Saints 29 Giants 45 summary ....... The Saints gave up about twice as many points as the Giants had scored in their previous three games combined. play-by-play ............ The Giants started quickly by returning the opening kickoff to their own 42. On 2nd & 12 from the NO 45, Hampton swept around the right end for a 32 yd gain. A few plays later the RB took it in for a 1 yd TD. The Saints answered right back when Mario Bates broke free for a 33 yd gain on the team's first play from scrimmage. One play later Jim Everett found Irv Smith down the middle to move the ball to the 12. After a QB draw put the ball at the 3, Bates took it in for the score. The Saint D forced the first punt of the game by stopping Hampton on 3rd & 1 from the NY 29. However, the Saints also went 3 & punt and booted the ball back to New York. The Giants converted two 3rd downs in a row via an Eric Allen illegal contact penalty and a 14 yd reception by Sherrard on 3rd & 10 from the NY 43. On the next 3rd down, however, a blitzing Tyrone Legette caused Dave Brown to throw the ball off the back of the head of one of his linemen. Wayne Martin caught the deflection and returned the ball to the NY 42. Everett hit Early for 16 on the first play of the drive, then found Michael Haynes two plays later for 17 on 3rd & 10. On 3rd & goal from the 9, Everett hit Wesley Walls on a nicely-executed TD pass. Early in the second quarter, the Saints were up 14-7. The Giants moved 35 yds on the second play of the ensuing drive when a late hit penalty was tacked onto a Calloway reception. Two runs by Hampton and a catch by Walker netted 21 yds, then Cross took a pass to the 5. Hampton ran it in on the next play to allow New York to tie the score. The Saints started their next drive with great field position at the NY 26 when when Tyrone Hughes' long kickoff return was stopped by a facemask tackle. Walls took an Everett throw to the 2 on the next play, but the play after that was a sack. The Saints wound up settling for a 20 yd FG. The Giants then embarked on a patient TD drive. After a short Hampton run, Calloway caught a ball for 10. Three runs followed to pick up another 1st. On 3rd & 10 from the NO 48, a throwback screen to Wheatley was good for the necessary yardage. One play later, Calloway took a pass in for a TD when Jimmy Spencer failed to make a tackle. A touchback and a 3 & punt series threatened to give the Giants good field position, but good coverage and a clipping penalty backed up New York to their own 30. The Giants managed to score in the 1:40 remaining anyway, by using five consecutive short gainers (Hampton 10 catch, Hampton 9 run, Hampton 5 run, Walker 9 catch, Walker 4 catch) to set up a successful half-ending 51 yd FG. The Saints' hopes of resuming their part in the scoring contest were dealt a blow when a low Everett throw was intercepted by Vencie Glenn at the NO 33 on the third play of the second half. A catch by Pierce at the 3 soon set up a 2 yd Hampton TD run. The O seemed wasn't ready to quit yet, as evidenced by 22 & 12 yd completions (to Haynes & Early) on the first two plays of the ensuing drive. However, on 3rd & 7 from the NY 29 Everett was sacked, thus putting the Saints out of FG range. Still, the special teams downed the punt at the 1 and the D prevented New York from getting out of the hole. The Giants' punt gave the Saints the ball at the NY 43. The field position was wasted, though, when Glenn picked off Everett again, this time at the NY 39. A 10 yd catch by Cross on 3rd & 1 moved the sticks once, and a 22 yd catch by Walker on 3rd & 2 did so a second time. Two plays later Hampton ran for yet another TD, this one from 3 yds out. With 1:29 left in the third quarter, the Saints were down by 3 TDs. The O made an attempt at a comeback. On the drive's second play Haynes picked up 24 with a reception at midfield. A 6 yd Bates run and an offside penalty on the defense gave the Saints another 1st. Five successful plays then moved the ball to the 2- Walls 5 catch, Bates 6 run, Walls 21 catch, Neal 5 catch. The Saints had trouble getting into the endzone, but Torrance Small caught a 1 yd TD pass on 4th down. Chip Lohmiller's PAT try was wide. Facing a two touchdown deficit with 11:33 left in the game, there was still a small chance the Saints could mount a comeback. The Giants ended that thought by ramming the ball right down the visitors' throats during a 73 yd TD drive. It went as follows- Brown 7 scramble, Hampton 5 run, Hampton 5 run, Calloway 16 catch, Hampton 7 run, Wheatley 2 run, Wheatley 5 run, Wheatley 4 run, Wheatley 3 run, Wheatley 19 TD run. The Saints drove for a meaningless TD (Derek Brown caught a 1 yd TD pass) and the Giants ran out the clock. drive chart & stats ................... (P)unt, (M)issed FG, (E)nd of period, (F)umble, (I)nterception, out of (D)owns 1 2 3 4 5 4 3 2 1 G 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 G S >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>7 2:28 Bates A >>P 1:25 I >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>7 2:11 Walls N >>>>>>>>>>>3 2:50 Lohmiller T >>>P :29 S ....................................................halftime | >>>>I :57 | >>>>>>>>>>>>>P 2:42 | I :12 | >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>6 4:56 Small | >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>6 2:49 Brown | ....................................................gameover | 20:59 1 2 3 4 5 4 3 2 1 G 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 G G >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>7 4:50 Hampton I >>>>>P 1:56 A >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>I 4:03 N >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>7 3:06 Hampton T >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>7 5:02 Calloway S >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>3 1:40 Daluiso | ....................................................halftime | >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>7 1:57 Hampton | >>>>>>>P 3:03 | >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>7 4:40 Hampton | >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>7 6:58 Wheatley | >>>>>>E 1:46 | ....................................................gameover | 39:01 1 2 3 4 5 4 3 2 1 G 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 G .......throwin' & catchin'...../...runnin'.... Everett 3- 23 Bates 1- 8 10- 57-1 Brown 3- 27-1 5- 7 Neal 1- 3 Walls 4- 60-1 Smith 1- 30 Haynes 4- 68 Early 4- 59 Small 1- 1-1 incomplete 11 intercepted 2 19-32-256-3-2 18- 87-1 Giants: Hampton 33-149-4, Calloway 5-95-1 notes ..... * Hampton had his way with our D * I was still a little hopeful after last week's game, but now I see no cause for optimism * after the '92 playoff collapse against the Eagles, my thought was "I won't campaign for Hebert's departure, but I won't mind if he leaves"- now I feel that way about Mora ******************************************************************************* Frank Serpas III serpas@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu