Carrying On Without a Big Name

Fred Lane and Moe Williams--just who are those guys anyway?

Well, they’re a couple of third-string running backs who were pressed into prime-time duty Sunday because of injuries to teammates and responded with performances that led to victories.

Lane, a free agent from--of all places--Lane College in Jackson, Tenn.--was brought in only five plays into Carolina’s game with Oakland when starting tailback Tshimanga Biakabutuka left because of bruised ribs.

He proceeded to plow through the NFL’s worst defense, carrying 28 times for 147 yards and a team-record three touchdowns in the Panthers’ 38-14 victory.

“He’s fun to block for,” guard Greg Skrepenak said. “He’s like the Energizer bunny. He just keeps going and going and going.”

The Raiders didn’t find Lane’s bullish running too amusing. His struggle for extra yards on a carry with 2:36 left in the game spawned a fight that involved a number of players from both teams. Oakland’s Chester McGlockton and Russell Maryland were ejected, but before McGlockton left the field he was involved in another flare-up, leading to another personal-foul penalty against the Raiders.

Surprise, surprise.

Raider Coach Joe Bugel indicated afterward he wasn’t surprised--about Lane. Bugel said the Raiders were interested in Lane coming out of college, where he rushed for 4,433 yards in three seasons. But like the rest of the NFL, Oakland never got around to drafting him.

“I was kind of hoping they wouldn’t play him, to be honest with you,” Bugel said. “He’s a legitimate tough guy. You saw what he did.”

What Moe Williams did in Minnesota’s 23-18 victory over New England wasn’t as spectacular but was just as important to his team.

Williams, a second-year player and third-round draft pick out of Kentucky, opened the game with a 74-yard kickoff return that set up a field goal.

Then, as a running back replacement for the injured Robert Smith and Leroy Hoard, he carried 19 times for 43 yards and his first NFL touchdown--a one-yard run that gave the Vikings a 10-0 lead.

THE BEATING GOES ON

An NFL Sunday wouldn’t be complete without at least a couple of quarterbacks getting knocked out of games.

Roll call please:

* Miami’s Dan Marino sprained his left ankle after getting hit by Buffalo’s Bruce Smith late in the first half. He pulled himself out in the first series of the second half, signaling for Craig Erickson to come in after throwing an incomplete pass. “I felt like I could have played, but I couldn’t move around enough to do what was needed to get this offense moving,” Marino said.

Erickson was no more effective than Marino in a touchdown-less game.

* San Diego’s quarterback Stan Humphries was knocked out of a game for the third time this season after an illegal hit by Cincinnati’s Reinard Wilson.

Humphries suffered a concussion--his fourth in 22 months--after Wilson hit him chest-to-chest after he threw a pass and drove the quarterback backward onto the artificial turf. Wilson rolled over Humphries after landing on him.

Humphries was carried off on a stretcher and taken to a Cincinnati hospital. He was released in time to accompany the Chargers home.

Craig Whelihan took over for Humphries and threw a touchdown pass to Charlie Jones with six minutes remaining in the Chargers’ 38-31 loss.

* Indianapolis backup Paul Justin joined injured starter Jim Harbaugh on the sideline during the game with Tampa Bay, dislocating a finger on his left (non-throwing) hand in the first quarter. Harbaugh broke a bone in his hand in a fight with NBC commentator and former Buffalo quarterback Jim Kelly last week and is on the inactive list.

Kelly Holcomb came on for his NFL debut and rallied the Colts to a 28-21 lead early in the fourth quarter. But he fumbled while trying to fake a handoff to Lamont Warren at the Tampa Bay five with three minutes left and the Buccaneers--who would eventually beat the winless Colts on a last-second field goal--recovered.

* Oakland’s Jeff George exited in the fourth quarter after getting bent over backward on a sack by Carolina’s Renaldo Turnbull, who was called for being offsides. George spent the rest of the game with an ice pack on his bruised left ribs.

One quarterback who surprisingly was still standing at game’s end was Atlanta’s Chris Chandler, who had failed to finish any of the Falcons’ four previous home games because of injuries. He was 19 of 32 for 276 yards and three touchdowns.

“I didn’t get touched much at all today,” Chandler said. “That’s the best way to avoid that kind of stuff [injuries].”

REALLY LOSING IT

The Chicago Bears lost their composure, their fans--there were 13,912 no-shows at Soldier Field--and another game.

Chicago’s Curtis Conway was ejected in the first half of the 31-8 loss to Washington for making contact with an official when the receiver didn’t get a pass interference call. Replays showed he was hit by Washington’s Cris Dishman.

Conway also threw his helmet, receiving two 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalties that knocked the Bears out of field-goal range and sent them toward their eighth loss in nine games.

“It was obviously pass interference. Anybody watching the game could see that,” Bear Coach Dave Wannstedt said. “But he can’t touch an official.”

In the third quarter, when a Washington punt rolled out of bounds at the seven, Chicago guard Todd Burger jumped in the face of ineffective punt returner Tyrone Hughes, shoved him and yelled at him. Hughes earlier fumbled to set up a Redskin field goal.

“I love Tyrone Hughes. I think he is a hell of a guy,” Burger said. “I consider him a friend. It was just me losing my poise. . . . It was me taking out my frustration on somebody else rather than myself.”

That’s what friends are for.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

THE PLAYMAKERS

RUSHING

*--*

Player, Team No. Yds. TD JAMAL ANDERSON, Falcons 19 159 1 FRED LANE, Panthers 28 147 3 BAM MORRIS, Ravens 31 130 0 TERRY ALLEN, Redskins 20 125 0 COREY DILLON, Bengals 19 123 1 BARRY SANDERS, Lions 23 105 0 GARRISON HEARST, 49ers 22 104 1 CURTIS MARTIN, Patriots 21 104 0

*--*

PASSING

*--*

Player, Team Att. Comp. Yds. TD TONY BANKS, Rams 34 23 401 2 DREW BLEDSOE, Patriots 42 27 313 2 JEFF GEORGE, Raiders 38 24 304 2 V. TESTAVERDE, Ravens 46 25 288 1 CHRIS CHANDLER, Falcons 32 19 276 3 WARREN MOON, Seahawks 46 28 256 3 JOHN ELWAY, Broncos 30 19 252 2 ERIK KRAMER, Bears 37 21 237 1 BRAD JOHNSON, Vikings 31 18 227 1

*--*

RECEIVING

*--*

Player, Team No. Yds. TD ISAAC BRUCE, Rams 10 233 2 TIM BROWN, Raiders 10 163 0 CRIS CARTER, Vikings 8 116 1 ROD SMITH, Broncos 5 114 1 BERT EMANUEL, Falcons 6 108 2 SHAWN JEFFERSON, Patriots 4 108 1

*--*

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--Compiled by Jim Rhode