European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 3, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 26 the stars and stripes tuesday january 3, 1989 Bills overcome oilers 17-10 Orchard Park . A the Houston oilers and Buffalo Bills spent most of sunday trying to see who could make More mistakes when they drove within scoring position. The oilers won that contest and the ills won the acc playoff game beating the oilers 17-10. The Bills Are on the Way to their first championship game in 22 years the acc title contest next week in Cincinnati. But it was t easy. It s the playoffs you be got to go forthe big ones said quarterback Jim Kelly whose team twice failed on fourth and inches once from the 3, the other time just Short of the goal line. Youdon t want to Settle for Field  usually we re pretty productive in Side the 5," Center Kent Hull said. But we did t play any pansies out  re a Heck of a  but the Bills were a lot better in the red zone than the oilers. In seven trip inside the 20, they managed a Scott nor Wood Field goal and two touchdowns on a 1-Yard, second Quarter run by Robb rid Divcic and an 11-Yard third Quarter scamper by Thurman Thomas. While the offence was doing its mini Mal Best the Bills defense woke up in the second half. Pressure from Cornelius Bennett and Bruce Smith and coverage by safeties Leonard Smith and Mark Kelso held Warren Moon without a completion on his first eight attempts after he had thrown for 145 Yards in the first half. Leonard Smith also blocked a punt to set up Riddick s touchdown and Bruce Smith blocked a Tony Zendejas Field goal try. But Houston blew More opportunities inside the Bills 20. Just before the blocked Field goal try Moon hit Drew Hill in the end zone but Hill was unable to gain control inbound before banging into the goalpost. Zendejas also thanked one under pressure and Moon earlier misfired with Hill wide open in the end zone. Then in the second half Houston lost two interceptions and fumbled a punt on its last Chance to get the Ball. The key to the game was that we gave up opportunities when we had them said Houston Center Jay Pennison. Offensive tackle Bruce Davis agreed. We did t do enough right at the Crit ical situations he said. Coach Jerry Glanville thought the turning Point was a botched lateral which came on Houston s first posses Sion of the third Quarter with Houston trailing 7-3. I think that was the turning Point Glanville said. It Cost us a  when you get Down to the 2 and you Don t get anything that s got to haunt you Pennison added. Then in the second half Houston just self destructed losing two interceptions and fumbling a punt on its last Chance to get the Ball. We played great defense and we played super on special teams said Bills coach Marv Levy whose team will play for a trip to the super bowl next sunday at Cincinnati where the Bills lost 35-21 on nov. 27. The Bills and bengals Are the nil s Only unbeaten teams at Home both Are 9-0. The Victory was the first in the play offs for the Bills since they beat the new York jets in an acc wild card game in 1981. It s the farthest Buffalo has advanced since losing 31-7 to Kansas City in the 1966 Al championship game exactly 22 years ago on Jan. 1, 1967 thelast playoff game played in Buffalo. The chiefs went on to lose to Greenbay in the first super bowl. Riddick s 1-Yard score came in the second Quarter and Thomas tallied from the 11 in the third period. Then nor Wood s Field goal gave the Bills a 17-3 Lead. But after Norwood missed a 36-Yardfield-goal try Moon finally drove the oilers to their Only to. It came on a 1-Yard dive by Mike Rozier with 5 12 left in the game at the end of an 80-Yarddrive in nine plays. A 29-Yard pass to Leonard Harris and an interference Callon the goal line against Derrick Bur roughs keyed the drive. Houston lost its last Chance when cur tis Duncan fumbled a punt with 1 45 left and Ray Bentley recovered at the oilers 18. Kelly who uncharacteristically threw on his first six plays finished with 19completions in 33 attempts for 244 Yards for the Bills. Moon was 17 of 33 for 240. Bengals run past sea Hawks 21-13 Cincinnati a the Seattle Seahawk should have seen it coming. The sea Hawks had one of the worst Success rates at stopping the run this sea son yielding 4.5 Yards a try. And their opponent in their acc divisional playoff saturday the Cincinnati bengals had the Best running attack in football Roll ing up a league High 169 Yards a game. To no one s Surprise the bengals decided to test the sea Hawks on the ground Early. Also to no one s Surprise they had great Success again and again and again. The bengals scored touchdowns i three of their first four possessions sat urday to set up a 21-13 Victory that put them into the acc championship game sunday against Buffalo. The game willbe played at riverfront stadium where the bengals Are 9-0 this season. Seattle quarterback Dave Krieg said the bengals Early Rushing Success sat urday hit the sea Hawks like a round House punch. In the first half they stunned us a Little bit like in a boxing match Krie said. We were reeling. In the third Quarter we got our stuff together an started making a game out of  but by then they d left themselves no margin for error. And they weren t up to perfection. Sometimes things Don t go your Way offensive lineman Mike Wilson said. That s what happened  nothing went the sea Hawks Way in the first half when the bengals put together one of their Best efforts of the season. The Central division champions rushed for 165 Yards in the first half alone with backup fullback Stanley Wil son scoring on a pair of 3-Yard runs and Rookie Ickey Woods scoring from 1  bengals running game was so Domi Nant that they had 13 first Downs by Rushing and quarterback Boomer Esia son put the Ball in the air just 10 times. I was t really surprised said Woods who finished with 126 Yards on 23 carries. We watched them for two weeks on film. We knew primarily what they were going to do. You be got to give credit to the other 10 Guys on the Field throwing the great  while the bengals were following their tame plan to the letter the sea Hawks 9had to rip theirs up at halftime. The acc West champions went into the game hoping to control the Ball to keep it away from the bengals offence ranked no. 1 in the nil. They hoped to use their powerful tandem of John  and Curt Warner to run the the bengals Ickey Woods goes airborne near the sea Hawks goal line in the first Quarter As Paul Moyer defends. Ball against a defense that had allowed4.2 Yards per try. But the bengals tightened up to Stop the run and Krieg could t exploit Cincinnati s Man to Man coverage in the secondary. As a result the sea Hawks had 49 total Yards in the first half All on six completions by Krieg. Warner and Williams carried nine times for Zero net Yards. Our defense got Good momentum going said nose tackle Tim Krumrie who had five tackles. We be been criticized for not playing the run very Well but we got Good movement and stopped it. We had people flying to the  the sea Hawks had one threat in the first half when Ira Hillary muffed a punt in bengals territory. But Williams who had t fumbled in 189 carries in the regular season fumbled it away at the bengals 6-Yard line. The sea Hawks finished with 18 net Yards Rushing the lowest one Gam total in sea Hawks history on 17 car Ries. The bengals finished with a season High 254 on 47 tries