Giants upset Vikings 29-17
By: Larry Fitzgerald
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted 10/29/2003

They did it again: For the second year in a row, the New York Giants came into a sold out (64,114) MetroDome and beat the Minnesota Vikings. Last year it was 27-20; last Sunday it was Giants 29, Vikings 17.
NFL stands for “Not For Long”; it was the first time in nine games over a two-year span that the Vikings (6-1) were beaten.
And make no mistake about it — the Giants beat the Vikings despite the fact that the Vikings had opportunities to win. New York came in a foul mood after watching the Yankees get filleted by the Florida Marlins in the World Series four games to two.
The Giants came into Sunday’s game in last place in the NFC East, even though they were a playoff team a year ago. After losing three straight games, they were in a must-win situation. And usually that little extra focus can be enough to make the difference in a close ball game.
Or was it something else?
“You get sloppy play, you get players not making plays when they are afforded the opportunity to make plays,” said Vikings Head Coach Mike Tice. “You have coaches not coaching good, going for long field goals in the first half instead of playing field position.
“Blocking a punt and not jumping on the ball, having a chance for a short field and touchdown — we just did not make plays,” Tice said. “We just did not play good football. We did not coach good football, and that’s what you get, you get a loss at home and you go 6-1. You get what you deserve in this business.”
The Giants quickly established that they had a match-up advantage against the Vikings with running back Tiki Barber on Vikings middle linebacker Greg Biekert. Barber had a speed advantage, and the Giants exploited that match-up. New York had 450 yards in total offense; Barber accounted for 123 yards in combined rushing and receiving.
Once the Giants established they could exploit that match-up, they used some of their other weapons, like Ike Hilliard’s nine receptions for 100 yards and two touchdowns, Armani Toomer’s three catches for 96 yards, and tight end Jeremy Shockey’s three catches for 81 yards. This despite the fact that the Vikings out-gained the Giants 137 to 83 on the ground. The Vikings’ running game was nonexistent in the first half, gaining only 11 yards rushing.
And that got the Vikings out of what they have been doing on the winning streak with the NFL’s No. 1 rated offense, which is controlling the line of scrimmage, and down, and distance. New York’s defense did the job up front; they controlled the line of scrimmage, and that, more than anything else, is why they won.
The Vikings also lost the turnover ratio for the first time this year. They had committed the fewest turnovers in football, only five in six games, going into Sunday’s game. They allowed the Giants — last in the NFC East — to out-play them. The Vikings were 3-0 previously against Chicago, Detroit and Atlanta, all, like the Giants, last place teams.
The Vikings are now 3-1 against teams that made that the playoffs last year. They host the (3-4) Packers Sunday night, 7:30 pm, at the Dome. Green Bay has had two weeks to prepare for the rematch, and this is virtually a must-win game for the defending NFC North Champs.

Fitzgerald ties
NCAA record
Last Saturday I was in Pittsburgh for the homingcoming game of the University Pittsburgh vs. Syracuse at Heinz Field. Pittsburgh honored the 1963 Pittsburgh team during ceremonies. That team finished 9-1 and missed going to a Bowl game that year because of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Larry Fitzgerald Jr. leads the NCAA in three statistical categories, including receiving yards per game (144.8), scoring (13.0 points per game), and receiving touchdowns (15). Fitzgerald helped Pittsburgh beat Syracuse 34-14 and improve to 5-2 and 2-0 in the Big East.
Fitzgerald tied Charles Rogers’ NCAA record set last season of scoring a touchdown reception in 13 consecutive games. Fitzgerald scored twice on receptions of three and seven yards, and totaled eight catches for 149 yards. He also broke the Big East single-season record with his 14th and 15th touchdown catches of the season.
Fitzgerald surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in receiving yards for the second straight year, becoming the first Big East Player in history to do so. He also tied the Big East record with his 10th 100-yard game receiving. “Records don’t mean anything at the time,” Fitzgerald said.
“It’s something that probably a couple of years down the road, I’ll look back at and think I really accomplished something. But who’s to say someone else won t come along and break my records?” Fitzgerald is among the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy