Sep 2, 2005 3 min read

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – Stephen Davis gave the Carolina Panthers a spark, then Charlie Batch gave the sputtering Pittsburgh Steelers the punch they so desperately needed. Batch threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Sean Morey with 1:35 to play Thursday night in a 21-17 preseason victory over the Panthers, spoiling Davis’ return from knee surgery.

The Steelers struggled the entire game, but got one last gasp late in the fourth quarter. Batch found himself scrambling on fourth-and-6 looking for anyone to dump the ball off to.

Morey had zipped past Dante Wesley to the edge of the end zone, where he caught Batch’s throw and fell over the line for the winning score.

Carolina rookie quarterback Stefan LeFors fumbled on the ensuing possession, Pittsburgh recovered and ran down the clock.

It wasn’t the ending Davis hoped for after playing for the first time in 10 months.

In his long-awaited debut, he carried the ball five times for 17 yards in a very brief appearance designed only to test his surgically repaired right knee.

He received a standing ovation after his first carry, a 4-yard surge up the middle. He later moved the Panthers to the Pittsburgh 3 on an 8-yard run.

Carolina gave him two chances to score – his first run was for no gain, the second moved the Panthers to the 1 – before Jake Delhomme threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Ricky Proehl.

It was enough for the Panthers, who went into the game only wanting to see the first-team offense score and give Davis one quick look. Both accomplished, the starters were pulled after just one series.

The Steelers weren’t nearly as successful, despite playing their first-team a little longer as they desperately try to get Ben Roethlisberger and his offense in sync.

Roethlisberger has struggled the entire preseason, and relentless pressure from the Panthers didn’t help him. He was sacked once and narrowly escaped a second takedown in the end zone.

His passes sailed over receivers’ heads, through their hands and bounced short in front of them. He managed to get the Steelers just one first down – running for it himself – and finished his night 2-of-6 for 24 yards in just over one quarter of play.

Pittsburgh’s first-team offense ended the preseason without scoring a touchdown.

In fairness to Roethlisberger, the Steelers were down three running backs against the Panthers. Duce Staley and Jerome Bettis are both out with injuries, leaving second-year player Willie Parker as the projected opening-day starter. Not wanting to risk injury to Parker, the Steelers sat him, too.

So Verron Hayes and Noah Herron had to carry the load for Pittsburgh, and Herron was decent against Carolina’s second- and third-string defense.

He finished with 65 yards on 22 carries and scored Pittsburgh’s only touchdown, a 1-yard run to cap a drive led by Batch that tied the score 7-7 midway through the second quarter.

Batch finished 16-of-29 for 182 yards, one touchdown and one interception.