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Michelle Kaufman, The St.Petersburg Times, published 20 November 1989
The calmest place at Soldier Field late Sunday afternoon may have been the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' huddle. Within those confines, at 3:32 p.m. in Chicago, 11 young men were making up their minds to end a five-game losing streak and humble the Chicago Bears for the second time this season.
Few words were uttered. Eyes did the talking instead. The urgency of the ensuing drive was clear: A field goal would win the game. One minute, 40 seconds remained on the clock. The end zone was 66 yards away. The Bucs dug deep. They pulled out some guts, 56 yards and a 32-31 victory. Placekicker Donald Igwebuike split the uprights from 28 yards away as time expired for the winning points. It was his fourth field goal of the day. “If you want to see how to execute a two-minute drive almost perfectly, you should look at that film,” said rookie wide receiver Danny Peebles, who made two clutch catches in the winning march. “The game was on the line, and we just did it. Bam. Bam. Bam.”
Tampa Bay (4-7) beat the odds, a stiff wind, a Mike Tomczak-led Chicago rally that produced 21 points in three minutes, and a boisterous crowd of 63,826. It was the first time in franchise history the Bucs swept the two-game season series against the Bears, and the first time in a decade they were victorious in the Bears' backyard.
The Bucs did it with big plays on defense (three interceptions that led to three scores), a fumble recovery on special teams, a turnover-free offensive performance, and good field position. Four of the Bucs' scoring drives started inside the Chicago 40-yard line. “I would never have thought a win could feel better than it did when we beat them in Tampa (42-35 on Oct. 8), but this one definitely tops that one,” said center Randy Grimes. “The game proved that you should never give up on the Bucs.”
The emotionally exhausting ending made the win especially precious, said right tackle Rob Taylor. Buccaneers players and coaches watched their 23-10 lead become a 31-29 deficit in the final five minutes. Tomczak, stepping in for starter Jim Harbaugh, completed six of seven passes for 156 yards and three touchdowns. “It makes it a little sweeter to win when you know you overcame adversity to get it,” Taylor said.
Peebles, who managed to get out of bounds on both catches in the last drive, could have done without the fourth-quarter excitement. “It's more fun to win that way when you look back on it, but it's nerve-racking while you're in there,” he said. “I`m just glad (the) coaches had enough confidence in me to put me in in that situation. That's when you can show what you're made of.”
Peebles replaced starter Bruce Hill midway through the third quarter. Coach Ray Perkins said the reason for playing Peebles was twofold: Hill was having trouble with the bump-and-run coverage of the Bears, and the coaches wanted to give Peebles some experience. The most productive receiver of the day was Mark Carrier, who caught six passes for 164 yards, including a 78-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter and a 31-yard catch during the final drive.
Much of the credit for Carrier's touchdown, which put the Bucs on top 29-17, went to quarterback Vinny Testaverde. The plan on that particular play was for Carrier to go in motion and for Hill to run out from the line. But Carrier had been beating rookie cornerback Donnell Woolford deep all day, so Testaverde switched the receivers' assignments at the line of scrimmage. “I figured it would be better for Mark to be still and get out quick,” said Testaverde, who completed 19 of 42 passes for 288 yards despite being sacked four times.
The Bucs were determined to prove their first win over Chicago - which at 6-5 remains a game behind Minnesota and is now tied for second with Green Bay in the NFC Central - was not a fluke. “All week, people were saying that the Bears were going to get revenge, and that made me really mad,” Testaverde said. “You hear that the Bucs can't win on the road, and they can't win in the cold well, we proved we can,” said Carrier. “The only people who believed in us was ourselves.”
Judging from the comments in the Chicago locker room, the Bucs didn't convince the Bears that they are deserving of the two victories. Safety Shaun Gayle said: “We don't like to lose anyway, but especially when you play a team that, physically, there's no way they should beat you.”
The Bucs jumped to a 10-0 first-quarter lead with a 26-yard Igwebuike field goal and a 13-yard interception return by defensive end Reuben Davis. Linebacker Winston Moss knocked the ball out of Harbaugh's hand and into the unsuspecting arms of Davis, who huffed and puffed his way to the end zone. “I wasn't even thinking touchdown, and the next thing I know, guys are yelling at me to keep running,” Davis said. “It felt like I ran 60 yards.”
A 40-yard field goal by Kevin Butler made the score 10-3 at halftime. The kick was his 23rd consecutive successful field goal, which tied Mark Moseley's NFL record. The Bucs had a chance to make it 17-3 early in the third quarter, but they failed to move 4 yards on first-and-goal, so they settled for a 22-yard field goal. A 59-yard touchdown run by Chicago's Neal Anderson made it 13-10 entering the final 15 minutes.If fans were bored through three quarters, they got their money's worth in the fourth. Forty points were scored in the period, 33 in the final five minutes.
Lars Tate ran 15 yards for a touchdown and Igwebuike hit from 29 yards out to make it 23-10. That's when Tomczak took over. He found Ron Morris for a 58-yard touchdown to make it 23-17. The Bucs came back with Carrier's 78-yard catch. Chicago's Wendell Davis scored the next two touchdowns - a 26-yard pass and a 52-yarder - as cornerback Rod Jones watched in frustration. “I was in good position both times, but they were good catches,” said Jones. “Still, I felt bad. Embarrassed.”
It was at that point Testaverde turned to his teammates on the bench and said, “This is when it counts.” By the time they reached the huddle, they were convinced they'd win. “We knew if we could get it down there, Iggy would kick it in,” said Peebles. “He's a clutch guy. I knew the game was over when he stepped up to kick.”
Igwebuike said he was thrilled to be able to win a game at a stadium that's given him problems. Sunday, he missed a 52-yard field goal and an extra point and had some unimpressive kickoffs. “All that was going through my mind is that I wanted to get out of this place and go back to warm Tampa,” Igwebuike said. “I wasn't worried.”
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