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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Clutching the game ball tightly in his hands, EJ Manuel was making his way up the tunnel in the euphoria of a last-second victory when the Buffalo Bills rookie quarterback was stopped in his tracks. Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly jumped from out of nowhere to greet Manuel with a big bear hug and two brief words: "Good job." On the day the Bills honoured Kelly and other past stars during a halftime ceremony, Manuel provided a promising glimpse into the franchises future. The first-round draft pick out of Florida State threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Stevie Johnson with 2 seconds left to clinch a 24-23 win over the stunned Carolina Panthers on Sunday. "I cant even tell you how it felt," Manuel said of the touchdown pass. "I think I started crying right then. Im not usually an emotional guy. But Im going to enjoy these type of things." Manuel was 29 of 37 for 296 yards and bounced back after throwing an interception and losing a fumble on consecutive possessions, with the turnovers leading to field goals by Graham Gano. He became the fifth NFL rookie since 1960 to engineer a fourth-quarter comeback in his first or second game. "Im not surprised. EJ doesnt seem like a rookie," said Johnson, who finished with 111 yards receiving. "He earned a lot of our respect." Bills defensive end Mario Williams set a team record with 4 1/2 sacks. Fred Jackson scored on a 4-yard run. The Bills (1-1) bounced back from the disappointment of squandering a lead in the final seconds of a season-opening 23-21 loss to New England. It was a bittersweet first victory for rookie coach Doug Marrone, who took over after Chan Gailey was fired. Marrone was in tears after the game when he revealed he was mourning the loss of a good friend, Rob Edson, the Onondaga Community College athletic director, who died suddenly Saturday. "I know that Rob was watching, and I cant stop thinking about that," Marrone said. "When that game was coming down to the end, my prayers just go out to him and his family." The Panthers are still struggling to win close games. They were coming off a 12-7 loss to Seattle and dropped to 2-14 in games decided by 7 points or less in two-plus seasons under coach Ron Rivera. "Roller coaster. Thats about as bad as it gets," Rivera said. "You had an opportunity to win the game, an opportunity to close it out, and you didnt. ... We had a chance to make a play and we didnt. Thats the thing thats hard to swallow: We just have to make one play." Cam Newton went 21 of 38 for 229 yards and two touchdowns, a 13-yarder to Greg Olsen and a 40-yarder to Ted Ginn Jr. "This isnt about learning hard lessons," said Steve Smith, who had 52 yards receiving. "This is like going to the dentist and getting several teeth pulled without any anesthesia, laughing gas, nothing." The Panthers defence couldnt contain Manuel and the Bills hurry-up offence and allowed Buffalo to score on four of six second-half possessions. It didnt help that linebacker Luke Kuechly helped keep the Bills decisive drive alive. With Buffalo facing third-and-6 at Carolinas 29, Kuechly was penalized for pass interference on Johnson with 14 seconds left. The Bills scored two plays later. And on offence, Carolina settled for field goals on its three final possessions. The first two came when the Panthers were stopped on third down inside the Bills 10. The last one came after Cam Newton led a 12-play, 39-yard drive that ate up more than 5 1/2 minutes, capped by Ganos 39-yard field goal with 1:38 left. Manuel was unfazed as the Bills took over at their own 20 with 1:38 remaining and no timeouts. Willing to throw over the middle, he was efficient in twice getting the Bills lined up when his receiver was unable to get out of bounds. "He was focused. He was locked in," Johnson said of Manuel. "He was in there like a No. 1 quarterback." NOTES: The Bills previous single-game record was four sacks, shared by Bruce Smith, who did it twice, and Cornelius Bennett. ... Carolina allowed 149 yards rushing after previously giving up no more than 70 in its previous five games. ... The Panthers lost S Charles Godfrey (right Achilles tendon) and CB Josh Thomas (concussion). ... Dan Carpenter hit a 55-yard field goal for the Bills. cheap jerseys online . Referee David Jones saw goaltending and counted the basket that gave the Rockets a 101-98 victory on Tuesday night. Harden scored 33 points and Omer Asik tied his career high with 22 rebounds for the Rockets, who earned their first playoff berth since 2009 when the Jazz lost to Oklahoma City. cheap nfl jerseys . Yet, sometimes it takes the biggest challenge to fight through a winless stretch.  While the team refuses to use injuries as an excuse, they continue to hit the team it seems almost every game. With Max Pacioretty being the latest casualty, it takes one of the better performing forwards to start the season out of the line-up. http://www.uscheapjerseysoutlet.com/ . -- It was another tough outing for Brett Cecil. wholesale jerseys paypal . When Atlanta tried to get tough, the Pacers buckled down and got even tougher. cheap jerseys china . The England defender met a 74th-minute corner by David Silva with a powerful header to end the stubborn resistance of the second-tier visitors and put City into the last four of the competition for the first time since 1981. BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Former NHL forward and ESPN analyst Matthew Barnaby was ordered Wednesday to complete 500 hours of community service to have charges dropped stemming from an argument he had with his estranged wife in May. Barnaby, 38, was accused of causing an estimated US$300 in damage by kicking the garage door May 13 in an attempt to enter the suburban Buffalo home where his wife and two children live, Erie County district attorney Frank Seditas office said. He had pleaded not guilty to five charges. As part of her ruling, Buffalo State Supreme Court Justice Deborah Haendiges also issued a one-year order of protection against Barnaby. He is barred from taking what was described as any "offensive" action against his wife, and was also ordered to avoid contact with his wifes boyfriend, the DAs office said. Barnaby was also ordered to continue attending anger management counselling. As part of the plea agreement, tthe misdemeanour charges of criminal mischief and aggravated harassment will be dropped if he fulfills the judges order within a year.dddddddddddd Barnaby, whos from Ottawa, would have faced potential deportation had he been convicted. "Were very happy with that result," Barnabys lawyer, Frank LoTempio, told The Associated Press by phone. "We feel its very fair and warranted." LoTempio added that his client will return to court on Aug. 8 for a compliance hearing. Barnaby broke into the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres during the 1992-93 season. He played for seven teams over 13-plus NHL seasons, earning a reputation as a pesky agitator during a career in which he finished with 113 goals and 187 assists for 300 points and 2,562 penalty minutes in 834 games. He retired in 2007 because of a concussion sustained during a fight and joined ESPN as a studio analyst in 2008 and is also a contributor on TSN. ' ' '