(AP) Wild shoot out at the Georgia Dome
Super Bowl XXVIII set records for both total points and yardage and was not decided until the final seconds.
 |
| Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson celebrate Super Bowl victory over Denver. |
Super Bowl XXVIII could not have started out worse for the defending champion Cowboys. After going three and out on their first poession, John Elway hit Shannon Sharpe for 60 yards to the Dallas 7. Two plays later Reggie Rivers crashed over from the one to give Denver a 7-0 lead. Moments later Kevin Williams fumbled the ensuing kickoff giving the Broncos a first and 10 at the Dallas 21. After driving to the Cowboy 13, Elway misfired on a pass to Delpino. Jason Elam's 30 yard field goal was good and the Broncos had a 10-0 lead before some fans were in their seats. On the Dallas sidelines Jimmy Johnson was not pleased.
The Cowboys first quarter troubles continued. After driving 66 yards to the Bronco four yard line Emmitt Smith fumbled and the Broncos recovered. The Broncos were unable to move the ball and Dallas took over on the Bronco 49. On the first play of their next possession Aikman's pass for Irwin was picked off by Braxton and returned to the Dallas 48. In just under ten minutes the normally sure handed Cowboys has committed three turnovers.
After trading punts the Broncos offense got moving again and marched into Dallas territory. Facing a 4th and 1 at the Cowboys 41, Denver gambled and went for it. Elway'saudibled at the line but his pass to Russell was batted away by Kevin Smith and the Cowboys dodged a bullet. It only took Dallas five plays to get on the board when Alvin Harper beat Braxton on a 37 yard bomb to cut the lead to 10-7. Ten minutes later the Cowboys finished off an 11 play 85 yard drive when Aikman found Irvin in the end zone to give Dallas a 14-10 lead. The big play on the drive was an Aikman scramble for a first down 4th and 0 at their own 39.
Denver continued to show their ability to gamble when they once again went for it on 4th and 1 at the Cowboy 29. The Cowboy defense rose up and stopped Reggie Rivers just short of a first down and Dallas took over with 1:21 left in the first half. The Broncos running game struggled all day long as the Broncos gained only 74 yards on the ground in 21 carries despite the Cowboys dropping their linebackers into coverage looking for the pass. Moments later another long pass to Harper gave Dallas the ball at the eight with five seconds left in the half. Moments later Eddie Murray gave the Cowboys a 17-10 lead and significant momentum.
The start of the second half was not any better for the Cowboys than the first half. Another pass to Sharpe, this one for 45 yards gave the Broncos the ball at the Dallas 35. The Cowboys did not have answer for Sharpe who had a big day catching 6 passes for 130 yards and 1 TD. Elway stayed hot and eight plays later the score was tied 17-17. Continuing with their gambling ways the Broncos made another gutsy call by attempting an onside kick. The Cowboys were completely fooled and Denver recovered at their own 45. It took only six plays for the Broncos to take a 24-17 lead on an Elway to Sharpe pass with 7:04 left in the 3rd quarter.
Dallas had been successful in the first half with long passes so the Broncos began playing their safeties deep. Dallas countered by running and throwing short hitch passes to Smith. It worked as Dallas drove 81 yards and tied the score on an 8 yard pass from Aikman to Irvin. The Playmaker had a fantastic day against Charles Dimry catching 10 passes for 150 yards and 2 TDs. The Broncos next drive stalled at the Cowboy 49 and once again the Cowboys had no trouble driving down the field on short passes and runs. Alvin Harper's second touchdown catch of the game gave Dallas a 31-24 lead with 9:17 left.
The Dallas defense once again stopped the Broncos and the Cowboy offense looked for another score to put the game out of reach. On first and 10 from their 16, Aikman hit Irvin over the middle and he shook off a tackle by Dimry and raced 38 yards to the Bronco 46. Three plays later, Aikman's pass to Johnston was tipped by Karl Mecklenberg and intercepted by Dennis Smith. The Broncos finally got their running game going against the Cowboy nickel picking up 34 yards on 5 plays. Two plays later Elway tied the score with 2:43 left on an 18 yard pass to Marshall.
Just as in last year's Super Bowl Dallas once again looked to Emmitt Smith in the fourth quarter. Smith gained four yards to the 37 before picking up 15 yards off tackle into Bronco territory as Dallas drove for a potential game winning score. Six more yard by Smith gave Dallas the ball at the 42 with 1:20 left. Another Aikman to Irvin pass put Dallas in field goal position at the Bronco 32 with 51 seconds left. The Cowboys went back to the ground and the Broncos could not stop Smith who plowed his way for 12 yards and a first down at the Bronco 20. One play later Smith raced through a big hole up the middle and carried Atwater with him into the end zone to give Dallas a 38-31 lead with 35 seconds left. Several plays later Jim Jeffcoat put the game on ice with a sack of Elway to give Dallas a 38-31 win.
Sixty-nine points were an ARAIG SB record as well as the Cowboys 534 total yards. The Broncos added 413 yards setting a combined record for 947 yards. Emmitt Smith rushed for over 200 yards in his second Super Bowl. Smith rushed up 204 yards on 31 carries and 1 TD. The Broncos defense did not focus on stopping Smith and he made them pay. Troy Aikman after also had a stellar day completing 24-28 for 325 yards 4 TD and 2 INTs. John Elway was 26-44 for 346 yards and 2 TDs. Dallas lost the turnover battle 4-0 but came through at the end to pull out the win. Congrats to Bill Schneider on a great season and an exciting Super Bowl.
