A sweet homecoming scenario was set up for Mike Alstott at Soldier Field Sunday.
The second-year Tampa Bay fullback, a former standout at Joliet Catholic and Purdue, was the team’s second-leading rusher with 571 yards on 143 carries, a 4.0 average. He was fifth in receiving with 18 catches for 154 yards, and he was among those being credited for the then 8-3 Bucs’ emergence as a probable playoff team.
Alstott, a 24-year-old from Joliet, had his family and friends in the stands, and there was a sign draped from the first row urging him on.
So on the first play from scrimmage, the 6-foot-1-inch, 248-pounder took a handoff from Trent Dilfer and smashed through the right-guard hole, twisting for extra yards.
Then the stage collapsed during the opening scene. Defensive end Mark Thomas hit Alstott, the ball came loose and Walt Harris recovered at the Tampa Bay 41 yard line.
The Bears rolled in for a touchdown on four plays to take a quick 7-0 lead en route to their 13-7 upset, and Alstott was fitted for goat horns.
“I fumbled the ball. There wasn’t much really to think,” he said in a quiet Bucs locker room after the game. “You just try to protect the ball the next time.
“You wouldn’t think it would be a factor in the game, but they went down to score a touchdown, and what did they win by, six points?”
It didn’t get any better as the chilly day wore on. Alstott ran for only 18 yards on seven carries, a 2.6 average, as the Bears shut down Tampa Bay’s ground game. He caught two passes for 10 yards and was stopped short of a first down after catching a swing pass on a fourth-and-three play on the Bucs’ last possession.
So the trip home was not exactly what Alstott had in mind.
“You enjoy that when you win,” he said.
