Tiniest Buc tames Lions 23-20 Michelle Kaufman, The St.Petersburg Times, published 1988 The smallest man in a Tampa Bay Buccaneers uniform came to the team's rescue once again Sunday. Five-foot-nine placekicker Donald Igwebuike nailed a 52-yard field goal with 10 seconds remaining to give the Bucs a 23-20 win over the Detroit Lions in front of the smallest Lions home crowd (25,956) to watch a non-strike game since 1951. All three of the Bucs' wins this season have been courtesy of Igwebuike field goals in the closing seconds. His 28-yarder as time expired beat the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, and a 44-yarder with 12 seconds remaining beat the Packers at Tampa Stadium. “That's what he gets paid to do,” was coach Ray Perkins' response when asked about Igwebuike's clutch kick. “He's also paid to make kickoffs, which he didn't do very well today. There were a lot of mistakes and screw-ups. I don't know if we would've beaten a really good team, but who said wins had to be pretty? Any win is a good win. It gave us a little shot in the arm.” Sunday's victory at the Silverdome snapped a five-game losing streak for the Bucs (3-8), and nudged them into third place in the NFC Central. The Lions (2-9) and Packers (2-9) are tied for last place in the division. According to television and radio reports in Detroit, Lions coach Darryl Rogers was fired Sunday night. Team officials would neither nor deny the reports. Throughout the game, fans taunted Rogers, who was 18-40 since he took over the team in 1985. For their part, the Bucs were happy with the game. “This win was crucial in the short term and to the future of our franchise,” said center Randy Grimes. “Not only was this a game we had to win, it was a game we were supposed to win. You can't let games like this slip by.” Said linebacker Jackie Walker: “More than anything, we had to prove to ourselves that we could win. We had been coming close, but it was getting frustrating to lose by three. We didn't play a great game today, but we won, and that's all that counts. It'll give us a lot of emotion going into our next game.” The Bucs play the Chicago Bears (9-2) at a sold-out Tampa Stadium this week. While Igwebuike scored nine of Tampa Bay's points, the win was also a tribute to receiver Bruce Hill, whose 26-yard catch set up the kick, and to the Bucs' trio of rookie running backs - Lars Tate, William Howard, and Kerry Goode - who combined for 223 yards on 36 carries (a 6.2-yard average per rush) and scored both touchdowns. Tate, starting his third game of the year, had 18 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown. It was the first time since James Wilder's 130-yard game against (who else) Detroit in 1986 that the Bucs had a 100-yard rusher. Howard had 14 carries for 78 yards and a touchdown. Goode gained 39 yards on four carries. The running game worked so well that quarterback Vinny Testaverde, celebrating his 25th birthday, threw the ball only 13 times. He completed nine passes for a season-low 107 yards and was intercepted twice. Sunday's game looked as if it was headed for overtime with 26 seconds to go, but Hill did all he could to make sure everyone got home on time. He caught a pass smack in the middle of the field at the Lions' 40, and raced out of bounds at the 34 to stop the clock and put the ball in Igwebuike's range. The 26-yard catch was critical, as the Bucs had used up all of their timeouts. “I really didn't think I'd get out of bounds because I caught the ball right in the middle of the field,” Hill said. “I was just trying to get as many yards as I could and my best path was toward the right sideline. Once I got around the last guy, I realized I could get out.” Had he not gotten out of bounds, both the offense and the kicking team were in position to react at Perkins' call. They learned their lesson at the Metrodome, where a game-ending scramble cost the Bucs a chance at a victory over Minnesota. “I wasn't worried about it at all,” said Igwebuike. “I put extra pressure on myself after last week's game. (He missed two field goals against Chicago.) I have only one job, to kick, so I have to do my job when my number is called upon.” Sunday's 29-second game-winning drive wouldn't have been necessary had Detroit running back Garry James not slipped past linebacker Chris Washington and caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Rusty Hilger to tie the game with 52 seconds left. “I just got beat,” Washington said. “He beat me on a route, and I couldn't recover. I was just hoping we'd go into overtime so I could make up for it.” Ironically, Hilger's touchdown pass was set up by a clutch third-down catch by Stephen Starring, who was released by the Bucs Tuesday. The Lions faced third-and-2 at the Bucs' 27 before Starring's 8-yard reception. “I didn't think it would be such a close game,” Hill said. “I thought we'd win sizably. When they tied it up, I couldn't believe it.” The Bucs fell behind 10-0 after a 39-yard field goal by Eddie Murray and a 1-yard touchdown run by James, who finished the game with eight catches for 84 yards and 15 carries for 34 yards. James' touchdown was made possible when Bucs cornerback Bobby Futrell was called for pass interference in the end zone on what might have been a 24-yard scoring pass from Hilger to Pete Mandley. The Lions had taken possession of the ball at the Bucs' 30 after safety James Griffin sacked Testaverde, and forced a fumble, which Bennie Blades recovered. Another Testaverde miscue aborted the Bucs' next drive. He threw his 25th interception of the year into the hands of linebacker George Jamison on the first play of the drive. Jamison would pick off another before the day was done. “I was a little off today,” Testaverde said. “I was behind the receiver (Hill in both cases) both times. I gave that guy (Jamison) easy interceptions.” Tampa Bay's Harry Hamilton intercepted a Hilger pass to give the Bucs the ball at the Detroit 48 with a minute to go in the first quarter. Four plays later, Howard churned his way through the line and sprinted 29 yards for a touchdown. Igwebuike's 23-yard field goal with two minutes left in the half tied the game 10-10. The Bucs took the lead 17-13 on a 5-yard run by Tate. That drive was highlighted by a catch of 15 yards by Carrier, a 19-yard catch by Ron Hall, and a 22-yard run by Goode. “It wasn't talked about, but if you lose this game well, you just don't know how guys will be coming into work tomorrow (Monday),” Testaverde said. “We were a little lucky to win today, but hey, we won. It was great to hear guys yelling and screaming in here after the game.” Meanwhile, in the other locker room, the Lions were as down as they've been all year. “Right now, to me, this is my bottom point,” said former University of Florida tackle Lomas Brown. “Lose to a 2-8 team? You can't go any farther down.”