|
|
 |
Playing as if they needed a map to find their way into the end zone, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers squandered seven touchdown opportunities from inside the Buffalo Bills’ 26-yard line and allowed the friends of O.J. Simpson to escape Steamy Tampa Stadium a 14-9 Victory Sunday afternoon.
A sun-seared crowd of 44,505 watched the first-year and previously scoreless Bucs accomplish two of the three goals they set for themselves before the game: Score points and contain the horsepower of Simpson. That they did as Dave Green kicked field goals Of 39, 24 and 19 yards for the Bucs' offense while Tampa Bay's defense shut down Simpson with a meager 39 yards in 20 carries.
The third elusive and unattained goal, of course, was victory itself. Joe Ferguson accounted for all the Bills' points, hitting Bob Chandler and Reuben Gant with touchdown passes of 68 yards and 15 yards, respectively, as Buffalo carne from behind twice to win the game.
Included in those seven squandered touchdown opportunities was one that came when linebacker Bert Cooper recovered Simpson's second fumble of the game the Bills' 26-yard line with 2:27 to play.
Steve Spurrier then threw incomplete on first down, Louis Carter got eight to the 18 on second down and then, in a curious bit of play-calling, Caner tried a halfback pass that sailed over the head of Bob Moore in the end zone. A delay-of-game penalty followed and an incomplete pass to Moore on fourth down ensured the Bucs' third in as many regular-season games.
"IT PROBABLY wasn't a very good call by me." Head Coach John McKay said of the halfback pass. "But he had the option to run or pass on the play and we felt if they dropped back we could run for the two yards, But normally they (the backs) like option.
In the last 20 quarters the Bucs' offense has scored only one touchdown and had gained only 235 yards in two previous games. And while they failed to find the end zone Sunday, the offense did awaken after a too-long slumber and outgained the Bills to 195 total yards and 15 first downs to 14.
Spurrier hit 13 of 28 passes to account for Tampa Bay's passing yards, but he injured the ring finger on his right hand sometime during the game and had a splint on it afterwards. He was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital for X-rays but there was no immediate word on whether the finger was broken.
“That’s the most frustrating game I ever played," Spurrier said, *'getting down there that many times and not being able get a touchdown. A good offensive team would have had 40 points."
The missed opportunities went something like this:
WITH A FIRST down at the Bills' 22, a running play goes for no gain and two passes fall incomplete. Result: A 39.yard field goal by Green (who is the Bucs' punter and replaced Mirro Roder this week) for a 3-0 Bucs' lead at 7:46 of the first quarter.
With a first down at the Bills' 13, Essex Johnson gets five, Jimmy DuBose gets one and Morris Owens drops a Spurrier pass in the end zone. Result: A 24-yatd Green field goal and a 6-0 lead at 1:01.
With a first down at the Bills' 36 following Calvin Peterson's recovery of Simpson's first fumble, a Spurrier pass to a wide-open Owens goes incomplete and Essex Johnson fumbles the ball back to Buffalo.
With a first down at the Bills'25 and time running out in the first half, Charlie Davis gets seven, Ioses one and then a Spurrier to Owens is behind him in the end zone. Result: A 36-yard Green field goal attempt is short and wide.
With a first down at the Bills' 15, fullback Ed Williams gets one yard, Spurrier throws incomplete and on third down his pass to Lee McGriff is intercepted at the goal line by Tony Greene.
With a first down at the Bills’ 10-yard line, Davis gets one, Carter gets six but on third down Manfred
Moore only one yard, Result: Green kicks a 19-yard field goal for a 9-7 Bucs' lead with 12:18 to play in the game.
With a first down at the Bills’ 20, Davis gets nothing, two passes fall incomplete and on a fake field goal try, Spurrier passes to Green, a former wide receiver, but he steps out of bounds one yard short of a first down at the 10.
Then came the Bucs’ biggest opportunity, as Simpson fumbled around right end, Cooper, the former
Florida State linebacker, picked it up at the 36 and returned it 10 yards. But the day's frustrations were capped by incomplete passes and a penalty, keeping the Bucs out of the end zone and giving the Bills their first win in three tries this season.
"We ran we better and we played better as a team," said McKay. "We did what we said we were going to do defensively and we did it very well. We could have won and we should have won but we didn't. All I can say is we're trying. l really feel that we're improving each week and when you're a young team like we are that’s all you can expect to do. I just hope it doesn't take too much time because I'm getting old.”
|
|
|
| |
| |
|