| November 28, 2004 | « Previous Story | HOME | Next Story » | Posted at 09:16 PM |
Buffalo Bills RB Willis McGahee ran all over the Seattle Seahawks Sunday and into team history. He is the 6th Buffalo Bill to score at least 4 touchdowns in a game. He is the first to score 4 TDs in a single game since Thurman Thomas scored 4 in the 1992 season opener vs. the Los Angeles Rams. Cookie Gilchrist remains the team record holder with 5 rushing TDs against the New York Jets, on Dec.8th, 1963. McGahee becomes the only Bill to score 4 TDs in a game while the team was on the road
Nursing a 17-3 lead into the third quarter, the Bills get a break when Ryan Lindell missed a 52-yard field goal attempt. A personal foul against the Seahawks gives the Bills new life. After Mark Campbell's 18-yard reception to the 2-yard line, McGahee plunged in on the next play to break the game open, 24-3.
McGahee's third score of the day was set up by a brilliant, yet risky coaching decision. Calling timeout on 4th and 1, the Bills chose to go for it. A fake QB sneak turned into a Bledsoe to McGahee lateral, and McGahee torched the surprised and unprepared Seahawk defense for 30 yards. McGahee dove for the end zone pylon and made it in. The score made it 31-3 Buffalo with 10:38 remaining in the game.
The last score came on the next drive. Buffalo forced a Matt Hasselback fumble deep in Seattle territory and recovered at the 15. Three straight McGahee runs, including a fierce stiff arm to a Seattle defender, put the Bills on top 38-3. The last carry was a 1-yard McGahee jaunt for his 4th score of the game. He finished with 116 yards on 28 carries.
12/8/63 Cookie Gilchrist vs. the New York Jets- In front of 20,222 at War Memorial Stadium, Gilchrist had the greatest game ever by a professional football player to date rushing the ball. When the smoke had cleared, with his 243 yard afternoon he surpassed Jim Brown's NFL record of 237 yards in 1957. His 5 TDs in the game set an AFL record. The damage could have been worse, as 50 more yards of Gilchrist's running were called back due to penalties.
11/23/75 OJ Simpson vs. New England Patriots- Bills great OJ Simpson was to be held to a season-low 69 yards in this game, but managed to score 4 touchdowns (3 rushing and 1 receiving) in a 45-31 victory. Tied 31-31 late in the 4th quarter, Siimpson ran one in from 1 yard out and caught one from 3 yards out in the final 5 minutes.
9/9/1979 Roland Hooks vs. Cincinnati Bengals- The Bills crushed the Bengals 51-24 on an incredible performance by Roland Hooks. A career backup, Hooks scored on his first 4 carries of the game, from distances of 3, 32, 4, and 28 yards. Hooks added one more carry and finished with 70 yards on the day.
9/23/79 Jerry Butler vs New York Jets- Just 2 games after Roland Hooks turned the feat, Bills WR rookie sensation Jerry Butler torched a weak Jets secondary for 10 receptions and 255 yards. Butler had TD catches of 5, 75, 74, and 9 yards in a 46-31 win.
9/8/91 Don Beebe vs. Pittsburgh Steelers- Jim Kelly torched his boyhood team for six touchdown passes, setting a club record and a personal high, with four of those tosses going to Don Beebe, who tied a team record with Jerry Butler for four touchdown receptions in a game. In the first half Kelly and Beebe connected for scores of 14 and 34 yards. Just 1:51 into the fourth quarter, Beebe caught a 11-yard touchdown pass. Just over five minutes later, Kelly hit Beebe again for a 4-yard pass, breaking the club mark with his sixth touchdown pass, and making Beebe only the second Bill to have caught four touchdowns in a game, and with it Buffalo went on to win 52-34.
9/6/92 Thurman Thomas vs. Los Angeles Rams- Buffalo exploded out of the gate against an old familiar face. Chuck Knox, former coach of the Bills from 1978-82, took over the reigns of the Los Angeles Rams for the second time. The Bills inflicted the worst defeat ever on any Chuck Knox led team as they dismantled the Rams 40-7 before 79,001 at Rich Stadium. Thurman Thomas became only the sixth Bill to record four touchdowns in a game (3 rushing,1 receiving), while amassing 102 yards rushing. Offensive lineman Mitch Frerotte also scored on a trick play at the goal line, as Jim Kelly found him on a tackle eligible 2-yard TD pass.
