Time on their side Rick Stroud, The St.Petersburg Times, published 15 October 2007 When time is running out, it's good to have a quarterback and two receivers who refuse to notice the clock ticking louder on their careers. The not-over-the-hill gang did it again for the Buccaneers in Sunday's 13-10 win over the Titans. Jeff Garcia, 37, completed passes to Joey Galloway, 35, and Ike Hilliard, 31, to move the Bucs into position for Matt Bryant's 43-yard field goal with 11 seconds remaining. And Galloway caught a 69-yard touchdown from Garcia, but the Bucs needed more from the golden guys after the Titans tied the score on LenDale White's 2-yard run with 1:17 left. "You have to take your hat off to Jeff. That was a great effort staying in there," Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. "Every time I looked, he was on the ground. He kept getting up, and he did what we hoped he wouldn't do and that was find a way to make a play." Garcia completed 20 of 31 passes for 274 yards and has still not thrown an interception this season. Facing third and 10 at the Bucs 20-yard line, Garcia scrambled out of the pocket and found Hilliard- his third option on the play - for a 28-yard gain. He hit Galloway for 14 yards and Hilliard again for 10 to move the Bucs into position for Bryant's winner. The victory improved the Bucs to 4-2, matching their win total for all of last season. The Titans had their five-game road winning streak ended shortly after quarterback Vince Young suffered a quadriceps strain as he headed out of bounds on a 2-yard run in the third quarter. Veteran backup Kerry Collins entered and led the Titans on a 13-play, 86-yard drive to tie the score. But that was before Garcia and Co. continued rolling back odometers. "In a game like today, when things didn't come easy, when you had to scratch and claw your way for every yard that you were able to gain - you just never know what you're going to get in those situations," Garcia said. "Gut-check time. Not giving up. Finding a way to persevere. A third-and-10 situation, not an easy situation against a good football team, a good defense like Tennessee has. Finding a way to create time in the pocket and Ike Hilliard doing a great job in getting to an open spot and giving him a chance to make a play. ... Joey making a clutch catch. Ike making another catch, getting out of bounds at the end there, just giving ourselves a chance to put Matt Bryant in position to kick the winner." The Bucs entered the game knowing they would need a stellar defensive effort and big plays in the passing game. Playing without injured running backs Cadillac Williams and Michael Pittman, the Bucs were forced to turn to seldom-used Earnest Graham, who rushed for 29 yards on 13 carries. That put a lot of pressure on the defense, which responded by forcing two turnovers in the first half - Young's fumble on a botched handoff to Chris Brown and Phillip Buchanon's interception near the goal line as the half ended. "We knew we had to manufacture ways to score points, and a big part of that is converting on defense, finding ways to get the ball back to our offense or score, which we haven't done yet, but we will," cornerback Ronde Barber said. "We won a lot of years like that, and until the new guys that have come in and had to play get their stride going, we'll continue to do that." Barber had two interceptions overturned by replay, including one in the end zone on the tying drive. And he recovered a fumble before being stripped by Brown. But when the Bucs needed it most, Garcia delivered. All around the locker room, players talk about staying alive more than the Bee Gees. Garcia was asked where he developed his sixth sense to scramble out of pressure and keep plays alive. "Well, when I was young, my dad put me out in the pastures to avoid the steers," Garcia deadpanned. "No, it's just one of those things. I've played this game a long time, and I don't really know how that sensory comes into play, but I think just through experience and knowledge and understanding and awareness it's really just a feel I feel fortunate to have." On the last completion to Hilliard, Bucs coach Jon Gruden said, Garcia changed the play: "Then there's Hilliard with the ball, stopping the clock for basically the game-winning play." As Hilliard finished dressing, the last thing he put on was a watch. Not that he and Galloway or Garcia really bother to look at one.