Cards' late lightning shocks Bucs Michelle Kaufman, The St.Petersburg Times, published 1988 The Tampa Bay Buccaneers looked around Tampa Stadium with five minutes left to play in Sunday's game against the Phoenix Cardinals and noticed two rarities. a. A Bucs' lead on the scoreboard. b. Fans staying put - even though there were only 35,000 of them. It didn't matter to the Bucs. They were leading 24-23 after crawling out of a 20-3 halftime hole, and thrilled to be giving the most loyal of fans something to applaud. Less than two minutes later, the Bucs' chins were drooping and the crowd was back to its jeering ways. A 42-yard touchdown pass from Cliff Stoudt to tight end Jay Novacek put Phoenix on top 30-24, where the Cardinals stayed until the end of the game. The pass capped a six-play, 65-yard drive through a crumbling, bumbling Tampa Bay defense. “We were thinking one, two, three, Gatorade,” said Bucs defensive end Ron Holmes, “but it didn't happen. They got the plays when they had to.” The Cardinals managed to do that all day. On seven third-down situations, the Bucs' defense surrendered gains of 22, 20, 18, 24 and 26 yards and twice was guilty of pass interference. The Bucs had a chance to move the ball on their final drive but gained only four yards on three tries - a short completion, a sack and a failed pass. They then opted for a punt on fourth-and-12 from their own 28 with 1:55 left. “I wanted to go for it,” said quarterback Vinny Testaverde, who completed 16 of 28 passes (57 percent) for 211 yards and one touchdown, but had two interceptions. “I wanted it to be in my hands, but it's the coach's call, and you can't argue with that.” Coach Ray Perkins said he thought there was more of a chance to get the ball back by stopping the Cardinals than taking a chance with an offensive play. The Bucs never got another shot. The Cardinals picked up two first downs on three running plays, then Stoudt fell on the ball twice as the final seconds ticked away. Stoudt played the second half in place of starter Neil Lomax, who had completed 77 percent of his passes (10-of-13 for 148 yards) before a nagging hip injury forced him to the sideline. Neither Phoenix quarterback had trouble reaching his receivers. J. T. Smith gained 103 yards on six catches, and Novacek added 102 yards on five receptions. Running back Stump Mitchell rushed 18 times for 110 yards. The Cardinals' offensive line had it just as easy. “It's really a help when you don't have to worry about blitzes and stunts,” Pro Bowl tackle Luis Sharpe said of the Bucs' defense. Even Holmes, who recorded Tampa's first sack this season after 81 pass plays, admitted the Bucs gave Stoudt time to “read the daily paper” and “play catch with himself.” It was the fifth time in a row the Cardinals (1-2) beat the Bucs (1-2). The fact that the Bucs almost won didn't matter in the end. “A loss is a loss, no matter how close it is,” said center Randy Grimes. “A week from now, it's just another `L.' It hurts just the same.” Most players said the close loss hurt more than the 41-14 blowout by Philadelphia two weeks ago. “When it's 41-14, you know the game's over and there's nothing you can do,” said Testaverde. “When you know all you need is a play or two, and you don't get them, that hurts.” Linebacker Chris Washington said, “I'd rather get blown out than lose like this.” Perkins had mixed emotions after the game. “I'm proud of the way we fought back, but we were not strong enough to stay there when we had to,” said Perkins. “It's very disappointing and very frustrating, but I don't think they (the Bucs) can be ashamed of themselves. I did see some improvement, and in the future we're going to be a hell of a football team.” The Bucs had taken the lead on an unusual 47-yard run by rookie Lars Tate with 10:55 remaining. Tate took the ball on third-and-1 intending only to get a first down. He dove into the pile, somersaulted over somebody's back, landed on his feet and kept going. “It was so weird,” said Tate. “I didn't hear a whistle or feel any hits, so I kept jogging and looking back. Next thing I knew, people on the sideline were yelling `Go, go,' so I figured the play was still alive and I took off.” The replay officials reviewed the run and confirmed that Tate was never knocked to the ground. Tampa Bay got within reach at 23-17 a minute into the fourth quarter on a 5-yard run by James Wilder. The eight-year veteran finished the day with 52 yards rushing on 14 carries and 55 yards receiving on five catches. The Wilder touchdown was set up by a 32-yard Testaverde-to-Bruce Hill pass play. The pass was actually about 10 yards, but Hill broke away from safety Lonnie Young's grasp and put the Bucs in striking distance. Hill's other big catch of the day was a 23-yarder that made it 20-10 shortly after intermission. Several of the Bucs said Perkins' speech at halftime inspired them to play harder. “He challenged us to come forward and show what we could do,” said Tate. “He said anyone who didn't want to play should stay in the locker room. That made us feel pretty bad, so we all were fired up to do better.” Tampa Bay didn't even score when it started a drive from the Phoenix 48, after a 42-yard kickoff return by Donnie Elder. Testaverde threw an interception on third-and-24 from the Cardinals' 38. “We've got to play way better in the first half,” said Tate. “Everyone sits around waiting for someone else to step forward and make a big play. We showed we can play in the second half; we need to do it earlier.” The Cardinals scored on Al Del Greco field goals of 47, 37, and 24 yards, a 6-yard Mitchell run, an Earl Ferrell 1-yard run, and the 42-yard Novacek reception. Tampa Bay's only first-half points were courtesy of a 35-yard field goal by Donald Igwebuike. The highlight of that drive was Wilder's 25-yard one-handed catch that put the Bucs at the Phoenix 34. “I feel bad for the fans,” said guard Rick Mallory. “They were having so much fun, but what can we do? We just have to bounce back and start all over again.”