Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.sports From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Buccaneers start fast, hang on to beat Bears Date: Mon, 16 Nov 92 17:03:26 EST Message-ID: \SE C;SPORTS;PRO FOOTBALL \SS (WS) \HD Buccaneers start fast, hang on to beat Bears \BY ASSOCIATED PRESS \DT TAMPA, Fla. TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Mike Ditka was at a loss for words. Well, not entirely. "There's not much I can say. We played well enough to lose," the Chicago coach said yesterday after Kevin Butler missed a 44-yard field goal with one second left and the Bears fell to Tampa Bay 20-17. "It comes down to making the plays, and we didn't make them," Ditka added. "I'm not blaming the kicker." The Buccaneers (4-6) found the cure for a five-game losing streak in Vinny Testaverde's latest fresh start and a porous Bears defense that tried to fill holes with three new starters. Linebacker Ron Cox, cornerback Richard Fain and safety David Tate weren't the answers in the first half, though, as Testaverde produced points on the Bucs' first three possessions and also threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Ron Hall for a 20-0 halftime lead. Neal Anderson came off the bench to score two fourth-quarter touchdowns, but Chicago (4-6) was unable to avoid its first three-game losing streak since 1989. "It's tough on any team to be down and come back and not make it. I know [Ditka's] not feeling too good right now," said Bucs coach Sam Wyche. "We made some mistakes, but right now I don't want to take away from the celebration. It was a big win for us. We were 3-6, and now we're tied with the Bears and have moved up from the [NFC Central] cellar to tied for second place in the division." Testaverde, back in the lineup after being benched for two weeks, had five completions of 20 yards or more in the first half when the Bucs outgained the Bears 235 yards to 55 and scored on Reggie Cobb's one-yard run and Eddie Murray field goals of 31 and 40 yards. The Bears finally broke through on Butler's 27-yard field goal in the third quarter, then made it interesting when Anderson scored on a one-yard, fourth-quarter run and an 11-yard pass from Jim Harbaugh with 3:35 to go. Chicago forced a punt with 1:37 remaining and drove into Bucs' territory before Butler's game-tying field goal attempt sailed wide left. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM