Monday, November 9, 1998

Cowboys 16, Giants 6

By DENNE H. FREEMAN AP Sports Writer

IRVING, Tex. (AP) - It didn't take long for new Dallas coach Chan Gailey to show the defending champion New York Giants there is a change of order in the NFC East.

Gailey has taken his team to a 5-0 record against NFC East teams and beaten the Giants twice.

Sunday's 16-6 win put the Giants three games behind Dallas in the division with seven games to play. Dallas is at Arizona next Sunday for another division game.

"I do not think you could ever underestimate the importance of winning a division game at home and beating this team twice in one year," said Gailey, who was Pittsburgh's offensive coordinator in 1997. "There is still a lot of football left so we will see. But I like guys going out and trying to win games instead of letting the game come to them."

There were all sorts of things for the Cowboys to celebrate besides the season sweep of the Giants.

Emmitt Smith became the Cowboys' career leading rusher with a 163-yard effort.

Troy Aikman hung in there and made two important throws despite an injured finger on his passing hand.

And the Dallas defense has gone two weeks without giving up a touchdown. It blanked Philadelphia 34-0 last Monday.

"We were 6-10 last year and we've already won six games this year," said Dallas safety Darren Woodson. "Our goal is to take care of the East."

Dallas (6-3) swept the Giants in a season series for the first time since 1995. The Giants, who lost 31-7 to Dallas in the third game of the season, dropped to 3-6.

Aikman hurt the index finger on his passing hand when it hit a Giants helmet in the second period.

"I was struggling with it," Aikman said. "I couldn't get the bleeding to stop. And then I couldn't get enough pressure on the ball. I was very frustrated. I thought it was broken and the helmet took off a big chunk of skin."

Aikman left the game late to have X-rays, which showed no break.

Dallas put the game away when Aikman hit Eric Bjornson from 2 yards out for a touchdown with 8:44 to play. Ernie Mills' acrobatic catch on a 27-yard pass put Dallas in position for the score on the 84-yard drive.

Mills jumped up between safety Tito Wooten and cornerback Carlton Gray to make the catch at the New York 1. After a run by Smith lost a yard, Aikman found Bjornson all alone in the end zone for the tight end's first touchdown reception of the season and the game's only touchdown.

"I didn't get to see it," Aikman said. "I got knocked down after I let it go. Ernie knows how to play the game and we're lucky to have him."

Bjornson said his touchdown "was the same play Jay Novacek scored on in Super Bowl XXX. I just slipped off the line."

Smith gained 163 yards on 29 carries. He now has 12,105 career yards.

"I was extra pumped, a little emotionally charged," Smith said. "I wanted to bust a really big one early. The offensive line was just great. This was a very important win for us."

Smith flew in his father, Emmitt Smith Sr., from Florida to see the record broken.

"I wanted to do it here at Texas Stadium, this is where the dream began," Smith said. "I wanted to do it in front of the home crowd."

Giants coach Jim Fassel said Smith "ran very hard, probably the best runner our defense has faced this year. Their team had an incentive to get him 95 yards for the record."

Gailey said "it was almost like Emmitt decided today he was going to do it (set the record) no matter what. He proved he is still a great football player."

Smith broke Dorsett's Cowboys rushing record of 12,036 yards on a 32-yard run in the first half. He became the eighth NFL running back to exceed 12,000 yards.

Gary Brown was the Giants' top offensive threat with 15 carries for 119 yards.

Quarterback Danny Kanell said what's happened to the Giants is "hard and discouraging. Maybe we just got caught up in winning the division last year and started thinking things would come easier."

Notes: Dallas cornerback Kevin Mathis broke a bone in his right arm. ... Cowboys center Clay Shiver missed the second half with a toe injury. ... Dallas holds a 46-25-2 edge in the series. ... New York beat Dallas twice last year. ... It was Smith's 7th career 100 yard rushing day against the Giants.