Panthers stop Bucs
For the fifth time in six years under head coach John Fox, the Carolina Panthers concluded a season with a road victory. And for the fifth consecutive season, they won at Raymond James Stadium by defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-23, Sunday to finish with a 7-9 record.
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“This team’s been through a lot,” said Fox. “They’ve definitely hung in there. We’ve played some pretty good teams here the last month, and our guys have stood up and played well.”
The offensive star of the show was running back DeAngelo Williams, who rushed for 121 yards on 20 carries with two touchdowns. Williams finished his second season with the Panthers with 715 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
“They’re getting me more involved in the offense,” said Williams. “I’m learning more as I go along. As I watch film and study the other players, it gets a lot easier for me. When I get out there, I get a chance to slow the game down in my mind, instead of trying to slow it down on the run.”
Another young player who played well was quarterback Matt Moore, who completed 15-of-24 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. His passer rating was 94.8. Not bad for an undrafted rookie.
“He’s got skills, there’s no doubt,” said Fox of Moore. “Whenever you have setbacks, some new guys get a chance to get in there, Matt Moore being one of those guys. We had quite a few of those guys who were able to get valuable experience and show what they can do in this League. Hopefully, we’ve found us a talented quarterback moving forward.”
The Buccaneers were the ones moving forward on the first drive of the game, marching 67 yards on seven plays and getting a three-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Luke McCown to tight end Jerramy Stevens for a quick 7-0 lead.
But the Panthers responded, and got a little break along the way. Carolina drove 72 yards on 14 plays and initially settled for a John Kasay field goal. But there was defensive holding on the play resulting in an automatic first down, and two plays later Moore hit tight end Christian Fauria from two yards out to tie the game.
Tampa Bay answered with a field goal early in the second quarter before Moore struck again, hitting tight end Dante Rosario with a 20-yard strike and a 14-10 Panthers lead.
Once again the Buccaneers responded with a Matt Bryant field goal, and this time Kasay connected in response with just 20 seconds remaining in the first half to send the visitors into the locker room with a 17-13 advantage.
The second half began just like the first one, with Tampa Bay scoring a touchdown on their opening drive. Down 20-17, the Panthers relied on the big strike, a 46-yard pass from Moore to Drew Carter, to get them in position to respond. Williams punched it in from the one-yard line and the Panthers led 24-20.
Tampa Bay got another Bryant field goal to creep within one at 24-23, but Williams sealed the deal with a 32-yard touchdown run that completed the scoring.
The Panthers finished 7-9 for the third time under Fox and the sixth time in 13 seasons.
Postgame Quotes
Head coach John Fox
On the team finishing up strong: This team’s been through a lot. They’ve definitely hung in there. We’ve played some pretty good teams here the last month, and our guys have stood up and played well.
On quarterback Matt Moore: He’s got skills, there’s no doubt. As I mentioned to the team some time ago, setbacks are sometimes setups for better things to come. Whenever you have setbacks, some new guys get a chance to get in there, Matt Moore being one of those guys. We had quite a few of those guys who were able to get valuable experience and show what they can do in this League. Hopefully, we’ve found us a talented quarterback moving forward.
On the play of the offensive line: I thought we ran the ball efficiently. I don’t think we gave up a lot of pressures. We allowed one sack. I think they’ve been pretty steady all season long. We’ve just had our problems at the quarterback position. We started four different quarterbacks who all won games.
On running back DeAngelo Williams: He’s a second year player who has gotten (playing) time, gotten experience. There’s more to the running back position than just running the ball. There are different protections and different routes. Those are part of the learning process and he’s starting to be able to play without thinking.
On if rookie defensive end Charles Johnson played well: There’s no doubt. Tampa Bay held out some of their skill people, but that (offensive) line played the whole game, and it’s a very good O-Line. Their tight ends are very good and physical.
On wrapping things up: We’ll meet back up (Monday) morning. We’ll have our exit physicals. The most important thing is that these guys get away from football for some time now. Heal, relax, and get rejuvenated mentally. It won’t be long now before we’ll be back into offseason conditioning.
Running back DeAngelo Williams
On rushing for 121 yards and two touchdowns: It wasn’t just all me. The O-Line did a great job of blocking out there today. (Brad) Hoover did a great job, too, as did those wide receivers on the edge.
On his improvement: They’re getting me more involved in the offense. I’m learning more as I go along. As I watch film and study the linebackers and the linemen and the corners and the rotation of the secondary when they’re blitzing and not blitzing, who has leverage and things like that, it gets a lot easier for me. When I get out there, I get a chance to slow the game down in my mind, instead of trying to slow it down on the run.
On the difference between watching film and studying film: Watching film you’re just like a fan in the stands. But studying film, you have to study a guy’s tendencies, such as his bulrush when he comes (after the quarterback). Is he one of those guys who uses his hands? Which guy on the D-Line is more of a threat so when you leak out you get a chip on that guy? You have to study things like that and safety tendencies, too. Is he a guy who will come down and try to meet you in the hole? Is he a guy who will try to hit you in your legs. When you know these things you’re always anticipating your move before you make it.
On if he’s glad the season is over: I’m never ready for the season to end. But that’s me speaking as a football player. Unfortunately, our season ended today, and we’re getting better for next year. Hopefully, we started something positive going forward.
Postgame Notes
The Series: With the 31-23 victory, Carolina won for the fifth consecutive time at Tampa Bay and leads the all-time series, 9-6. The Panthers split the season series with the Buccaneers after losing, 20-7, earlier this year at Bank of America Stadium (9/30/07). Since the two teams began playing in the NFC South in 2002, Carolina and Tampa Bay have split the season series twice, and one of the two clubs has swept the season series on four occasions with Tampa Bay winning both games in 2002 and Carolina taking both contests in 2003, 2004 and 2006.
Southern Comfort: The Panthers ended the 2007 season with a 3-3 record against their NFC South foes, splitting with Atlanta, New Orleans and Tampa Bay. Carolina has a 21-15 overall mark in the NFC South since the division was formed in 2002.
For Starters: Rookie Ryan Kalil made his first career start at center in place of Justin Hartwig, who suffered a season-ending knee injury versus Dallas (12/22/07). It marked Kalil's third start this year. He previously started at right guard in the first two games at St. Louis (9/9/07) and versus Houston (9/16/07). Marquand Manuel replaced Chris Harris, who was sidelined with a neck injury, in the starting lineup at strong safety. It represented Manuel's second start this year after starting at free safety at Atlanta (9/23/07).
Inactives: The following eight players were inactive for the Panthers: linebacker James Anderson, wide receiver Jason Carter, cornerback Patrick Dendy, defensive tackle Gary Gibson, safety Chris Harris, tackle Frank Omiyale, wide receiver Travis Taylor and quarterback Vinny Testaverde.
Moore Matt Under Center: Rookie quarterback Matt Moore became the first Panthers quarterback to start three consecutive games since Jake Delhomme started the first three contests of the season. He completed 15-of-24 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns with one interception to produce a 94.8 quarterback rating against a Buccaneers pass defense that entered the game ranked second in the NFL. He threw touchdown passes of two yards to tight end Christian Fauria and 20 yards to tight end Dante Rosario. In nine games with three starts this season, Moore completed 63-of-111 passes for 730 yards and three touchdowns with five interceptions.
Smith 1,000-Yard Man: Wide receiver Steve Smith led the Panthers with five catches for 48 yards. He finished the season with a team-leading 87 receptions, 1,002 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. This marked his fifth season as the team leader in receiving yards and fourth as the team leader in catches. Smith became the first player in franchise history eclipse 1,000 yards receiving in a season four times and the first to do so in three consecutive years after totaling 1,110 yards in 2003, a team-record 1,563 in 2005 and 1,166 in 2006. He ranks first in franchise history with 45 total touchdowns, second with 431 catches, 5,927 receiving yards and 22 games with 100 or more receiving yards and third with 37 receiving touchdowns.
