Sir Purr
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- Mar 16, 2019
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After the game, the Panthers said it helped having former Viking Jimmy Hitchcock playing cornerback on their side. Hitchcock revealed some valuable advice he had shared with his Carolina teammates, knowledge gleaned from practicing against Moss and Carter every day the previous two seasons.
"The thing I emphasized throughout the week was playing the ball," said Hitchcock, who ended a Vikings second-quarter drive by intercepting a Culpepper pass in the end zone. "I told our guys, ‘Don't play the receivers, play the ball. If you play the receivers and try to be a better athlete than they are, you're not going to win. But if you play the ball, you have a chance.'"
That strategy helped the Panthers intercept Culpepper three times.
Meanwhile, Weinke was steady. He threw a 16-yard touchdown to wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad for the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter and ran for a 1-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
"I felt so well-prepared for this game," Weinke said in the locker room after the game. "The coaching staff put us in a comfortable situation. I felt more nerves before a lot of college games than I did for this one."
Walls said of Weinke: "He was calm and mature. He never seemed overwhelmed that we had a chance to beat the Vikings."
Seifert, in his 37th year of coaching, added, "That was probably as team-oriented a win as I have ever been involved with. Our special teams, the defense and the offense, they all made critical plays in the ball game. And it was against a heck of a football team.
"To come into this environment and win with our club is something we can hopefully build on. It's something we should all be proud of."
Unfortunately, though it was something to be proud of, it did not prove to be something the Panthers could build on as Carolina went winless in the final 15 games.
But for that one day in 2001, all things seemed possible for the Panthers and their 29-year-old rookie quarterback.