Final
Hill's bizarre late TD leads Giants over Panthers
Aug 18, 2009 - 4:24 AM By TOM CANAVAN AP Sports WriterEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.(AP) -- Tom Coughlin and John Fox met at midfield and shared a laugh.
What else could the two coaches do after seeing the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers preseason game end on a bizarre play as the clock ran out.
Defensive end Tommie Hill scored on a stunning 18-yard fumble return on the final play from scrimmage and the Giants scored a 24-17 victory over the Panthers on Monday night.
"Kind of an interesting ending," said Fox, who was still smiling even though his team lost.
Stunning. Shocking. Unexpected. Pick a word. They all would fit.
Fourth-string quarterback Hunter Cantwell had tied the game with 57 seconds to play, taking Carolina on an 88-yard drive. He ran for 21 yards and passed for 67 on the five-play drive that ended with a 31-yard scoring pass to Jason Chery and a 2-point conversion pass to Andrew Davie.
The Giants had a three-and-out series and Jeff Feagles punted 56 yards to the Carolina 18 with 10 seconds to play.
Instead of taking a knee, Cantwell went back to pass on the next play and his arm was hit by Leger Douzable. The ball went in the air and Hill grabbed it and scurried into the left corner of the end zone for a shocking ending.
"I've never seen a game end like that, not that way," Hill said.
It was the first touchdown for free agent rookie from Colorado State since high school and he kept the ball.
"I'm just a rookie trying to make the team," Hill added. "Anything like that that helps the team win in turn helps me. It was just a fortunate situation and I made the most of it."
The same holds true for Douzable, a second-year pro trying to earn a spot on a very talented line.
"Everybody figured on defense they would take a knee," Douzable said. "When they snapped it, I put a move on the guard. I saw the quarterback with the ball in his hand and I got it."
And the Giants and Panthers ended up avoiding overtime.
"Both sides have a lot of work, but we have time. We have three weeks to do it," Fox said.
The Giants had led almost the entire game, scoring on a 19-yard run by Ahmad Bradshaw, a 36-yard screen pass from David Carr to halfback Danny Ware and a 46-yard field goal by Lawrence Tynes.
New York also forced five turnovers, with the last one deciding the game.
Linebacker James Anderson's punt block led to a Carolina safety in the first half and halfback Mike Goodson scored on a 14-yard run in the third quarter for Carolina's other scores.
Eli Manning, who signed a $97 million contract extension last week, played only two series for New York in trying to find a deep threat to replace the troubled Plaxico Burress, who was released in April in the wake of his self-inflicted gunshot wound.
While none of the receivers stood out, Manning had to be happy with his offensive line and running game. Brandon Jacobs had a 13-yard catch and run and rambled 22 yards on a 77-yard scoring drive that featured an 18-yard Manning pass to Domenik Hixon and the touchdown run by Bradshaw, who is replacing Derrick Ward, the 1,000 rusher who signed with Tampa Bay.
"We ran the ball really well, hit a couple passes and we got a touchdown," said Manning, who was 2 of 3 for 31 yards playing behind an offense line that was without starting guards Chris Snee and Rich Seubert. "That is always the goal. We did a nice job with it, so I thought we were effective as the first group."
James Anderson came clean on his punt block and got Carolina on the scoreboard with a safety midway through the second quarter. Feagles had to bat the ball out of the end zone to prevent a Panthers' touchdown.
The defense and Carr combined for New York's second touchdown late in the second quarter. Maurice Evans sacked Josh McCown and rookie DeAndre Wright recovered at the Panthers 36.
On third-and-10, New York had a perfect call against a Panthers' blitz and Ware was almost untouched scoring on a 36-yard screen pass.
Panthers safety Quinton Teal intercepted an Andre Woodson pass early in the third quarter and returned the ball 21 yards to the Giants 30. Goodson ran 16 yards with a pitch on the first down and then cut back left on the second play for the touchdown, although he was flagged for a taunting penalty for making a throat slash gesture after the run.
Tynes, who missed a 43-yard field goal earlier in the game that matched two teams that disappointed in the playoffs last season, seemed to give New York breathing room with his 46-yarder in the fourth quarter.
However, Cantwell tied the game with less than a minute to play and then coughed up the ball to go from hero to goat.
The game marked the return of two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora to the Giants' lineup after missing last season with a knee injury. He delighted the crowd with a first-quarter sack.
Jake Delhomme, who threw five interceptions in the playoff loss to Arizona, was 5 for 9 for 38 yards in an average performance over three series.
