Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, October 16, 1995 TAG: 9510170116
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ED HARDIN LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: CLEMSON, S. C. LENGTH: Medium
The wait is over. The Panthers have won.
The Carolina Panthers ended their NFL initiation at 7:17 p.m. Sunday with a 26-15 victory over the New York Jets at Clemson's Memorial Stadium.
The Panthers' victory came two weeks after fellow expansion team Jacksonville recorded its first victory. But it came earlier than all but one other expansion team in NFL history - the 1961 Minnesota Vikings, who won their first game.
The offensive line lit cigars. Owner Jerry Richardson growled like a panther in the locker room. And Tim McKyer, ever the critic, dared his team to win again.
Carolina gets that chance Oct.22, when New Orleans comes to Death Valley.
``We're a different team now,'' McKyer said.
They looked like the same old Panthers early in the game, but a series of bizarre events left Carolina holding a 13-12 lead at halftime. The Jets looked like an expansion team the rest of the way. A meaningless fourth-quarter field goal was the only second-half score for New York.
Carolina held the Jets to 138 yards with a devastating defensive showing that left New York with 25 yards on the ground. The Jets picked up seven first downs. Quarterback Bubby Brister completed only 17 of 41 passes.
``Losing the way we did is discouraging,'' said Rich Kotite, New York's coach. ``It's a downer for the whole football team.''
Particularly for Johnny Mitchell, the team's tight end, who guaranteed a victory. Mitchell spent much of the day avoiding Panthers flying at him. Mitchell caught one pass.
The Panthers spent much of the first quarter looking for Mitchell instead of watching the rest of the Jets. As a result, Carolina found itself in a 12-3 hole with less than a minute to play in the first half.
``We weren't really playing well,'' said running back Derrick Moore. ``I heard it described as `ugly.' I guess it might have been.''
It would get uglier.
The Panthers led 3-2 at one point after quarterback Kerry Collins was sacked in the end zone for a New York safety. And then it was 5-3 after Jets kicker Nick Lowery nailed a 50-yard field goal.
A 15-yard interception return by New York's Mo Lewis gave the Jets a 12-3 lead with 3:17 left in the half. Five games into the season, all losses, the Panthers were playing worse than they had played all year.
``We kept our poise,'' said coach Dom Capers. ``It wasn't pretty at times.''
New York gave up 10 points in a 41-second span of the second quarter and did not recover. John Kasay's 39-yard field goal with 54 seconds left in the first half cut the Jets' lead to six points.
Then, Sam Mills came up with the play of the year for Carolina. Mills blitzed into the Jets' backfield and ran into a Brister shovel pass at the 36-yard line. The underhand pass from the New York quarterback was intended for running back Adrian Murrell, but Mills came out of the sun and stole the pass.
Then, he started looking around for help, or blockers or tacklers. Nobody came. Mills weaved his way into the end zone for a touchdown that broke the Jets' spirit and defined the bizarre victory.
Collins moved the Panthers on three scoring drives in the second half and finished with 158 yards passing. Moore ran for 93, and Vince Workman rushed for Carolina's only offensive touchdown.
see microfilm for box score
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB