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October 6, 2003
Panthers beat Saints to stay undefeated
Davis gets fourth straight 100-yard rushing game
By Joe Menzer | JOURNAL REPORTER
Stephen Davis was already in the Carolina Panthers' locker room, but he knew that there was still work left to do.
So after team trainers pumped fluids into his body, Davis returned to field to finish the job. The Panthers needed one more first down to run out the clock to secure a 19-13 victory over the New Orleans Saints before 64,581 fans, and Davis was determined to get it.
Quarterback Jake Delhomme made sure that Davis knew the game plan on that final series.
'I told him to get ready. We were feeding him,' Delhomme said.
The Saints knew what was coming, too. But they soon found themselves helpless.
On first-and-10, the Panthers called 'Power 36,' a running play designed to have Davis take the handoff and run behind a hole created by left guard Jeno James. Davis gained five yards.
On second-and-5, the Panthers called 'Power 36' again, and Davis changed directions only slightly to gain another two yards.
On third-and-3, the Panthers called 'Power 36' one more time, and Davis charged behind James for 4 yards and the first down that enabled Delhomme to run out the clock.
Game over.
'I was cramping up a little bit, so it was a tough 10 yards,' said Davis, who gained 159 yards on 30 carries. 'That's a dagger in their heart, when they know you're going to run the ball and all you need is one first down to run out the clock. And then you do it to them anyway.'
Yesterday was the fourth consecutive 100-yard rushing game by Davis since he was signed as a free agent in the off-season. And that, more than anything else, seems to be why the Panthers are 4-0 for the first time in their nine-year history.
Getting to 4-0 wasn't easy against the Saints, who came into the game wounded but determined to avoid a 1-4 record. Four defensive starters for New Orleans were out with injuries, but Coach John Fox of the Panthers warned his team not to take their opponent lightly.
'When you're in this league for a long time, you understand that all the games are 60-minute street fights,' Fox said. 'You better be ready to play. That football team we just played was more injured on defense than on offense. Their offense was still very potent and capable. We anticipated a dogfight and that is what we got.'
Fox also anticipated giving the ball to Davis - early and often. About the only time that Davis got a break from carrying the football was when he had to visit the locker room early in the fourth quarter to take fluids.
Partly because Davis fumbled away a scoring opportunity at the New Orleans 6-yard line in the first half, the outcome was uncertain until the final first down. It was also in doubt when the Panthers took the ball over on their own 36-yard line following a 40-yard kickoff return by Rod Smart to open the second half. The score was 10-3 in favor of the Panthers, with their only touchdown coming on a 100-yard kickoff return by Smart early in the second quarter.
Davis, who had been held to 28 yards on his first 11 carries, opened the third quarter with a furious burst of runs. He ran behind James for 14 yards -- he ran off left tackle Todd Steussie for another 14 -- he pounded it behind James for 12 to get down to the New Orleans 1-yard line. Then he ran it in behind the blocking of center Jeff Mitchell and right guard Kevin Donnalley, scoring what would be the Panthers' only offensive touchdown for a 16-3 lead with 10:51 remaining in the third quarter.
The extra-point attempt went awry when the snap from Jason Kyle squirted through the hands of holder Todd Sauerbrun. Davis ran six times for 48 yards in the eight-play, 64-yard drive that put the Panthers ahead 16-3.
The Saints pulled to 16-10 on a 21-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Brooks to wide receiver Joe Horn with 5:52 left in the third quarter, and then the teams traded fourth-quarter field goals. But there never was a sense that the Panthers weren't in control, even though it wasn't until the Saints botched an onside kick and Davis ran out the clock that the Carolina victory was made official.
Steussie said that at times he had flashbacks to the final season played under Coach George Seifert in 2001. That version of the Panthers ran the West Coast offense, featuring the pass - and finished 1-15. Seifert was fired after that season and was replaced by Fox, who has built a winning team around a run-oriented offense and solid, aggressive play on special teams and defense.
'I'm not trying to make a negative comment, but we knew it wasn't Coach Seifert back there making the calls for us on offense. It was Coach Fox and Coach (Dan) Henning (the offensive coordinator). We knew we were going to stick with the run,' Steussie said. 'Obviously it's worked so well for us. Why walk away from it? We don't really have any other identity, other than running the football.'
Davis set an obscure league record by rushing for more yards in his first four games with a new team than any other running back. Told of this, Davis arched his eyebrows and said, 'Wow. That's a weird record. Who thought of that?'
Here's another record to consider. With a 565 yards rushing after four games, Davis is on pace to surpass Eric Dickerson's all-time single-season record of 2,105 yards, set in 1984 when Dickerson played for the Los Angeles Rams.
The league's other teams know what is coming. It will be up to them to stop it.
• Joe Menzer can be reached at jmenzer@wsjournal.com