Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, December 6, 1993 TAG: 9312060121
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JIM DUCIBELLA LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: TAMPA, FLA. LENGTH: Long
Just the way Darrell Green sprinted through the shadows of Tampa Stadium, caressing a football like it was a newborn baby, said so.
So did the manner in which a surprisingly large throng of fans - several thousand - cheered and hooted and stomped and sang "Hail to the Redskins" and pressed against the ropes surrounding the team bus.
It was a victory - however modest - dedicated to the team's beleaguered coach, Richie Petitbon, struggling to save face and perhaps his job in light of the team's dismal performance this season.
Green, whose two interceptions were as vital to the victory as Reggie Brooks' 78-yard touchdown gallop and Kurt Gouveia's 59-yard touchdown run with an interception, didn't want the ball for himself.
"I kept it to give Coach Petitbon a game ball," Green said. "He has been through so much and he called such a great game today. Any chance I can get to repay him for the job he's done I'm going to take it."
Petitbon wasn't nearly as enthused about the job he or his team did Sunday in improving its record to 3-9, the same as a Bucs team doomed to an 11th straight losing season.
"There were a lot of areas where we didn't play well, but overall, we played well enough to win," Petitbon said. "We do know how to do one thing well - keep games close. We've put the thrill back in the onside kick."
Petitbon could chuckle because linebacker Andre Collins fell on kicker Michael Husted's onside attempt with 1 minute, 36 seconds to play, preserving the Redskins' six-point edge and igniting a surreal, Super Bowl-like celebration among the self-proclaimed "Redskins Fan Club of Southwest Florida."
"Hey, it's nice," Petitbon said, as fans outside the locker room chanted his name. "But it's too bad this win didn't come up about two months ago."
Washington won despite the disintegration of the team's once-vaunted passing attack.
Name the last time a team gained 71 yards passing and went home happy? Perhaps never in Redskins history.
The two worst passing games listed in the team's media guide are a 31-yard effort against the 1954 Cleveland Browns and a minus-32 "effort" against the '52 Steelers.
The Steelers eeked out a 24-3 decision. The Browns weren't nearly as tested, winning, 62-3.
Then again, the Redskins rediscovered some elements they'd been lacking the past couple of months.
There was a dominant ground attack, personified by Brooks. Gaining steam in his campaign for NFC Rookie of the Year, Brooks rumbled for 128 yards - nearly 7 per carry.
On the last play of the first half, with the Redskins nursing a 7-0 lead, Chip Lohmiller drilled a 51-yard field goal into a stiff Tampa breeze to give Washington a much-needed emotional lift and set the stage for Brooks to turn in one of the game's two biggest plays.
Fifteen minutes and one play after Lohmiller's boot, Brooks swept right on the first snap of the second half. Suddenly, he improvised, cutting back against a defense stacked to defend the right side. The gamble paid off.
Brooks found an open lane to the end zone, 78 yards away. He outlegged former Redskins cornerback Martin Mayhew as Washington took a 17-0 lead 15 seconds into the third quarter. The possibility of a rout seemed real.
"It gave us a big boost," Brooks said of the play, "but the interception later by Kurt was the biggest play of the game."
It became so because the comatose Tampa Bay offense suddenly motored 69 yards to Husted's 31-yard field goal and a 17-3 deficit, then took advantage of a lucky break seconds later to draw closer.
Passing from the end zone on third-and-eight, Washington quarterback Rich Gannon's pass was tipped by Santana Dotson, the ball ricocheting straight into the air.
Bucs defensive end Ray Seals, blocked by tackle Ed Simmons, suddenly found the ball in his hands in the end zone. Simmons knocked Seals to the ground and the ball came loose, only to nestle in Seals' ample stomach for a Tampa Bay touchdown.
"You see that and you think, `Oh no, we're not going to give this away, are we?' " Petitbon said.
It didn't become more of a concern because after the Bucs converted a second-and-31 from their 10, Gouveia stepped in front of a Craig Erickson passes.
Gouveia took the ball 59 yards for a touchdown.
"We've had a bad taste in our mouth all season," said Redskins offensive lineman Raleigh McKenzie. "It feels good to finally spit it out."
Washington 73130-23 Tampa Bay 00107-17 First quarter
Wash-Gannon 1 run (Lohmiller kick), 10:38. Second quarter
Wash-FG Lohmiller 51, 15:00. Third quarter
Wash-Brooks 78 run (Lohmiller kick), :25.
TB-FG Husted 31, 6:53.
TB-Seals interception in end zone (Husted kick), 8:21.
Wash-Gouveia 59 interception return (kick failed), 13:17. Fourth quarter
TB-Hawkins 4 pass from Erickson (Husted kick), 13:24.
A-49,035. WashTB First downs 10 18 Rushes-yards 36-180 31-144 Passing 63 163 Punt returns 4-15 3-11 Kickoff returns 3-29 3-64 Interceptions ret. 3-69 1-8 Comp-att-int 9-16-115-34-3 Sacked-yards lost 1-8 0-0 Punts 6-43 5-42 Fumbles-lost 1-0 0-0 Penalties-yards 8-59 5-53 Time of possession 28:48 31:12
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING-Washington, Brooks 20-128, Gannon 7-17, Ervins 5-15, Mitchell 2-11, Byner 2-9. Tampa Bay, Cobb 15-59, Workman 8-45, Harris 4-21, Royster 2-10, Erickson 2-9.
PASSING-Washington, Gannon 9-16-1-71. Tampa Bay, Erickson 15-34-3-163.
RECEIVING-Washington, McGee 2-18, Byner 2-4, Brooks 1-17, Sanders 1-11, Howard 1-10, Monk 1-7, Middleton 1-4. Tampa Bay, Hawkins 8-112, Workman 2-19, Hall 2-13, Thomas 1-17, Copeland 1-8, Cobb 1-(-6).
MISSED FIELD-GOAL ATTEMPT-Washington, Lohmiller 49.
by CNB