Shreveport Times:A tale of two halves

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A tale of two halves

Cowboys awaken in second half to stay atop NFC East

Posted on November 3, 2003

IRVING, Texas - The Dallas Cowboys played perhaps the ugliest first quarter in their storied history Sunday. Three turnovers in the first six plays and two touchdowns called back due to penalties were just part of the mess the Cowboys created for themselves before breaking a sweat.

But somehow, the Cowboys (6-2) overcame themselves and beat the struggling Washington Redskins 21-14 at Texas Stadium to retain their one-game lead over the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East Division.

"The first part of the game was a complete nightmare," Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells said. "We made enough mistakes for two or three games. But we hung in there. We were in a benevolent mode."

Dallas running back Troy Hambrick, who spent some time on the bench after two first-half fumbles, ran for 100 yards and scored two touchdowns.

"Hambrick is what I've got and I'll play him," Parcells said. "He just needs to get his stuff together."

An embarrassing first quarter for the Cowboys included a gaggle of errors which drew a cascade of boos from the 64,002 in attendance as the first quarter mercifully came to an end.

The first-quarter carnage:

- Derek Ross returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown but Keith O'Neil was flagged for holding, nullifying the score.

- On Dallas' second offensive play, quarterback Quincy Carter threw deep into double coverage and was intercepted by Matt Bowen.

- Hambrick fumbled on the Cowboys' next play and LaVar Arrington recovered for the Redskins.

- Three offensive plays later, Carter was again intercepted after receiver Terry Glenn bobbled a pass, kicked the ball up into the air and watched Ifeanyi Ohalete grab the pick and return it to the Dallas 6-yard line. Two plays later, Laveraneus Coles scored for Washington.

- With 10 seconds to go in the first period, Carter hit Glenn over the middle for a 35-yard touchdown. The touchdown was again nullified when Jason Witten was called for illegal motion. After a false start penalty and an incomplete pass, the Cowboys punted.

Thanks to a defense which compiled four sacks and a blocked extra point and rendered the Redskins useless on third-down (1 of 11 for the game), the Cowboys only trailed 6-0. After Coles' touchdown, Flozell Adams blocked the extra point. Parcells believes that may have been a turning point.

"He gave the team a ray of light," Parcells said.

Early in the second quarter, the Cowboys put together their only solid drive of the first half - an 11-play, 75-yard drive was capped by a Hambrick leap into the end zone from the 4-yard line. That drive nearly wound up in disaster as well when Bowen dropped an easy interception on the third play of the series.

Hambrick bumped the Cowboys lead to 14-6 with a 1-yard scamper midway through the third quarter.

The same unit that couldn't do anything right early on, constructed a masterful 14-play, 91-yard drive early in the fourth quarter. Glenn hauled in a 19-yard touchdown pass from Carter to help make the score 21-6.

Carter recovered from an 8-of-21 effort, two INTs and a 15.7 quarterback rating in the first half to go 9-of-12 in the second half and a TD.

"We were very fortunate our defense came to play today," Carter said. "We toughed it out in the second half."

The physical Cowboys defense sent numerous red jerseys limping to the sidelines, including starting quarterback Patrick Ramsey and starting running back Chad Morton.

Ramsey, a former Ruston High and Tulane star, withstood a pair of hand injuries to throw a pair of touchdowns.

"Being courageous is my job," Ramsey said. "If I can go out there and throw the ball, I will."

Up until a late Washington touchdown, the Cowboys defense allowed only a score after a two-play, 6-yard drive set up by a turnover early in the game.

Dallas sealed its 11th win in 12 tries against Washington when Glenn picked up 47 yards on a reverse at the two-minute warning.

The Redskins (3-5) suffered their third straight loss.

"I am not going to get on my players anymore this season," Redskins head coach Steve Spurrier said. "We are what we are.

"We are not going to throw in the towel just yet. All I have to say is: We have to get better."

The Cowboys stay at home as the Buffalo Bills (4-4) come to town next week. The Bills will be the third straight team to play the Cowboys after enjoying a bye week.

NOTES: Newly acquired running back Adrian Murrell enjoyed a solid debut with the Cowboys, garnering 42 total yards on 11 touches (20 yards rushing, 22 on two catches)