Dilfer delivers in clutch as Bucs get into gear Rick Stroud, The St.Petersburg Times, published 8 September 1997 It's hard to judge Bucs quarterback Trent Dilfer on his numbers. But he has been letter-perfect, producing back-to-back Ws. Dilfer completed 12 of 24 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 24-17 win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday. For the second straight week, he did not throw an interception. With that efficiency, Dilfer's rating improved to 97.83. More importantly, Dilfer made clutch throws. The Bucs converted 9 of 17 third-down situations, a phenomenal 53 percent. Nine of their 20 first downs came via the air. And on third down, Dilfer was 7-of-11 passing for 64 yards. Including the 45-yard pass-interference penalty by Lions rookie Bryant Westbrook on receiver Horace Copeland that set up the Bucs' decisive touchdown, six of Dilfer's third-down attempts resulted in first downs. "We made just enough. I wish we could've made more," Dilfer said. "There are a couple of third downs out there I wish I had back. But for the most part, I think we did a good job. That's what I'm going to be asked to do this year, play very well on third down. I'm ready for it. It's hard. But I've really just mind-set myself that I'm going to take pride in being the best third-down quarterback in the NFL if that's what I have to be for this team to win." After rookie running back Warrick Dunn rushed for 116 of his 130 yards in the first half, the Lions clamped down on the running game. They blitzed linebackers in the gaps and shut down the inside ground attack, daring Dilfer to go outside. "They were coming, blitzing, running the linebackers in the gaps," Bucs coach Tony Dungy said. "We were hoping to pop one in there. We popped a couple in the first half against some of their run blitzes. But we knew we had to make some plays in the passing game. Horace (Copeland) and Karl Williams did." Two plays salted the game away. With Tampa Bay clinging to a 17-10 lead midway through the fourth quarter, Dilfer faced third and 6 from the Lions' 45. That's when he fired a rope to Williams for an 18-yard completion and a first down. Three plays later, Westbrook interfered with Copeland in the end zone to set up Mike Alstott's 1-yard TD run. "They weren't going to let (Dunn) get another 100 yards in the second half," Bucs center Tony Mayberry said. "They saw what we were doing to them, and they weren't going to let it happen again. You have to give Detroit credit for that. But we had some key third-down passes, and that's what you've got to do. A lot of times, I don't know if we would've responded in the past if the running game got bogged down. We never had an answer. But you could see we were able to make some plays in the passing game after they did a few things to stop the run. This offense is not a passing offense. This offense is built around the run, play-action and some drop-back off of it. I think the combination of it worked well when it had to."