Tuesday, October 13, 1998

Cowboys hold on for second straight victory

By David Moore

The Dallas Morning News

(KRT)

IRVING, Texas - There were more anxious moments than the Dallas Cowboys cared to endure. On this afternoon, Dallas had to wait to exhale until Steve Beuerlein's desperation heave fell harmlessly outside the end zone as time expired.

But the final, frenetic minutes against a winless Carolina team didn't alter the outcome. Sunday's 27-20 victory over the Panthers at Texas Stadium marked the first time this season the Cowboys have managed wins in consecutive weeks.

No matter how modest, this represents progress in the team's quest to once again be considered among the league's elite.

"It seems like a long time," Michael Irvin said.

It has been a long time. Dallas last strung together back-to-back wins in November of last season. It beat an opponent outside the NFC East for the first time in 357 days and beat the Panthers for the first time.

Those are the positives the Cowboys can carry out of Sunday's contest. But there are several factors that temper this enthusiasm.

Dallas, after all, was pushed to the limit at home by an 0-5 team with a beat up offensive line and secondary, a backup quarterback and a backup running back who played only because starter Fred Lane missed the team's charter.

"We've got two wins in a row," Cowboys coach Chan Gailey said. "But we had to overcome a lot of self-imposed adversity to win.

"We found a way to win. That's the key. But it wasn't dominating in any way, shape or form."

The offensive numbers indicate otherwise. Dallas rolled up 428 yards and averaged 7.1 yards a play. The Cowboys rattled the Carolina defense with eight plays that went for 20 or more yards.

Jason Garrett threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns. Irvin caught six of those passes for 146 yards while Ernie Mills added five for 110 yards and a touchdown when he made an outstanding adjustment on a fade route. It marked the first time since September of 1993 the Cowboys have had two receivers go over 100 yards in the same game.

Emmitt Smith, meanwhile, carried the ball 21 times for 112 yards and a touchdown. It was the third time this season he has broken the century mark and the first time since December '95 he has rushed for 100 or more yards in back-to-back games.

While impressive, these statistics weren't all that efficient. The Cowboys dropped six passes. Irvin was the leading offender with four. Mills and Chris Warren joined him.

"It's really funny about this offense," Irvin said. "We're doing some pretty good things, but we can get better."

Even though Dallas fell behind, 14-3, in the second quarter, there was no sense this team was in trouble. The Cowboys were moving the ball on offense and the Panthers have a rather destructive habit of turning the ball over at the most inopportune times. Carolina's 12 turnovers entering Sunday's game was the second-highest total in the league.

Unlucky No. 13 came in the opening minutes of the third quarter. Anthony Johnson fumbled without being hit, and Kevin Mathis recovered, giving the Cowboys a first-and-goal on the 2-yard line. Warren scored on a shovel pass seconds later to give Dallas a 17-14 lead it wouldn't relinquish.

"We shot ourselves in the foot," Panthers linebacker Kevin Greene said.

The Cowboys almost returned the favor. Dallas took a 27-14 lead early in the fourth on a 38-yard field goal by Richie Cunningham. But with less than seven minutes remaining, Garrett fumbled on a quarterback sneak on third-and-one from the Carolina 16-yard line. Cornerback Rod Smith, abused by Garrett so much early in the game that he was replaced by an injured Doug Evans, recovered the ball.

Two plays later, the Panthers scored to narrow the deficit to 27-20 with 5:45 left. Chad Hennings blocked the extra point to prevent the Panthers from creeping closer.

It took a Deion Sanders interception in the final two minutes and Carolina's final, failed drive to preserve the victory.

"We have to learn to not put ourselves in these kind of predicaments next time," Smith said. "Some teams will be better than the one we played today, and they might take advantage of it.

"We definitely put ourselves in a bad situation. But we picked up our intensity when we needed to and maintained our poise."

Next up: a Chicago team that turned the ball over eight times in a 20-7 loss to Arizona on Sunday.

"We've got a chance to be a good football team," Gailey said. "We've had some guys play well and we've got to continue to play well.

"We haven't proven anything yet. We're on the road to hopefully doing that, but until you do it, it doesn't matter."

(c) 1998, The Dallas Morning News.

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