Super Bowl XII

Super Bowl XII - Dallas Cowboys vs Denver Broncos: First Half

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Part 1 - Pregame | Part 3 - 2nd Half

75,583 fans saw one team start the first indoor Super Bowl tight and, surprisingly, it was Dallas, not the first-timers from Denver.

Dallas DT Jethro Pugh recalled the scene in the Superdome. "Looked like the whole stadium was orange. Folks were just going crazy, and those players ... I never saw a bunch of players so excited as that."

Quarter 1

Veteran Jim Turner, who booted three FGs for the Jets in Super Bowl III, kicked off to Butch Johnson who returned 14y to the 29. Tom Landry started with a gadget play. Tony Dorsett took Roger Staubach's handoff going right, then gave the ball to Johnson coming from the other direction. But he fumbled the ball, picked it up on the bounce, and was thrown down by the shoulder pads for a loss of 9.

Landry afterward: "I probably shouldn't have called that reverse on first down. We were a little tight to open up that quick." However, Staubach liked the play for the message it sent. "The reverse didn't gain yards, but it had its effect. They pursue a great deal, and that let them know they better stay home."
Staubach admitted his team was "jittery" at the start, partly because of the unprecedented noise level in the Superdome with most of it coming from the Denver fans. "This was the first Super Bowl played indoors, and teammates could hardly hear me in the huddle. The roar made audibles almost impossible. The first quarter was a mess. Pure chaos."
FB Robert Newhouse yelled in one huddle amid the din, "Roger, you've got to get these guys under control!" Staubach replied, "Robert, I've trying to get hold of myself."

Dorsett tried the center of the line but got nothing as MLB Randy Grandishar gave him a rude welcome to the Super Bowl.

Denver's 3-4 defense was designed so that LBs made most of the tackles. D-coordinator Joe Collier praised his LB corps. "They were a great group of guys. They were all leaders. Another key is to have unselfish linemen. They aren't the kingpins of the defense. We had Rubin Carter, Alzado, and Barney Chavous who took a lot of the punishment because they have to turn things to the LBs."
Grandishar recalled: "The sense was the defense was going to have to help [the offense] win the game. Craig was humble enough that he certainly didn't make a big deal about it to us players."

Staubach took the shotgun snap and threw a quick screen to the right to Preston Pearson who ran to the 28. Personal fouls on each team offset each other. So the punter, backup QB Danny White, booted 40y. Rick Upchurch moved under the ball but was hit by Hollywood Henderson before the ball arrived. The 15y penalty gave Denver a first down at their 47.

Henderson later claimed that he was following orders from an assistant coach. "I remember in Super Bowl XII playing one of my finest games. Mike Ditka, the consummate competitor, said to me, 'Thomas, on the first punt, if you get a shot at Rick Upchurch, take the penalty. Just take him out. Not hurt him, but get his attention. Make sure he's going to be looking for you the rest of the day.' 'Cause we were afraid of him. We felt that Rick Upchurch could beat us returning kickoffs and punts. I flew down the field with my mission orders, and I took a 15-yard penalty. I just creamed Upchurch. I came to the sideline, and Ditka had moved away, and I had to see Landry. I basically said, 'Ditka told me to do that.' And Landry turned to look for Ditka and couldn't even find him!"

Roger Staubach gives the ball to Tony Dorsett.

Jon Keyworth ran twice, and both times LB Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson stopped him, first for a 5y loss, then a 3y gain.

Randy White: "When we played our flex defense right, we could stop anybody running the football: Walter Payton and Chuck Foreman in the playoffs, or Otis Armstrong in the Super Bowl. ... The flex was a gap-control defense designed for the MLB - Bob Breunig - to make most of the tackles. The philosophy behind it: The defensive players who were at the offense's point of attack ... had to hold their positions. However, if you weren't at the point of attack and you didn't have to contain or cut back, you could go toward the ball. In my spot I had a lot of freedom. I didn't always play the flex the way it was designed. I played it the best I could within its framework, but a lot of times, especially as I got more experience, I was able to take more calculated risks.
Jethro Pugh on Morton: "He was smart but he wasn't able to run much. Films we studied, you could see where Craig was hurting. He had a hip bothering him, I think. He just looked like he couldn't get around much. The strength of our defense was our pass rush, so our thinking, going in, was to shut down their run and make them pass. We figured we could get to Craig."
Tom Landry agreed with Pugh's assessment of Morton. "I believe he was the most intelligent QB I ever had."

