Panthers ram it down Bucs' throats

With the game on the line, Carolina Panthers' game plan was simple.

Quarterback Jake Delhomme turned and handed the ball to DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. Over and over.

"I'm sure everybody in the stadium knew what we were going to do," Williams said after the Panthers drove 80 yards in the closing minutes to beat the winless Tampa Bay Bucs 28-21 yesterday.

"There were times they had nine in the box," Williams added, "and we were still getting 7 or 8 yards."

A week after getting their first win against lowly Washington, the Panthers (2-3) rushed for 267 yards and three touchdowns to extend Tampa Bay's worst start to a season in 24 years.

The Bucs (0-6) have started a season with six straight losses for the first time since 1985. They've dropped 10 in a row dating to a lopsided defeat at Carolina in December, a slide that's their longest since 1977, when they were in the middle of an NFL-record 26-game skid.

Williams gained a season-best 152 yards on 30 carries and scored twice, including the winning touchdown with 29 seconds left. The 1-yard dive capped a 16-play drive that took more than 8 minutes.

"That takes tough guys, and we try to breed that," Coach John Fox of the Panthers said.

Delhomme, who had thrown two interceptions in the second half, attempted one pass in the winning drive -- a 4-yarder for Steve Smith's only reception of the game.

Meanwhile, Williams carried eight times for 33 yards and Stewart gained 43 on seven attempts.

"We got overpowered at the end, and really throughout the game," Raheem Morris, in his first season as Tampa Bay's head coach, said.

Carolina (2-3) squandered a 21-7 lead, giving up a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the third quarter and watching Tampa Bay tie the game on Tanard Jackson's 26-yard interception return.

But Williams and Stewart took over. Eleven of the 15 runs on the final drive gained 5 or more yards; none of them ended with no gain or a loss.

Williams also scored on a 20-yard run in the second quarter. Stewart's 26-yard touchdown run put Carolina up 21-7 late in the third quarter.

Heading into yesterday, Carolina was averaging 97.3 yards on the ground -- 23rd in the league.

Delhomme was 9 of 17 for 65 yards and one touchdown. His two interceptions helped the Bucs get back in the game, and the Bucs forced a third turnover when Jackson caused Stewart's fumble at the Bucs 3 in the second quarter.

Carolina also had to overcome losing safety Dante Wesley, who was ejected late in the first half after he launched himself into punt returner Clifton Smith, who had signaled for a fair catch.

The hit with 10 seconds left in the first half brought players from both teams off the sidelines. Wesley appeared to leave his feet and strike Smith in the upper body with his left shoulder.

Smith remained on the ground for a few minutes, then was helped to his feet and walked off the field. He missed the rest of the game with a concussion.

"I was just trying to make a play," said Wesley, adding that he wasn't trying to hurt Smith.

Cadillac Williams gave Tampa Bay an early 7-0 lead with a 20-yard touchdown run. Sammie Stroughter's long kickoff return trimmed Carolina's lead to 21-14, then Jackson's touchdown tied it with 8:33 remaining.

Carolina 0 7 14 7 -- 28


Tampa Bay 7 0 7 7 -- 21

First Quarter

TB--Williams 20 run (Andrus kick), 10:57.

Second Quarter

Car--D.Williams 20 run (Kasay kick), 11:48.

Third Quarter

Car--King 1 pass from Delhomme (Kasay kick), 12:07.

Car--Stewart 26 run (Kasay kick), 2:33.

TB--Stroughter 97 kickoff return (Andrus kick), 2:17.

Fourth Quarter

TB--Jackson 26 interception return (Andrus kick), 8:33.

Car--D.Williams 1 run (Kasay kick), :29.

A--62,422.

TEAM STATISTICS

Car TB

First downs 22 12

Total Net Yards 322 245

Rushes-yards 48-267 25-124

Passing 55 121

Punt Returns 1-34 1-6

Kickoff Returns 3-59 4-167

Interceptions Ret. 1-24 2-28

Comp-Att-Int 9-17-2 11-17-1

Sacked-Yards Lost 1-10 4-26

Punts 3-40.7 4-40.8

Fumbles-Lost 1-1 5-1

Penalties-Yards 3-30 5-40

Time of Possession 32:21 27:39

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING--Carolina, D.Williams 30-152, Stewart 17-110, Delhomme 1-5. Tampa Bay, Williams 16-77, J.Johnson 8-45, Ward 1-2.

PASSING--Carolina, Delhomme 9-17-2-65. Tampa Bay, J.Johnson 11-17-1-147.

RECEIVING--Carolina, Muhammad 3-27, D.Williams 2-20, King 2-8, Rosario 1-6, Smith 1-4. Tampa Bay, Stroughter 3-65, Winslow 3-29, Bryant 2-37, Clayton 1-9, Ward 1-5, Graham 1-2.

MISSED FIELD GOALS--Carolina, Kasay 52 (BK). Tampa Bay, Andrus 43 (SH).