WP/AP:Davis's Late Touchdown Sends Redskins to 4-6

[TK]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48374-2003Nov16.html

Stephen Davis fumbles after getting hit by Washington's Ifeanyi Ohalete in the first quarter. (Rick Havner - AP)

Davis's Late Touchdown Sends Redskins to 4-6

By Jenna Fryer

Associated Press

Sunday, November 16, 2003; 4:26 PM

CHARLOTTE -- The Washington Redskins are the only team Stephen Davis desperately wanted to beat this season. With the game on the line, he delivered.

Davis scored on a 3-yard run with 1:09 remaining Sunday to lift the Carolina Panthers to a 20-17 victory over Washington, the team that phased him out of the offense last season before ultimately releasing him.

Trying to shake off a nagging ankle sprain that sidelined him last week, Davis did not have the "take-that, Steve Spurrier" game he wanted for the Panthers (8-2). He fumbled on his first carry, often found little room to run and spent long gaps of the game sitting alone on the Carolina bench with a towel over his head.

But after Patrick Ramsey put the Redskins (4-6) up 17-13 with 4:19 to play on a 10-yard pass to Patrick Johnson, Davis stepped up to show Washington just what they gave up.

With only enough time for one drive to try to win it, it was obvious the Panthers would go to Davis.

After his 2-yard gain set up a fourth-and-1 on the Carolina 38, everyone in Ericsson Stadium expected a handoff with the game on the line. Instead, Jake Delhomme tossed to Davis, who scampered 25 yards up the sideline.

After a 30-yard completion to Steve Smith moved the Panthers to the 7, it was all Davis. He broke a tackle at the line and used a huge second effort for a 6-yard gain, then took another handoff and barely scored before the ball was knocked out of his hands.

The officials reviewed the call before declaring it a score, and Davis went to the sideline to watch the Redskins make one final attempt.

But Ramsey threw four consecutive incompletions, and Davis, who had been standing all alone at the far end of the field, tossed his towel into the air and raced out to the 40-yard line to celebrate with the defense.

He finished with 92 yards rushing on 28 carries, compared to the 54 yards rushing the Redskins managed.

The Redskins played a terrible first half, with just 41 yards total offense and several failed scoring opportunities.

Davis fumbled on his first carry -- an 8-yard gain that gave him 1,000 yards for the season -- and the Redskins recovered on the Carolina 25. But Rock Cartwright, one of Davis' closest friends, fumbled in the end zone and the Panthers recovered.

On the next possession, Delhomme's pass bounced off Muhsin Muhammad's hands and was intercepted by Fred Smoot, who returned it 46 yards. But the Redskins came up empty again when John Hall's 46-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left.

The Panthers saw a near replay of that sequence in the second quarter. Smith failed to hang on to Delhomme's pass and Matt Bowen intercepted for the third Carolina turnover of the half. Washington finally capitalized when Hall kicked a 23-yarder to tie it 3-3.

Delhomme finished 20-for-30 with 317 yards with two interceptions and scored on a 1-yard touchdown run. Muhammad had nine catches for 189 yards.

© 2003 The Associated Press

[ljer]

Davis fumbled on his first carry

...and his last

[bubba9497]

Trying to shake off a nagging ankle sprain that sidelined him last week, Davis did not have the "take-that, Steve Spurrier" game he wanted for the Panthers (8-2).

Oh Please

I know for a fact if he was charged with a fumble instead of the BS call of a TD, you would have seen him limping. enough with the "boo hoo poor Stephen Davis" crap already.