Jerome Harrison showed Friday night why the Browns are so willing to trade Lee Suggs.

The rookie running back was a catalyst on offense with 107 rushing and receiving yards and a 31-yard touchdown catch in the Browns' 20-16 exhibition win over the Detroit Lions at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

Harrison, who scored the team's only touchdown in their first preseason game, had 53 yards on nine rushes and 54 on six catches.

"It builds your confidence, makes you know that you belong here a little bit," Harrison said. "I still have a lot of work to do."

The fifth-round draft pick from Washington State saw action in all four quarters, which was rather as tounding, considering the team figured to showcase Suggs to prove he's healthy for a trade.

Suggs, whose trade to the New York Jets this week was voided when they said he failed their physical, opened the second half as the halfback and had runs of 4 and 9 yards before losing a fumble on his third carry.

Suggs finished with 26 yards on eight carries and didn't play after Harrison's touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Earlier, the No. 1 offense made a slight improvement in its second rehearsal. It achieved its goal of scoring a touchdown, but the passing attack was an indigestible serving of dink and dunk.

Charlie Frye was 8-of-11 for 41 yards. His longest completion was 15 yards to tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. on a quick hitter on third down.

Frye was intercepted on his longest attempt at the conclusion of his first possession. After a good play-fake, Frye stepped up and the ball squirted out of his hand like a bar of soap. The resulting floater for Dennis Northcutt was intercepted by Dre Bly.

Frye shook it off, though, and rebounded on his next series for a 67-yard touchdown drive.

Reuben Droughns got it going with a 27-yard run. Harrison, looking good as the back in three-receiver sets, added runs of 12 and 9 yards on draw plays.

The touchdown came from 5 yards out on a Frye bullet on the move to Northcutt after Frye had bobbled the shotgun snap and scrambled from pressure.

"It wasn't relief, it was more like excitement," Frye said of getting the touchdown. "That's what you're supposed to do as the quarterback."

Frye was not displeased with his work.

"I thought I got better from last week," he said. "We still have two more preseason games to improve on. I want to be at the top of my game on Sept. 10."

Frye's third possession ended on the first play when he lost a fumble on a sack by Lions right end James Hall.

"Offensively, we were more efficient and played with better precision," Browns coach Romeo Crennel said. "We hurt ourselves with turnovers and that's something we have to improve on."

Droughns had 44 yards on seven carries in his second good outing in a row.

Another 13-yard gain by Harrison on a screen pass was negated when center Ross Tucker, making his first start, was called for a phantom leg whip.

Ken Dorsey made his strongest pitch yet for the backup quarterback job when he put together a field-goal drive in the final two minutes of the half. Dorsey got the ball to former Miami teammate Winslow twice in hurry-up mode.

Dorsey opened the third quarter and was intercepted on a pass thrown behind rookie fullback Lawrence Vickers. For the game, Dorsey was 11-of-16 for 75 yards.

Derek Anderson relieved Dorsey in the third quarter and muddied the backup competition when he rallied from a 16-10 deficit to pull out the win. Anderson was 7-of-9 for 83 yards, including the touchdown to Harrison.

"Both backup quarterbacks did something positive," Crennel noted. "That's what you expect in a competition."

Defensively, the Browns got strong play from linebacker Andra Davis, end Orpheus Roye and cornerback Leigh Bodden. The Browns held the Lions in the first half to 3 yards rushing on nine attempts.

Ralph Brown, the emergency starter opposite Bodden, dropped an interception and was burned twice, once by Roy Williams for a 45-yard catch that set up a field goal.

The highlight of the half might have been the sight of rookie linebacker Kamerion Wimbley, lining up at right end on a third-down pass, destroying Lions franchise left tackle Jeff Backus and accelerating for a sack of Jon Kitna.

It was the only sign of a pass rush the whole half for the Browns. Rookie nose tackle Baba Oshinowo added a sack of Josh McCown in the fourth quarter.

Browns rookie linebacker D'Qwell Jackson didn't fare as well. Jackson was beaten for a touchdown when Kitna lobbed a 4-yard pass to Kevin Jones.

Jackson redeemed himself somewhat in the third quarter with an interception of Dan Orlovsky.

Another lowlight for the Browns was a pair of penalties that erased a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown by Joshua Cribbs. Brodney Pool and rookie Justin Hamilton each was flagged for holding.

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