O-line revels in redemption against nemesis Stephen F Holder, The St.Petersburg Times, published 11 December 2005 Forty-four yards. That's what the Bucs running game managed the last time the rivals met. That was all the Panthers defense allowed from what, at the time, was an inconsistent Tampa Bay rushing attack. Sunday was a new day. This time, rookie Cadillac Williams was back. This time, the offensive line showed up. This time, the Panthers were at a loss. Most impressive was the fashion in which the Bucs dominated in the trenches. "We thought the best thing was to go straight at them," said Williams, who rushed for 112 yards and two TDs. "So, if things clogged up, I really had a three-way go: left, right or up the middle." He found success in all three directions, running straight into team history. Williams tied the franchise record for 100-yard rushing games in a season with his fifth. The record is shared by Ricky Bell (1979), James Wilder (1984 and 1985) and Warrick Dunn (1997). But Sunday, it was all about Williams, only the second player to rush for more than 100 yards against Carolina this season. The other? Williams' former Auburn teammate Ronnie Brown of the Dolphins, who rushed for 132 in a 27-24 Panthers win in September. "I'm still looking for that young man to put us on his back and take us where we need to go," receiver Ike Hilliard said of Williams. "I tell him that all the time. He felt good (Sunday) and he let it show. He showed the whole world." In many ways, Williams is already carrying the team. Sunday, he rushed for 73 yards in the second half, churning up yardage, burning the clock and wearing down the physical Panthers defense. In the teams' first meeting, Williams, slowed by foot and hamstring injuries, managed 29 yards. But he had boatloads of help this time from his line, manhandled during a 34-14 loss in November. Chief among those wanting to show improvement: right tackle Kenyatta Walker, who was dominated by defensive end Julius Peppers. In that game, Peppers had five tackles and two sacks. Sunday, he managed just two tackles. "We got embarrassed," Walker said of the first meeting. "I did, this whole team did. This was a game of integrity and of manhood, and we had to go out there and play ball. It just feels good to be on the team that finally beat them. It was a respect thing. All I want is respect, and I think we got some. I have to tip my hat to those other four guys (on the line). ... This was something we had to do together. I'm still kind of shocked. This is one of the biggest games since the Super Bowl for me." Chris Simms was sacked once, a much-improved number from the first meeting when the Bucs allowed five. That allowed him to be comfortable in the pocket against a team renowned for its pass rush. Simms was 20-of-27 for 138 yards and did not throw an interception. "It felt like I got out of there pretty much unscathed," Simms said. Why? Largely because the offensive line matched the Panthers' intensity at the point of attack. "Man, it's just good to do it how we did it," Walker said, "to run it and show them that we're not to be pushed over anymore."