Buccaneers vs. Cleveland Browns

LOSS - Tampa Bay Buccaneers 07 Cleveland Browns 24

Strong first-half play left the Buccaneers tied 7–7 with the Cleveland Browns at halftime, but they failed to maintain the intensity for the second half of the game.

A screen pass from Steve Spurrier to Essex Johnson caught the blitzing Cleveland linebackers out of position for a 13-yard touchdown. The solid blocking of the first half gave way to the Cleveland rush in the second half, and Spurrier was replaced with Parnell Dickinson in the fourth quarter.

Dickinson wound up leaving the game with a season-ending knee injury on a play in which he threw an interception to Terry Brown.

Two Browns players were ejected for fighting, in a game in which several Buccaneers complained of cheap shots being taken. Dave Pear said, “If I had a gun, I would have shot them both in the head”, of two Cleveland players who tried to take out his knees.

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GAMEDAY BRIEF

OFFICALS

• REFEREE: Jim Tunney
• UMPIRE: Pat Harder
• LINE JUDGE: Bob McElwee
• HEAD LINESMAN: Burl Toler
• BACK JUDGE: Pat Knight
• FIELD JUDGE: Charley Musser

SCORING

• BROWNS: 02:17-1Q Miller 2 run (Cockroft kick)
• BUCCANEERS: 00:51-2Q Johnson 12 pass from Spurrier (Green kick)
• BROWNS: 06:34-3Q Warfield 15 pass from Sipe (Cockroft kick)
• BROWNS: 14:22-4Q Jones recovered fumble in endzone (Cockroft kick)
• BROWNS: 08:56-4Q Cockroft FG32

STARTERS OFFENSE

• WR: #89 J. McKay
• LT: #71 S. Young
• LG: #72 H. Fest
• C: #51 D. Ryczek
• RG: #79 S. Wilson
• RT: #74 M. Current
• TE: #86 B. Moore
• WR: #85 M. Owens
• QB: #11 S. Spurrier
• RB: #43 E. Williams
• RB: #32 L. Carter

STARTERS DEFENSE

• LE: #78 C. Rudolph
• LT: #76 D. Pear
• RT: #61 D. Selmon
• RE: #66 P. Toomay
• LLB: #30 J. Gunn
• MLB: #52 S. Reese
• RLB: #54 R. Wood
• LCB: #25 C. Jordan
• RCB: #46 D. Reece
• LS: #33 M. Cotney
• RS: #28 K. Stone

SUBSTITUTIONS

• 4 Green, 19 Johnson, 20 Pierson, 22 McNeill, 27 Davis, 35 DuBose, 44 Moore, 53 Ball, 56 Cooper, 59 Lemon, 64 Robinson, 65 Moore, 67 Alward, 70 Young, 77 Little, 80 Novak, 82 Pagac, 84 Douglas, 88 Smith

DID NOT PLAY

• 18 Dickinson, 24 Word

INACTIVE

• 5 Hanratty, 26 Davis, 40 Washington

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING

• BUCCANEERS: Williams 11-39, McNeill 4-37, Carter 12-25, Spurrier 1-1.
• BROWNS: Miller 14-49, G.Pruitt 10-44, Poole 13-38, Sipe 1-10, M.Pruitt 2-4, Duncan 1-4.

PASSING

• BUCCANEERS: Spurrier 28-15-135-0-1, Dickinson 3-2-29-1-0, Davis 1-1-(-7)-0-0.
• BROWNS: Sipe 18-10-131-0-1, Phipps 5-2-11-0-0.

RECIEVING

• BUCCANEERS: B.Moore 5-56, Owens 4-50, Johnson 4-31, Carter 2-7, McKay 1-11, Williams 1-9, Novak 1-(-7).
• BROWNS: Warfield 4-79, Rucker 3-25, Logan 1-18, Miller 1-15, Poole 1-4, Duncan 1-4, G.Pruitt 1-(-3).

INTERCEPTIONS

• BUCCANEERS: none.
• BROWNS: Brown 1-24.

KICK RETURNS

• BUCCANEERS: Carter 3-69, McNeil 1-30.
• BROWNS: Feacher 1-21, Holden 1-17.

PUNT RETURNS

• BUCCANEERS: Reece 2-22, Stone 1-11.
• BROWNS: Holden 4-38.

SACKS

• BUCCANEERS: Pear 1-9.
• BROWNS: Jones 1-6, Sherk 1-10, Team 1-16.

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