Dunn drops ball, then carries Bucs Ernest Hooper, The St.Petersburg Times, published 6 October 1997 Warrick Dunn wore a T-shirt with a big happy face emblazoned on it, and the T-shirt was on backward. Dunn said it's something he always does with his undershirts, but this fashion statement seemed particularly appropriate after the Green Bay game. Despite Dunn's 125 yards on 16 carries, Green Bay reversed the happy performance with a 21-16 victory. Dunn knew his first-half fumble played a role in the defeat, and he spent the rest of the game trying to atone. On his second carry, Dunn got caught in a crowd of Packers. His forward progress had stopped, but officials did not blow the whistle. "Two guys held me up and one guy stripped me," Dunn said. "That's always the case when a guy fumbles inside. Today I was the victim." The Packers converted the turnover into a touchdown to take a 7-3 lead, but Dunn, who had only carried twice for 11 yards, was determined to make amends. "I know after the fumble in the first half, he said he was going to come back and make something happen, and he certainly did," coach Tony Dungy said. "We finally got him in some open space and he finally showed what he can do." After the fumble, Dunn rushed six times for 39 yards, including a 14-yard burst. Still, the Bucs were trailing by 18 at halftime. Was it time to abandon Dunn and the rushing game? Nope. "Guys just stayed after it," offensive coordinator Mike Shula said of the running attack. "That's what we needed to do. We felt like we didn't want to get in there throwing even though we were down 21-3. We didn't do it on the first drive. But they hung in there and hung in there and gave us a chance at the end." Dunn had an 18-yard run in the third quarter that spurred a 63-yard touchdown drive he ended with a 1-yard run. On Tampa Bay's next possession, Dunn broke loose on the Packers' left sideline for a brilliant 44-yard run. Only a diving tackle by safety Eugene Robinson prevented a score. The run set up his second touchdown, a 2-yarder, and gave the Bucs a chance for a victory. Tampa Bay tried to make Dunn the miracle worker after working down to the Packers' 42. On third and fourth down, quarterback Trent Dilfer tried to hit Dunn, but both passes fell incomplete. The fourth-down play was controversial. The Bucs had what they wanted, Dunn isolated on linebacker Wayne Simmons, and although the pass wasn't completed, it appeared Simmons could have been called for interference. "I thought so," Dunn said. "When Trent underthrew it, I tried to come back for the ball and he hit me a little bit and it just threw me off-balance. They told me he was fighting for the ball. Unfortunately, Simmons was already running towards the sideline where I was going. If there had been a different play called, we would have definitely got the first down. So, it was just great coaching and great defense on their part." Dungy said of the non-call: "You're not going to get that call up here. We've seen that on film all year." Despite the loss, Dunn knows he gained valuable experience. He jogged around Lambeau Field during pregame warmups, soaking up the aura created by the names of Green Bay's Hall of Famers, but once the game started it was Dunn who created the awe for Packers fans.