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After wild finish, Cowboys, Eagles could use a hug

By Clarence E. Hill Jr.

Knight-Ridder Newspapers

(KRT)

IRVING, Texas - From Barry Switzer's Jim Valvano-like sprint down the Cowboys' sideline, as he looked for someone - anyone - to hug, to the dumbfounded shock on the faces of the Eagles' players, it was a game for the memory banks Monday night.

The bobble by Eagles holder Tommy Hutton, who dropped the ball on Chris Boniol's 22-yard field-goal attempt to preserve a 21-20 victory for the Cowboys, will go down as one for the ages in this bitter rivalry.

"I can't recall a more frustrating loss," Eagles coach Ray Rhodes said. "Everyone was devastated."

Hutton accepted full responsibility, saying, "It was nobody's fault but mine."

Eagles fans can still recite the play-by-play of the 1978 "Miracle at the Meadowlands," when Philadelphia stole a game in the waning seconds after the Giants fumbled an ill-advised handoff trying to run out the clock. Eagles fans won't soon forget an outrageous loss to a hated rival such as the Cowboys on the Monday night stage.

"I'm very disappointed for our fans, because I know how much it means to them that we beat the Cowboys, and for the team, because we had them beat," said Boniol, a former Cowboys player who signed with Eagles in the off-season and became a quick study of Eagles lore.

The Cowboys won't soon forget, either.

After the Cowboys took the lead only 51 seconds remaining, the Eagles drove 80 yards in 47 seconds to set up the potential winning field goal before Hutton bobbled the snap.

The Cowboys reacted with incredulity on the sideline, knowing they won an ugly game they should have lost.

After the game, Cowboys safety Brock Marion had to remind cornerback Kevin Smith that the Cowboys had won. Smith was sitting in the locker room dejectedly analyzing how the Eagles got in position for the final field-goal attempt.

Yes, the Cowboys stole one.

But Switzer wasn't about to offer apologies. He pointed to the Eagles' upset of Green Bay last week when the Packers missed a short field-goal attempt at the finish and the Eagles' victory against the Cowboys at Texas Stadium last season when defeat or overtime seemed imminent.

"They had a gift last week; maybe we got one this week," Switzer said. "That's how things work out. I thought we had it won last year against Philadelphia. We snatched defeat from the jaws of victory last year. Maybe we snatched victory from the jaws of defeat this year."

Cowboys offensive coordinator Ernie Zampese, in his 21st season as an NFL coach, has seen his share of bizarre finishes. However, he couldn't recall one that had the twists of this one.

"I was completely drained," Zampese said. "Happily drained, though. If you are around long enough, you will see a little of everything."

Also a surprise was how the Cowboys moved into position for their final score. Switzer called defensive end Shante Carver's stop of Eagles running back Ricky Watters for a 1-yard gain on third-and-two with less than three minutes to play as the play of the game.

The Cowboys trailed 20-15 and took over at their 38 for the game-winning drive. On the sideline was star receiver Michael Irvin, out with leg cramps. The first three plays went nowhere: two incomplete passes to Daryl Johnston and a run by Emmitt Smith on third-and-10 that gained 5.

"We knew we were going for it on fourth down, so we wanted to run it to make the fourth-down play shorter," Zampese said.

An interference call gave the Cowboys a first down, though it should have been the Eagles' ball. On fourth-and-five from the Cowboys' 43, Aikman's pass to Stepfret Williams was tipped by Philadelphia defensive end Mike Mamula at the line of scrimmage, but officials called Eagles defensive back Charles Dimry for pass interference, not noticing the tip. A tipped pass negates defensive interference.

Aikman then reeled off four consecutive completions, capped by a 14-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Miller. Aikman rolled left to avoid the rush and found Miller in the back of the end zone. The ball went through cornerback Tim Watson's hands.

"I was lucky to come down with it," Miller said.

It appeared not to matter when the Eagles easily moved right back down the field, setting up Boniol at the Cowboys' 4-yard line with four seconds left.

"I really didn't want to watch," Cowboys tight end Eric Bjornson said. "I figured with Boniol, it was a slam dunk."

Zampese, still in the coaches' booth, thought it was, too.

"I saw the ball snapped, some commotion, then we happily headed to elevators," he said.

(c) 1997, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

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