- NFL
FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
CAROLINA 0 2 7 8 17
NY GIANTS 7 7 0 3 17 FINAL
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST QUARTER: NYG - TD, AHMAD BRADSHAW 19 YD RUN (LAWRENCE
TYNES KICK), 10:10. Drive: 6 plays, 77 yards in
3:36. NY GIANTS 7-0
2ND QUARTER: CAR - SAFETY, JEFF FEAGLES TACKLED BY JAMES
ANDERSON IN END ZONE,
Aug 17 11:12 PM - NFL
TD CAR
JUSTIN GEISINGER 0 YD FUMBLE RETURN
(JOHN KASAY KICK)
CAROLINA 24
NY GIANTS 17 0:00 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Panthers 24, Giants 17 End of Reg.Aug 17 11:11 PM - NFL
TD CAR
J CHERY 31 YD PASS FROM H CANTWELL
(H CANTWELL PASS TO A DAVIE FOR TWO-POINT CONVERSION)
CAROLINA 17
NY GIANTS 17 0:57 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Panthers 17, Giants 17 4th - 0:57Aug 17 11:02 PM - NFL
FG NYG
LAWRENCE TYNES 46 YD
CAROLINA 9
NY GIANTS 17 10:33 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Panthers 9, Giants 17 4th - 10:33Aug 17 10:35 PM - NFL
CAROLINA 9
NY GIANTS 14 15:00 LEFT, 4TH QTR
CAR BALL ON NYG 45 YD LINE
2ND AND 8
Panthers 9, Giants 14 4th - 15:00Aug 17 10:26 PM - NFL
END, 3RD QTR 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
CAROLINA 0 2 7 9
NY GIANTS 7 7 0 14 END, 3RD QTR
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST QUARTER: NYG - TD, AHMAD BRADSHAW 19 YD RUN (LAWRENCE
TYNES KICK), 10:10. Drive: 6 plays, 77 yards in
3:36. NY GIANTS 7-0
2ND QUARTER: CAR - SAFETY, JEFF FEAGLES TACKLED BY JAMES
ANDERSON IN END
Panthers 2, Giants 14 End of 3rdAug 17 10:26 PM - NFL
TD CAR
MIKE GOODSON 14 YD RUN
(JOHN KASAY KICK)
CAROLINA 9
NY GIANTS 14 11:41 LEFT, 3RD QTR
Panthers 9, Giants 14 3rd - 11:41Aug 17 9:53 PM - NFL
CAROLINA 2
NY GIANTS 14 15:00 LEFT, 3RD QTR
NYG BALL ON NYG 20 YD LINE
1ST AND 10
Panthers 2, Giants 14 3rd - 15:00Aug 17 9:46 PM - NFL
HALFTIME 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
CAROLINA 0 2 2
NY GIANTS 7 7 14 HALFTIME
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST QUARTER: NYG - TD, AHMAD BRADSHAW 19 YD RUN (LAWRENCE
TYNES KICK), 10:10. Drive: 6 plays, 77 yards in
3:36. NY GIANTS 7-0
2ND QUARTER: CAR - SAFETY, JEFF FEAGLES TACKLED BY JAMES
ANDERSON IN END ZON
Panthers 0, Giants 7 HalfAug 17 9:46 PM - NFL
TD NYG
DANNY WARE 36 YD PASS FROM DAVID CARR
(LAWRENCE TYNES KICK)
CAROLINA 2
NY GIANTS 14 0:37 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Panthers 2, Giants 14 2nd - 0:37Aug 17 9:27 PM - NFL
SAFETY CAR
JEFF FEAGLES TACKLED BY JAMES ANDERSON IN END ZONE
CAROLINA 2
NY GIANTS 7 2:43 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Panthers 2, Giants 7 2nd - 2:43Aug 17 9:15 PM - NFL
CAROLINA 0
NY GIANTS 7 15:00 LEFT, 2ND QTR
NYG BALL ON NYG 23 YD LINE
1ST AND 10
Panthers 0, Giants 7 2nd - 15:00Aug 17 8:44 PM - NFL
END, 1ST QTR 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
CAROLINA 0 0
NY GIANTS 7 7 END, 1ST QTR
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST QUARTER: NYG - TD, AHMAD BRADSHAW 19 YD RUN (LAWRENCE
TYNES KICK), 10:10. Drive: 6 plays, 77 yards in
3:36. NY GIANTS 7-0
Panthers 0, Giants 0 End of 1stAug 17 8:44 PM - NFL
TD NYG
AHMAD BRADSHAW 19 YD RUN
(LAWRENCE TYNES KICK)
CAROLINA 0
NY GIANTS 7 4:50 LEFT, 1ST QTR
Panthers 0, Giants 7 1st - 4:50Aug 17 8:27 PM
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