Suffering from a hip pointer from the previous game, Craig Morton then took his usual deep drop and fired down the middle to Haven Moses coming across from the right for 21y to the 34. Otis Armstrong gained a yard before MLB Bob Breunig hit him. Morton tried to pass, but LE Too Tall Jones reached out while being blocked and hit Craig's arm, making the pass fall harmlessly to the turf. On 3rd-and-9, the Cowboys, expecting a pass, poured through. Morton had no chance as Randy White sacked him for a loss of 11.

Ironically, the Cowboys had drafted Randy White in 1974 in the first round using one of the two picks the Giants gave them for Morton. White's nickname was "Manster" - half man, half monster.

Craig Morton hands off.

Then came a play that almost gave the underdog Broncos early momentum. WR Tony Hill stood on the 10 to receive Bucky Dilts' punt. The ball sailed over Tony's head, but he foolishly tried to catch it on the 2 with his back to the coverage. The ball went through his hands, and three Broncos dove for the pigskin. John Schultz seemed to recover for Denver just short of the goal line. But he couldn't control the ball, and Hill somehow got it back on the 1.

Red Miller afterward on Hill's fumble: "Our man had it, but I guess it squirted out. ... Our guys came off the field saying it was our ball. ... I believe if we get that one, we win the game."

To gain some room to operate, Staubach faked a handoff to FB Robert Newhouse, then threw to Dorsett in the left flat to a gain of 15. On the next snap, Tony pushed up the middle for 3. Running the same play, Dorsett fumbled when wrestled down by Grandishar, but once again Dallas dodged a bullet as C John Fitzgerald covered the ball. Then Staubach got a swig of the Orange Crush as NT Rubin Carter sacked him for a loss of 6. So White kicked to John Schultz, who caught the ball on his 48 and returned to the Dallas 46. But the good field position was spoiled by a holding penalty that moved the ball back 15y to the Bronco 39.

Dorsett recalled the Denver defense from the last regular season game. "Great pursuit. I tried some little shake-and-bake moves on them. I got the shake, but they'd come across and nail me before I ever got to any bake. The only way to run on that defense is north and south, nothing fancy."

John Schultz returns punt.

Morton threw three straight passes without success. First, Craig and Moses had their signals crossed as Haven cut in as the ball soared far over his head. The 2nd down throw down the middle touched no one. A 10y illegal use of hands penalty made it 2nd-and-20. Then Craig was hit in the collapsing pocket by blitzing S Charlie Waters, who leaped over a blocker, and grabbed Craig, who foolishly tried to get rid of the ball as White also got his hands on him. The ball went forward and downward, but S Randy Hughes was able to get under it for an INT at the 25.

It was the first of three turnovers Hughes would get that evening. He played only when the Cowboys went into their "4-0" defense.

Staubach faked a handoff and threw to Billy Joe Dupree running a shallow crossing route from the left. The big TE rambled to the 12 where LB Joe Rizzo cut his feet out from under him. Newhouse took a quick pitch for 2y before Dorsett found an opening at RT to the 4. Tony jumped over RT but was met by S Steve Foley, playing in his hometown. Dorsett went backwards but got credit for his forward motion to the 3. A measurement showed inches to go for the first down. So the Cowboys went for it. They got the first down and more as Dorsett drove over LT behind FB Newhouse into the EZ. Efren Herrera converted. Dallas 7 Denver 0 (4:29 to go)

Dorsett scores the game's first TD.

Landry called the wrong formation for the TD play, but Staubach ran the play anyway out of the Power-I set.
Dorsett: "It was a tremendous feeling to run off the field having just scored the first touchdown in the Super Bowl. Guys were coming over to congratulate me, and I remember feeling sky-high as far as my emotions and confidence level were concerned."

Schultz gave the Broncos a lift with an excellent return of 37y to the 40, kicker Herrera making the stop.

Randy White: "Efren was a good guy. He didn't like that tag kickers get about being apart from the rest of the team. He was one of the guys. The big difference between him and most kickers is that he would make a tackle when he had to. He would run down and cover his kickoffs. He'd hit somebody. In fact, he liked to hit people. Herrera was pretty touch. So he wasn't a typical kicker."

With fresh RBs to work with, Morton handed to Rob Lytle for 2. Craig then took the air, but with Too Tall in his line of sight, the result was a second straight INT. MLB Breunig tipped the ball and CB Aaron Kyle darted in front of the receiver, caught the ball on the run and wiggled 19y to the 35.
Two straight runs, Newhouse over RG for 9 and Dorsett through RT and then outside into the secondary for 18 made it 1st-and-goal at the 8.

LB Bob Swenson stalks Dorsett down the right side.

But led by Lyle Alzado, the Crush dug in. First, Lyle stopped Tony for no gain. Then, after Staubach threw incomplete for DuPree, who fell down in the EZ, Alzado sacked Roger at the 18 as he tried to dodge blitzing LILB Rizzo. So Herrera kicked a 35y FG. Dallas 10 Denver 0 (1:52)

Lyle Alzado sacks Roger Staubach.

Rick Upchurch returns the kickoff.

Upchurch took the high but not deep kickoff at the 13 and ran out to the 28. The Doomsday Defense continued to attack the Bronco offense. Lonnie Perrin carried twice for no gain and 4y. On 3rd-and-6, white shirts led by Randy White roared through, forcing the retreating Morton to throw a dying quail that Perrin caught lying on the ground for a loss of 7.
END OF Q1: DALLAS 10 DENVER 0

Randy White corrals Morton as he gets the ball away.

Denver ended the period with 5y rushing, 3y passing, and one first down.
Red Miller admitted: "Going in, I felt like we matched up with them in every area except one. I didn't like our offensive line against their defensive line. I felt like we were overmatched there. Hell, I'd picked up our left offensive tackle off the waiver wire."
That tackle was Andy Maurer, who was matched against Randy White or Harvey Martin depending on which defense the Cowboys called. "I was real surprised when I saw they weren't going to double on me," Martin said. "They left that tackle out there to take me along. I felt real good when I saw it was just going to be me and him. ... His tactic was to back peddle very fast and establish position. So I just tried to use his momentum against him, get under him, and make him knock the QB down. It's a lot easier if you can get someone on the other team to make the tackle for you."

Quarter 2

Dilts punted just 32y, the ball downed on the Dallas 43 as chippiness broke out.
From there, the Cowboys drove for their third score. After Dorsett gained 2 and a false start penalty, Staubach hit Preston Pearson out of the backfield on a delayed screen for 11. Needing 2, Newhouse took a pitchout around the right side for 7. Roger then found DuPree down the right seam to the 23. But the drive stalled there. Dorsett gained 4, then Staubach threw incomplete to Tony down the right sideline. On 3rd down, Roger escaped the pressure out of the pocket to the right sideline, stopped and threw to the middle of the EZ where the ball was intercepted. But Denver's turnover was negated because the officials said Staubach's right foot was on the sideline as he planted to throw the ball. So Herrera drilled a 43y FG. Dallas 16 Denver 0 (11:16)
Upchurch ran the kick back 13y, but a half-the-distance holding penalty set the Broncos back to the 10. After Lytle gained 5 up the middle, lightning struck the offense again. Morton faked a handoff and went back to pass. With plenty of time, he tried to hit Moses streaking down the right hash marks but underthrew the ball. That allowed Bennie Barnes to make the Cowboys' third INT at the Dallas 40. Barnes hurt his right foot on the play.
Newhouse struggled for 2 up the middle. A holding penalty negated Staubach's short pass to Robert. Preston Pearson dropped Roger's pass on a quick screen. Then on 3rd down, Carter dropped The Dodger as he tried to run out of the pocket for a loss of 4. Just as the Orange Crush were congratulating themselves on an excellent series, Danny White's line drive punt bounced off the helmet of Schultz as he tried to block, and Bruce Huther recovered for Dallas at the Denver 40.

The Broncos insisted afterward that the officials made a bad call in awarding Dallas the ball. "The ball did not hit our guy," said Red Miller. "It hit one of the Dallas guys on the leg."

