Tampa Bay Buccaneers Stop Panthers on 4th-and-Goal, Preserve 20-7 Win

With under four minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Panthers had the ball on the Buccaneer one-yard-line facing fourth down.

The Buccaneer defense held strong, stopping Jonathan Stewart for a one-yard loss, forcing a turnover on downs, preserving a 20-7 Buccaneer win. The defense tormented quarterback Matt Moore, inducing an interception and forcing a fumble in the second half, which the Buccaneers recovered. Moore was 6-of-16 for 128 yards with a touchdown.

He was benched in the fourth quarter after losing the fumble.

In relief, rookie Jimmy Clausen completed as many passes as Moore, six, on 12 attempts in less than a quarter of work. He failed to throw a touchdown and tossed in interception late in the fourth quarter.

The Buccaneers defense totaled three interceptions and four sacks, three by defensive ends Tim Crowder and Stylez G. White.

After a strong first half running the ball, the Panthers slowed down in the second half, mustering just 3.6 yards per carry for the game, never reaching the end zone. The Panthers' lone touchdown came on a Matt Moore pass to Steve Smith in the second quarter.

Perhaps the biggest story from this game is the play of second-year quarterback Josh Freeman. The former first-round pick was 12-of-24 for 178 yards and two touchdowns, with a 102.4 quarterback rating.

Poised throughout, he kept the ball after tossing five interceptions at Carolina in 2009. Mike Williams and Earnest Graham were the recipients of Freeman's touchdown throws, both in the first half.

Two, second-half Connor Barth field goals gave the Buccaneers a 20-7 lead that they would maintain for the rest of the game. The Buccaneers start the season 2-0 for the first time since 2005.

Meanwhile, the Panthers face a lot of questions heading into Week 3. A quarterback controversy is brewing, more the result of Moore's ineffectiveness than of Clausen's promise. While the Buccaneers improve to 2-0 and first place in the NFC South, the Panthers fall into the division basement, alone at 0-2.

The Panthers host the Bengals next Sunday at 1 p.m. EDT, while the Buccaneers look to start 3-0 as they host the Ben Roethlisberger-less Steelers at 1 p.m. EDT.

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