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5 Plays That Made A Difference

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 10, 2007

A strong Seahawks defensive stand forced the Bucs to punt from their end zone late in the second quarter. Punter Josh Bidwell did his part, booting the ball 57 yards to the Seahawks 30, but his coverage unit didn't do its job. After first going left, Nate Burleson turned and ran right and didn't stop until he was pushed out of bounds at the Bucs 14. Three plays later, Shaun Alexander rumbled over the goal line to give the Seahawks a lead they never lost.

Early in the third quarter, on first-and-10 from his 7, Bucs running back Cadillac Williams ran up the middle. He gained 4 yards before Patrick Kerney and Lofa Tatupu combined on a hit that left Williams' ribs feeling like they'd been pounded a few hundred times by Rocky Balboa. Williams never returned. Neither did the Bucs' offense. It gained just 73 yards the rest of the way.

On a third-quarter series, Bucs quarterback Jeff Garcia scrambled to his right, looking for an open receiver or a running lane. What he found was Julian Peterson. Garcia ducked, tucked the ball away and absorbed the hit from Peterson and Leroy Hill, which left him disoriented. After taking a knee, Garcia left and didn't return for several series. By the time he came back, it was too late to make a difference.

It was 10-6 Seattle early in the third quarter when the Bucs defense force a punt that Ike Hilliard returned 40 yards to the Seattle 49. Momentum seemed to be shifting the Bucs' way, but all that momentum was lost when an illegal-block penalty against rookie Sabby Piscitelli forced the Bucs to start the series at their 7-yard line.

On third-and-7 from the Seattle 36 late in the first quarter, Seahawks safety Marcus Trufant broke up a pass for Joey Galloway in the end zone. That wasn't the end, though. A roughing-the-passer penalty against Leroy Hill gave the Bucs new life, and three plays later Matt Bryant extended Tampa Bay's lead to 6-0 and increased the belief they could pull off an upset.

Roy Cummings

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