Giants Pick Up a Kicker and a Victory : Schubert’s Five Field Goals Help Beat Winless Buccaneers, 22-20

On Saturday, Eric Schubert was coaching football at Lakeland Regional High School in Wanaque, N.J., which is what he’s been doing all season.

On Sunday, he kicked five field goals to help the New York Giants to a 22-20 victory over the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“Last week, I was coaching and watching the (Giants’) game on TV,” said Schubert, who coaches special teams, quarterbacks and receivers at his old high school. “Today, I was on TV.”

Schubert also remembers his preseason tryout with the Giants. He kicked the winning field goal against the New York Jets on a Saturday night, then was cut on Monday.

It could happen again.

The Giants signed Schubert on Friday, after Coach Bill Parcells decided Ali Haji-Sheikh wasn’t ready to come off injured reserve. Jess Atkinson, who kicked the last six weeks for New York, was waived Monday and claimed by St. Louis and the Giants were in a bind.

“This is a little comment for all you guys who talk about my field- goal kicker,” said Parcells, who was questioned on the decision to waive Atkinson.

Joe Morris had his second straight 100-yard rushing game to help the Giants (6-3) rally from a 13-6 halftime deficit to their third straight victory.

The Buccaneers (0-9) have led at halftime in five of their games.

“We fought and they beat us,” first-year Tampa Bay Coach Leeman Bennett said. “In the second half, we weren’t able to move the ball as well until late in the half.

“We played as well as we can play.”

Schubert was perfect on field-goal attempts of 24, 36, 24, 41 and 33 yards.

Morris gained 132 yards in 26 carries and scored on a three-yard run to tie the score, 13-13, early in the third quarter. Morris gained 104 yards in 20 attempts last week in New Orleans. He joined Chicago’s Walter Payton as the only backs to rush for more than 100 yards against the Buccaneers this season.

Schubert put the Giants ahead, 16-13, with 2:11 left in the third quarter and kicked fourth-quarter field goals of 41 and 33 yards to stretch the Giants’ lead.

Tampa Bay scored on pass plays of 25 and 1 yard from Steve DeBerg to Jimmy Giles. Donald Igwebuike also kicked field goals of 53 and 20 yards. Giles’ one-yard touchdown, his seventh scoring reception in the last three games, came with 2:27 left and brought the Buccaneers to within 22-20.

The Buccaneers’ last drive was stopped by a Terry Kinard interception with 24 seconds left on the Giants’ 40.

Simms completed 18 of 31 passes for 204 yards and did not throw a touchdown pass in a game for the first time this season.

DeBerg completed 21 of 42 passes for 239 yards. James Wilder ran for 75 yards in 21 carries for Tampa Bay.