FanNation

This is the 202nd blog of the SIFS! WOO-HOO!!!!!!!!

When Emmitt Smith first arrived in the NFL, it was tempting to suggest that he might not last too long. He stood only 5-feet-9 inches tall, hardly big enough to withstand the pounding that a professional running back can expect to endure. But height told only a portion of the story. Smith carried more than 200 pounts on his compact, muscular frame. he was blessed with outstanding speed and an uncanny ability to evade defenders. He would cut so sharply and suddenly that tacklers would be left grasping at noth but air. And, of course, there were traits you couldn't see, like intelligence and character, even heart. All of these thngs helped made Smith one of the greatest running backs the NFL has ever seen. In 2002, he surpassed the legendary Walter Payton to become the league's all-time leading rusher. But it was during the ealry 1990's, when "America's Team" dominated the NFL, and Smith was at his best. The Cowboys won three Super Bowls in a span of four years, from 1992 to 1995. Smith played a major role in each of those victories, but it was in Super Bowl XXVIII that he truly left his mark.

Playing tireless and fearless football, Smith carried the ball 30 times for 132 yards and two touchdowns as the Cowboys overpowered the Buffalo Bills for the second straight year. An amzing nineteen of his carries came in the second half, as Dallas decided to simply put the ball in Smith's hands and let him run out the clock. The decisive play of the game occurred midway through the third quarter, with the score tied, 13-13. Following a Buffalo punt, Smith carried the ball six consecutive times for 46 yards. He took one-play break while fullback Daryl Johnston caught a three-yard pass, then went back to work, and what a damn good job he did! At the Bufallo 15-yard line, Smith took a handoff from quarterback Troy Aikman. What beganas an ordinary running play quickly developed into one of the Super Bowl's most enduring images. One after another, Buffalo defenders tried to stop Smith, but no one could bring him down. Five times he shed tacklers. The Bills bounced off him as though he were made of rubber. Smith's engine finally cooled when he was in the end zone, with the ball safely tucked unter his arem, and the game in hand.

 SCORING
TEAMS            Dallas               Buffalo

1st-                  6                        3

2nd-                 0                       10

3rd-                 14                      0

4th-                 10                       0

FINAL-              30                      13

SCORING

DAL-FG Murray 41

BUF-FG Christie 54

DAL-FG Murray 24

BUF-Thomas 4 un (Christie kick)

BUF-FG Christie 28

DAL-Washington 46 def. fumble rec. (Murray kick)

DAL-E. Smith 15 run (Murray kick)

DAL-E.Smith 1 run (Murray kick)

DAL-FG Murray 20