After gaining 2, Dorsett zipped up the middle on a delayed handoff, broke a tackle, and veered right for 19y to the 19. Then the defense made a stop and got a much-needed break. Pearson gained only 1, and Swenson corralled Dorsett for a loss of 3. After a false start, Roger threw to Johnson behind CB Wright in the EZ, but Louie got a hand on the ball to avert the TD. The turnover didn't pay off for Landry's crew as Herrera's FG try sailed wide left.

Collier on his best secondary defender: "Louis Wright was in a league by himself as a CB ... If there was a great receiver on the team we were playing, we would say, 'Louie, you cover this guy and the rest of us will play defense.'"

Armstrong tried to skirt RE, but Jones crashed and tackled the ball carrier for a 3y loss. An offside penalty on Dallas made it 2nd-and-8. Armstrong tried the right side again, gaining 4. Morton then connected with WR Jack Dolbin for an apparent 1st down, but Denver was flagged for an illegal formation. Then Morton hit Dolbin over the middle. but just as Jack turned to run, S Charlie Waters hit him, causing the ball to bounce forward into the hands of Hughes who returned 19y to the 28 with four minutes remaining.

Waters had only decent physical speed but used his mental quickness to improve his play. He was so smart that coordinator Ernie Stautner let him draw up schemes. Randy White recalled, "We'd be at our defensive meetings, and it would be Charlie and Ernie Stautner talking to each other about what we were going to do."

Dorsett for 8, Newhouse for 10 to the 9 (thanks to a block by Dorsett). Needing a big play after Grandishar left the field with an injury, the Crush got it. Roger faked a handoff, then threw to his right to Newhouse on a screen, but the defense dropped him for a loss of 7. After the two-minute warning, Staubach threw low to WR Drew Pearson in the EZ. Then the Cowboys tried some misdirection. Roger rolled right, then threw back to Newhouse, but the play took too long to develop, and Alzado caught the FB from behind for a gain of only 1. So Herrera tried another FG but missed again, this time wide right. Amazingly, he would get another chance in the final 1:23.
Morton threw to TE Riley Odoms over the middle, but he carried the ball loosely and fumbled when hit by Kyle. Johnny-on-the-spot Hughes got another recovery that he ran to the 28.

Henderson: "I played against Riley Odoms, who was the TE who rated himself far better than he was. He was basically whipped and noneffective. He didn't do shit. But he talked the whole day as if he was doing something, and to this day, and the history of Super Bowl XII, it was like he wasn't even there."

But the Cowboys gave the ball right back. Staubach rifled the ball to DuPree, who started to run, but Foley's helmet hit the ball, and LB Tom Jackson recovered at the 12.
But the turnover fest wasn't over. A procedure penalty immediately set the Broncos back to the 7. After Perrin gained 4, Dallas called timeout. Morton went to handoff to Lytle but bumped into him. But Rob broke over LT for 16y to achieve Denver's second first down of the half. Dallas called timeout again with 0:25 remaining. Then the same play got 13 more yards for Lytle to the 40. The Cowboys used their last timeout. After Morton conferred with his coaches on the sideline, he tried a pass but threw it right to CB Mark Washington, who returned 27y down the sideline to the 35 with six seconds left. That gave Denver the dubious distinction of tying the Super Bowl record of 4 INTs thrown by the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III.

Morton afterward on his four INTs: "They hit my arm twice for two of them, I underthrew a long one, and on the other one I just tried to get it into a hole."

Trying to get into FG range, Staubach hit Preston Pearson who ran out of bounds on the 27 with one tick left. So Herrera came on for his fifth attempt of the half and missed wide left again.
END OF FIRST HALF; DALLAS 13 DENVER 0

Denver turned the ball over seven times in the first half. Morton's four picks were half of what he'd thrown all season. Yet they were still in the game thanks to the defense holding the Cowboys in Q2 and Herrera missing three FGs.
The two teams combined for only 86y passing, with Denver netting only 28. The Broncos gained only three first downs to Dallas's eight.

The halftime show featured New Orleans musicians Pete Fountain and Al Hirt. The Tyler Apache Belles came from Texas to perform their high kicks can-can style.

Jim Turner