CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Steve Spurrier and his former college quarterbacks appear to be a perfect match.

Shane Matthews gave Washington an early lead, then Danny Wuerffel rallied the Redskins to a 37-30 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Saturday night to ruin the head coaching debut of John Fox.

Randy Fasani, a rookie from Stanford, ran for two touchdowns and threw for another as the Panthers, 1-15 a season ago, rallied from a 13-point deficit to take a 30-23 lead with 4:37 left.

Fasani, a fifth-round draft pick, led the Panthers on second-half scoring drives of 81, 87 and 80 yards. He got more playing time against Washington because backup quarterback Rodney Peete was attending a funeral on the West Coast and his wife is about to have a baby.

However, Wuerffel, who won the Heisman Trophy while playing for Spurrier at Florida, drove the Redskins 79 yards in less than three minutes to tie the score.

Fox then pulled Fasani for Mike Watkins. It proved to be a costly substitution.

A pass attempt by Watkins was batted in the air and returned 21 yards for the game-winning touchdown by lineman Carl Powell with 1:09 remaining.

Matthews, a former QB with the Panthers, didn't play in a 38-7 win over San Francisco in Japan as Wuerffel and Sage Rosenfels combined for 441 yards and five TDs. But he finished 17-for-27 with two touchdowns against Carolina.

Matthews, who played for Spurrier in the early 1990s, was sharp from the start, throwing for 65 yards on Washington's opening 18-play drive that led to a short field goal.

The long drive was the first opportunity for Carolina fans to see Julius Peppers, the second overall pick, try to apply some pressure to Matthews - an area the Panthers need help in.

But the defensive end out of North Carolina was handled easily by 306-pound tackle Jon Jansen, and Peppers got winded late in the march and had to come out.

The Redskins got to keep the ball midway through the second quarter when the Panthers had 12 men on the punt receiving team.

Matthews made Carolina pay. He completed a 15-yard pass and then a 22-yard scoring play to Kevin Lockett, who made a diving reception before crashing into the goal post.

Another Carolina mistake - this time an interference penalty - helped the Redskins go up 17-3 three minutes before the half. Matthews teamed with Reidel Anthony - another former Florida player - on a 5-yard play as the young secondary of the Panthers was burned yet again.

Carolina's bright spot came when former UCLA star DeShaun Foster, the team's second-round pick, rambled 61 yards for a TD the first time he touched the ball late in the second quarter.

The 222-pound rookie broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage, then ran over 42-year-old defensive back Darrell Green at the 15 before scoring.

After Carolina pulled within seven, Matthews completed passes of 21, 22 and 9 yards to set up a 43-yard field goal as time expired for a 20-10 halftime lead.

Notes: With K John Kasay nursing a groin injury, the Panthers signed Jaret Holmes, who has spent time with Jacksonville, the New York Giants and Chicago the last three seasons, on Saturday. ... Patrick Ramsey, Washington's No. 1 draft pick who signed this week, was in uniform during warmups, but didn't play. ... The Redskins lost wide receiver Jacquez Green (rib) and left tackle Chris Samuels (left ankle) with first-half injuries. ... Carolina has lost its last four exhibition openers.

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