Uniform effort - New-look Bucs stun 49ers in season opener Pat Yasinskas, The Tampa Tribune, published 1 September 1997 Apparently, the Bucs" new uniforms came with a special bonus. There was a new team stuffed inside those white, red and pewter duds. In what ultimately could be looked upon as a turning point in the franchise's dismal history, the Bucs opened their season with a huge statement. All those soaring off-season expectations just may be for real. The team that's spent the better of two decades handing away victories stole a victory from one of the NFL's elite teams Sunday before 62,554 at Houlihan's Stadium. The Bucs used an attacking defense and an opportunistic offense to upset the San Francisco 49ers 13-6. "This team grew up today," Bucs linebacker Derrick Brooks said. Maybe it's only one victory, but the fact it came against the 49ers spoke volumes for the Bucs" future. It was only the second time the Bucs have defeated the 49ers in 15 meetings. The other came in 1980, two years before the last time the Bucs made the playoffs. "We felt like this was the game," General Manager Rich McKay said. "We needed to come out and win this game and then go from here. It's big." But nothing was bigger than the defense as the Bucs built their home winning streak to six games dating back to last season. With tackle Warren Sapp having an All-Pro day (11 tackles and 2.5 sacks) the defense took control of the game. A punishing rush knocked out San Francisco's Steve Young and Jerry Rice for most of the game. "You try losing a Hall of Famer and see how you fare," Bucs linebacker Hardy Nickerson said. "We showed that they're just an average football team without those two guys." The Bucs sacked Young and replacement Jeff Brohm seven times and held the 49ers without a touchdown for the first time since November 10, 1991. San Francisco was limited to 191 yards in total offense and the outlook on Rice is not good. He will have an MRI on his left knee today and could be out for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Although the defense carried the team, it was the offense that put the Bucs over the top. The Bucs, who squandered several scoring opportunities in the first half, scored the game's only touchdown when Trent Dilfer found Dave Moore for a 1-yard touchdown pass with 9:21 left in the game. "It comes down to poise, composure, confidence and toughness," Dilfer said. "This team really had the intangibles today. Ultimately what won this football game for us was poise." That may be the biggest thing to come out of the game. The Bucs of the previous 14 losing seasons seldom were able to rebound from missed field goals, dropped passes, fumbles near the goal line or costly penalties. But this year could be different. "Since I've been here, at least, we've never been able to come back from those things," said Dilfer, who completed 15 of 26 passes for 184 yards and no interceptions. "The greatest thing about today was everything that's been preached to us under Coach [Tony] Dungy and his staff came true."