Los Angeles Rams

Motivated by Bailey, Austin scores pair of TDs to power Rams

Published Dec. 18, 2015 2:35 a.m. ET

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It took the St. Louis Rams seven weeks to score three touchdowns in a game. And once again, Tavon Austin was the driving force in making it happen.

Austin caught one touchdown pass and ran for another score to power the Rams to a 31-23 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night in what could have been the franchise's final game in St. Louis.

The Rams, and Austin in particular, had some added incentive after a pregame video chat with teammate Stedman Bailey, who is recuperating in Miami from a pair of gunshot wounds to the head last month. Austin and Bailey were teammates and standout receivers at West Virginia University.

"I'm glad everybody came," said Austin, who paid tribute to Bailey by flashing his teammate's No. 12 after each of his touchdowns. "This one was for 12. He texted all of us, he kind of gave us a little more motivation today."

The shifty Austin gave the Rams a lead they would not relinquish, capping their opening possession of the game by taking a receiver screen pass from Case Keenum and darting 17 yards to the end zone for his ninth touchdown.

Austin found the end zone again late in the third quarter, sweeping around the right side on an end-around before cutting back toward the middle to become the first player with at least four rushing touchdowns, five receiving scores and a punt return for a TD since Gale Sayers in 1965. 

“I thought Case was going to check it, but he didn’t,” Austin said of the play. “He believed in me. I had some great blocks set up, and I was blessed enough to score.”

Austin wound up with seven touches in the game, catching all three passes for 41 yards and tacking on 32 yards on four carries. He also had a rushing and receiving score in a 27-6 win over San Francisco on Nov. 1 - the last time the Rams put up three offensive TDs in a game.

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