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Mike Tierney, The St.Petersburg Times, published 30 November 1982
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers rediscovered two lost basic elements of football, the touchdown and the interception, Monday night and found their first victory of the season.
With much of the civilized world watching on ABC-TV's Monday Night Football, the Bues dunked the Miami Dolphins 23-17 at Tampa Stadium.
The result reduced to one both the NFL's unbeaten and winless teams. Miami backtracked to 3-1, while the Bucs (1-3) escaped the ignominy of joining the Baltimore Colts as pro football's only joyless teams after four weeks.
The Dolphins did not die easily. They scored on Don Strock's 12-yard pass to Joe Rose, the second time that combo connected for a touchdown, with 34 seconds left and immediately pounced on an onside kick at their own 47.
The game ended on a climactic note when Bucs defender Mike Washington outwrestled receiver Duriel Harris for the final interception near the goal line.
Renewal of this football War Within The State attracted 65,854 spectators on the balmy evening, An- other 6,274 ticket-buyers stayed home to watch it on TV, or not at all.
Viewers live and on the tube saw an entertaining game that, for a good while, lacked one essential to football - the touchdown. Of course, that was nothing new to either team. Both Tampa Bay and Miami managed only three field goals in their first post-strike games a week ago. But the Bucs pushed across two second-half touchdowns, plenty enough offense to fan their once- flickering playoff hopes.
Until Monday night, Tampa Bay had intercepted only one pass all year. The lowly number had not budged by halftime Monday. But the Bucs lived i up to their nickname in the second half by pirating five Strock passes, their second most ever.
The biggest was a pick-off by Miami castoff Neal Colzie in the fourth quarter. The Dolphins were on the verge of overcoming a 6-point def- icit when Colzie snatched a Strock pass and legged 51 yards to set up the final score.
The night time is the right time for Colzie. In the Bucs' last regular season game after dark, the 1981 opener against Minnesota, Colzie cut off a late Minnesota rally with an 82-yard interception runback. Tampa Bay won 21-13. Only a limited audience viewed that game.
In the first half, it would have been appropriate that a sign be posted at the opposing team's 10-yard line that said The Bucs stop here. Stymied five times nine days ago in Dallas from inside the Cowboy 10, the Bucs continued to mistake the field's distance for 90 yards. Twice, they ventured oh-so-close and came away with consolation prizes - two Bill Capece field goals.
The third quarter featured two sights that had Buccaneer fans rubbing their eyes in disbelief. A deflected punt and seven straight running plays. The punt was not really blocked. But for the Bucs' punt return team, which has never recorded an official block before, it must crawl before it can walk.
Veteran safety Mark Cotney got some fingers in the way of Tom Orosz' punt. The ball fluttered only 30 yards and settled at the Dolphin 38. From there, the play-calling was strictly Jerry Falwell conservative - seven running plays.
After six of them, three by rookie Melvin Carver, the Bues were perched at the Dolphin 3 and had a first down. Williams, aware that he was in quick- sand territory for the Bucs' offense, called timeout to consult with coach John McKay on the sidelines.
The play they hatched was a Williams' keeper around right end. He beat a swarm of Dolphins to the near corner for the Bucs 'first touchdown in 71 days. They had not put a six on the scoreboard in nearly eight quarters of play, the previous one being a James Wilder TD in the fourth period against Washington.
Capece's extra point made it 13-3. The Bucs' place-kicker was back on the field moments later after Cedric Brown intercepted a Dolphin pass at the Miami 35 and weaved 24 yards. A penalty for an illegal block drove the Bucs back to the 21, and Capece was called on for a 36-yard field goal. It became 16-3- Capece was 3-for-3 and the sun was setting on Miami.
But Strock is not known as the best reliever this side of Bruce Sutter for nothing. The seasoned quarterback overcame a dismal third period and hurriedly pitched Miami to its first touchdown since before Ed Garvey and Jack Donlan were the headline- makers in pro football.
Strock dropped a perfect pass into the waiting arms of Jimmy Cefalo for a 43-yard advancement to the Tampa Bay 9-yard line'. Two plays netted only one yard, but the Dolphins came up smelling like a Rose - first name of Joe. The tight end clutched Strock's pass in the end zone with 11:57 left.
The Dolphins were banging on the door again after a short Tampa Bay punt. Miami appeared to be reaching into its bag for another comeback victory. But Colzie snipped a hole in the bottom of the bag. He read Strock's sideline pass, darted in front of the receiver and toted the interception 51 yards to the Dolphin 14.
James Wilder battered across the goal line from two yards out with 8:27 remaining for the touchdown that made Colzie's theft worthwhile. The ex-Dolphin provided an encore minutes later. Miami had motored to the Bucs'36 when, on fourth down, Strock threw wildly and into the glad hands of Colzie.
Both offenses snoozed through most of the first quarter. The first three possessions, two by Miami, wound up with punts. The Dolphins' sluggish start literally was painful. Tailback Tony Nathan (bruised hip) and tight end Ronnie Lee (ribs) de- parted early.
Tampa Bay awakened first. The splash in the face came on a Doug- Williams-to-Jimmie-Giles hookup. The play, which began with the Bucs 62 yards from their goal line, advanced them exactly halfway. They proceeded to mosey closer on short runs and safety-first, screen passes that Williams resorted to often.
But a third-down toss from the Miami 10 barely had left Williams' hand when blitzing linebacker Ernie Rhone swatted it down. On came Capece, still smarting from a critical missed field goal in the Bucs' loss to the Cowboys. Capece nailed a 28-yard field goal to give the Bucs first blood 17 seconds before the close of the first quarter.
Miami had nosed beyond midfield once on its first two series of downs, only to be shoved back on a sack of quarterback David Woodley by Dave Logan. The Bucs' defense walled off Miami at the 11-yard line. Uwe von Schamann answered Capece with a 29-yard field goal.
Soon after, Tommy Vigorito dashed 22 yards with a punt to the Bucs' 41. Once more, the Dolphins shifted into reverse as Woodley was thrown back into his half of the field on a sack. Woodley disappeared under a pile of Bucs consisting of Logan, Hugh Green and Andy Hawkins, then got up woozily.
Promptly, cornerback Mike Washington added insult to injury by thieving a Woodley pass at the Tampa Bay 21. After two plays worth 25 yards, it became the James Owens show. Owens got going with a 6-yard gain and heard his number called six more times, all in a row.
Forty-six yards later, having taken his team to the Dolphins'8, he rested. Unfortunately for the Bucs, so did the rest of the offense. Williams threw three straight incompletions. One resulted from a failure to communicate - Williams threw to the outside, receiver Gordon Jones cut toward the middle. -
On third down, Giles was tucking away a pass at the Miami 11 when it was jarred loose upon contact with' the ground. The officials ruled it incomplete. That was Capece's cue. He concluded the first half of soccer ball with a 27-yard field goal. Miami coach Don Shula called on the other half of Woodstrock, his two- headed quarterback. Strock entered in the second half.
No matter who was at the wheel, Miami continued to lurch and sputter. Strock fumbled a center snap over to Lee Roy Selmon, Then, after Miami held firm, Strock was unable to steer his team out of from deep in its own territory, and Cotney came through with his semi-blocked punt.
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