Published: Monday, Oct. 19, 2009 / Updated: Monday, Oct. 19, 2009 01:00 AM

Panthers go back to basics

Carolina returns to winning formula with 267 rush yards

TAMPA, Fla. -- The only thing simpler than the Carolina Panthers' relief Sunday was the way in which they earned it.

The Panthers did nothing but run Sunday, primarily because that was all they had to do for a 28-21 win over Tampa Bay. They racked up 267 yards on the ground, the second-highest total in franchise history. It was behind only the 299 yards they hung on the Buccaneers last December in Charlotte, the game that sparked the Bucs' current 10-game regular-season losing streak.

They did so with the complexity of a grade-school primer.

See DeAngelo Williams run. Run, DeAngelo run.

See Jonathan Stewart run. Run, Jonathan, run.

“They were giving us a lot of room up the field,” Stewart said. “A couple of runs it felt like it was in practice. That's how much we emphasized the running game this week.”

They needed to, since the calling card of this team was largely blank entering Week 6.

The Panthers walked into Raymond James Stadium ranked 23rd in the league in rushing, averaging 97.3 yards per game. They had that topped by the second quarter and kept piling on.

The Bucs essentially dared the Panthers to run, so Carolina took them up on it.

Jake Delhomme threw only 17 passes on the day, so it didn't matter much that he only completed nine of them, or that he threw two more interceptions to raise his season total to 10.

No drive emphasized what the Panthers were after more than the last one, after Delhomme's second interception was returned for a touchdown by Tampa Bay safety Tanard Jackson with 8 minutes, 33 seconds left in the game, tying the score at 21.

They proceeded to run. Calmly, methodically, perpetually. Successfully.

“I don't know what happened,” Bucs defensive end Stylez G. White said. “If we knew, we probably would've stopped it. They outplayed us on that last drive.”

“They were able to run it right at us,” Tampa Bay coach Raheem Morris added. “Eight-man fronts, blitzes, whatever you were able to do, that offensive line. We talked about earlier in the week they had a very good offensive line. And we've either got to get better up front or we've got to get better people, and we've got to do that.

“We've got to find a way to stop the run when it counts, and that was one of the times it counted.”

The Panthers did mix in one pass to Steve Smith, but it was a 4-yarder that didn't change the theme.

“We've been saying the running game's coming, it's getting close,” Delhomme said. “I think today it showed, and they were giving it to us. I mean, two guys committed to Steve every play but maybe one or two.

“You've got to run the ball, and we did that today. Our two guys ran great, but our O-line did a great job.”

They needed to. That bunch, as much as any other, had underperformed all year. After averaging 152.3 yards per game rushing and allowing just 20 sacks last year, the Panthers' line slogged through the first month on the ground, and allowed 12 sacks in the first four games.

“That doesn't happen often,” left tackle Jordan Gross admitted. “It's great, because as tired as you are, they're more tired. They're the ones having to stand up to the double teams and stand up to our physical backs. That's something we've talked about all year as a ground game, and being physical and all that. To get to show it and do it finally felt great.

“Now the important thing is to build on it and do it every week.”

Even though Williams led the way 152 yards, he was quick to share the credit, pointing to the big guys in front of them.

“When it came down to it, they put it on the O-line to get us to the promised land,” Williams said. “And we ultimately won the game with the offensive line and the wideouts.”

The Panthers had offered very little evidence that previous weeks were building blocks, and Sunday's win was far from perfect. So while there was much to dissect, they were hardly interested in performing autopsies.