, Carr found wide receiver Michael Crabtree for a gain of 15 and a Raiders first down.
With just over 11:00 left in the second quarter, the Raiders were able to get off the field by forcing an incomplete pass on 3rd and 9. Cornerback Keith McGill provided the coverage.
On his first play of the evening, Christian Ponder eluded the St. Louis rush and scrambled down the sideline for a gain of 10.
With 7:00 left in the first half, Ponder found rookie tight end Clive Walford on a seem route for a gain of 22.
Ponder finished the drive, finding Andre Holmes open in the end zone for a three-yard touchdown, which put the Silver and Black up 9-3 with 5:50 left in the first half.
The two-point conversion failed.
With 2:30 left in the first half, defensive end Benson Mayowa provided pressure on Keeneum who dropped the ball off to Isaiah Pead who was caught in the backfield by Larry Asante for a loss of five.