Williams Leads The Way: Running back DeAngelo Williams rushed for a team-leading 121 yards and two touchdowns, scoring on runs of one yard and 32 yards, on 20 carries to compile his third career 100-yard rushing effort. He matched his career best of 121 yards, previously accomplished at Arizona (10/14/07). Williams ranked second on the team this season with career highs of 717 yards and four touchdowns on a career-best 144 attempts behind DeShaun Foster with 876 yards and three touchdowns on 247 attempts. Williams averaged 5.0 yards per carry this season, the second-highest average rushing gain in team history behind the 5.2 average by Tshimanga Biakabutuka in 1999.
Offensive Line Paves The Way, Provides Protection: Behind an offensive line featuring Travelle Wharton at left tackle, Mike Wahle at left guard, Ryan Kalil at center, Geoff Hangartner at right guard and Jordan Gross at right tackle, the Panthers accumulated 180 yards rushing on 37 attempts for an average of 4.9 yards per carry, gained 10 rushing first downs and allowed one sack against Tampa Bay. It marked the fifth time this season that Carolina exceeded more than 150 yards rushing after amassing 186 yards at St. Louis (9/9/07), 175 yards at Atlanta (9/23/07), 181 yards at Arizona (10/14/07) and 166 yards versus San Francisco (12/2/07). The Panthers averaged 114.0 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards rushing per attempt and yielded 33 sacks this year.
Mighty Kasay: Kicker John Kasay connected on his only field goal attempt, converting from 19 yards, and all four of his extra points. For the season, he was successful on 24-of-28 field goal attempts and all 27 of his extra point opportunities for a team-high 99 points. Kasay ranks 10th all-time in NFL history with 358 made field goals and 13th with 1,504 points scored, including 1,163 for the Panthers, and has made a team-record 88 consecutive extra points.
Baker's Treat: Punter Jason Baker generated a gross average of 46.0 yards and net average of 42.3 yards on four punts with two inside the 20, no touchbacks and a long of 53. He finished the season with a 44.2 gross average and 37.7 net average with 22 inside the 20, five touchbacks and long of 64 on 90 punts.
Sacked Out: The Panthers corralled four sacks against the Buccaneers with defensive end Stanley McClover collecting his first career sack, linebacker Na'il Diggs notching one, defensive tackle Kindal Moorehead recording one and cornerback Richard Marshall gathering one. Defensive tackle Damione Lewis and Diggs finished the season tied for the team lead with 3.5 sacks. Carolina set a team record for the fewest sacks in a season with 23, breaking the old mark of 26 in 2001.
Takeaway/Giveaway: Carolina forced one turnover on an interception by cornerback Richard Marshall, who tied with safety Deke Cooper for the team lead with three interceptions this season. It marked the second consecutive year that Marshall has tied for the team lead in interceptions after matching cornerbacks Chris Gamble and Ken Lucas with three in 2006. The Panthers turned it over two times on one interception and one fumble to finish with a minus one turnover ratio. The one takeaway resulted in no points for Carolina, and the two giveaways led to six points for Tampa Bay. The Panthers finished the season with a plus one turnover margin after generating 30 takeaways on 14 interceptions and 16 fumble recoveries and committing 29 turnovers on 17 interceptions and 12 fumbles. Carolina had a 5-1 record when posting a positive turnover margin, a 1-1 mark when being even in turnover margin and a 1-7 record when having a negative turnover margin this season. The Panthers 14 interceptions equaled the second fewest in team history, previously accomplished in 2006, behind the 11 in 1997.
Carolines: Quarterback Vinny Testaverde, who retired after the game, served as a captain and took the final snap of the contest. He began his 21-year NFL career with Tampa Bay in 1987...Wide receiver Ryne Robinson returned a kickoff a career-long 60 yards, surpassing his previous best of 42 yards versus Dallas (12/22/07). It marked the longest kickoff return by the Panthers since a 60 yarder by Rod Smart versus Green Bay (10/3/05)...Carolina allowed a 98-yard drive in the third quarter that resulted in a Tampa Bay touchdown. It equaled the longest drive ever surrendered in team history, previously accomplished twice, most recently versus Atlanta (9/6/98)...With the win, Carolina is 8-5 all-time and 5-1 under head coach John Fox in regular season finales.