72/79/6
Garrett, Cowboys Beat Raiders in First Preseason
Game
By DENNE H. FREEMAN
Associated Press
(July 28, 1996)
IRVING - Jason Garrett went wild Saturday night, just like he
did on Thanksgiving Day 1994.
The third-stringer threw two touchdown passes in the last 1:35
of the game, including a 59-yarder to Billy Davis with 40 seconds
left, as the Dallas Cowboys rallied for a wild 35-34 NFL preseason
victory over the Oakland Raiders.
He threw two touchdown passes as the Cowboys beat Green Bay 42-31
on Thanksgiving Day when the first two Dallas quarterbacks were
injured.
"This team has so much confidence in Jason," said Dallas
coach Barry Switzer. "We have good three quarterbacks. But
they know when he is in there anything can happen."
It did.
Chris Boniol hit the vital extra point after Garrett's game-deciding
pass to give Dallas only its fifth preseason win against the
Raiders against 11 losses. Davis cut across the field to catch
Garrett's pass, then eluded two members of the Oakland secondary
for the touchdown.
"I had two great players made for me by the receivers,"
Garrett said. "It was kind of crazy there at the end. But
we hit the coverage just right. It was a fun game for a preseason
game."
Oakland coach Mike White said it was fun, until the last 40 seconds.
"It just shows you it's never over," White said. "We
made some great plays but Jason Garrett made the last one."
Rookie Alfred Montez of Western New Mexico hit Kenny Shed on
a 40-yard touchdown pass with 54 seconds left as the Raiders
answered Garrett's first touchdown pass.
It came when Garrett hit rookie Jason Shelley on a 60-yard touchdown
pass with 1:35 left to play.
Shelley, a free agent rookie from Central (Ohio) State, slipped
behind the Oakland secondary and Garrett hit him perfectly in
stride.
David Klingler threw two touchdown passes to put the Raiders
ahead until third-string quarterback Garrett provided the last
minute dramatics.
Klingler, who came into the game in the first half after an injury
to starting quarterback Billy Joe Hobert, hit Philip Bobo with
a 27-yard scoring pass after scrambling out of the pocket to
avoid a Dallas rush. Oakland also got a 39-yard field goal from
Cole Ford in the third quarter and a 34-yarder in the fourth
with 1:51 to play.
Rookie Harold Morrow returned the ensuing kickoff 39 yards to
set up Garrett's pass.
Hobert limped off with a sprained left ankle in the second quarter
after being tackled by Rudy Smith.
Hobert threw a 2-yard scoring pass to Sean Foster in the first
quarter before he was injured.
Klingler hit Olanda Truitt with a 9-yard scoring pass late in
the second quarter to tie the game 14-all in the first half.
Oakland starting quarterback Jeff Hostetler did not play.
Troy Aikman played only in the first quarter for Dallas, hitting
four of five passes for 35 yards. He directed Dallas on a 69-yard
touchdown march climaxed by the first of two touchdowns by Dominique
Ross, a 1-yard run. The key play was a 19-yard pass from Aikman
to Kevin Williams.
Ross scored again on a 2-yard run after Wade Wilson hit Herschel
Walker with a 39-yard pass.
Ross was a free agent from Valdosta State who joined the Cowboys
late last season and earned a Super Bowl ring as a contributor
on special teams.
Morrow of Auburn scored the third Cowboys touchdown on a 1-yard
run in the third period.
The game was played on a new artificial surface called "SportField."
The old surface had been in Texas Stadium since it was built
in 1972.
Oakland placekicker Jeff Jaeger had problems with it in the fourth
quarter when he fell down trying to hit a 36-yard field goal.
The kick went wide left.
All content copyright 1996, AP, The Abilene
Reporter-News and Reporter OnLine
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