Bucs quarter by quarter

A quick look at the game.

By LAWRENCE HOLLYFIELD
Published October 31, 2005

FIRST QUARTER

FROM THE FANS - THANK YOU: Games get so very droll when officials take too prominent a role. It was nice to see the men in stripes not throw senseless flags on some early pushing and shoving after plays.

SLIPPERY: Cornerback Brian Kelly's slip let the 49ers get an early completion. Later in the half, the Bucs' Mark Jones lost traction on his punt return at about the same spot.

ONE-HOPPER: Chris Simms' first pass, intended for receiver Joey Galloway, bounced well short of the target.

DAD MADE BIG PLAYS THERE, TOO: Linebacker Ryan Nece, son of 49ers Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, helped scuttle the 49ers' second drive with a tackle for a 7-yard loss.

GETTING COMFY: Simms, seemingly jittery during the first two drives, started to play with some verve on the third, and he completed three passes to receivers.

BLITZ SWITCH: The 49ers, who didn't blitz on the Bucs' first third and long, let loose the hounds on their second and sacked Simms for a loss of 9.

YIKES!: Anyone else think Chris Simms' pass off his back foot was going to be returned for a touchdown by Tony Parrish?

TRUCK LICENSE PLATE - NO. 20: Ronde Barber drilled tight end Trent Smith, forcing him to drop a potential first-down pass.

FANTASTIC: Joey Galloway showed great concentration, hands, awareness and balance to pull in a tipped pass for a 19-yard sideline reception.

THE OTHER ALEX SMITH: The San Francisco quarterback did not play. The Tampa Bay tight end did and made a slick catch-and-run for a 24-yard gain.

DEMON EXORCISED: Matt Bryant, an ex-Giant who didn't get a chance to try a last-second winning kick in the 2002 playoffs thanks to a bad snap in San Francisco, drilled one from 47 yards for Tampa Bay's first points.

EMBARRASSING: With San Francisco poised to run out the clock, the Bucs allowed a 30-yard kickoff return by Maurice Hicks and 29-yard run by Kevan Barlow. That set up a field goal and was the last bit of proof needed to show the Bucs' heads were not in the game.

SEND HIM TO HAWAII: Tampa Bay's ineffective offensive line helped Isaac Sopoaga look like a future Pro Bowl player.

ADRENALINE RUSH?: Josh Bidwell boomed a 55-yard punt after he leaped to keep the snap from sailing over his head.

ONE-DIMENSIONAL: Tampa Bay's running game was useless, whether Cadillac Williams or Michael Pittman was in the backfield.

IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED: San Francisco's Ben Emanuel nearly had an interception, juggling a Chris Simms pass before losing control as he landed.

TRY, TRY AGAIN: Two plays later, Shawntae Spencer jumped in front of Michael Clayton and did pick off Simms. It set up a 41-yard Joe Nedney field goal.

WHAT ARE THE ODDS?: The game featured a left-handed quarterback (Simms) and left-footed kicker (Nedney).

DOESN'T MATTER: Simms seemed to be pleading that his second interception wasn't his fault because he was hit as he threw. The pass also caromed off an official. Still, an interception is an interception.

PROMISE UNREALIZED: A nice Tampa Bay drive that bridged the third and fourth quarters unraveled when Chris Simms was sacked for an 8-yard loss. Two plays later, Matt Bryant's 52-yard field goal was straight but short, leaving it a two-score game.

BING-BANG-BOOM: San Francisco quarterback Ken Dorsey limped off the field after completing a third-down pass. San Francisco punted. Joey Galloway turned a 3-yard pass into a 78-yard TD.

RUN, JOEY, RUN: Has there ever been a faster player in Buccaneer colors?

YOU KNEW THEY'D RUN: San Francisco, leading by two, wanted to run out the clock. Plus, third-string quarterback Cody Pickett entered the game with 10 career attempts and an 18.8 rating.

CO-DY! CO-DY! Pickett completed a 10-yard pass on third and 8 and ran 8 yards for another first down, eliciting chants from the crowd.

EMBARRASSING II: San Francisco allowed 52 points last week to a mediocre Washington offense, and the 49ers had not allowed fewer than 25 all season.

THUD: Simms' third turnover, a fumble as he was hit from behind, effectively ended the game.

[Last modified October 31, 2005, 08:41:14]