[Nick]

BEST OF THE BEST QUARTER-FINALS: GAME ONE

                         1st       2nd       3rd       4th       OT        TOTAL

’62 TEXANS               0         14        0         3         0         17
’75 RAMS                 0         14        3         0         3         20

SCORING SUMMARY
Second Quarter
-LOS TD (0-7): 3-yard pass from Harris to Jackson (extra pt good)
-DAL TD (7-7): 1-yard pass from Dawson to Burfurd (extra pt good)
-LOS TD (7-14): 14-yard pass from Harris to Jessie (extra pt good)
-DAL TD (14-14): 11-yard pass from Dawson to Burfurd (extra pt good)

Third Quarter
-LOS FG (14-17): 51-yard field goal by Dempsey

Fourth Quarter
-DAL FG (17-17): 48-yard field goal by Brooker

Overtime
-LOS FG (17-20): 31-yard field goal by Dempsey


KEY STATISTICS
Texans
-Dawson: 24/34, 284 yards, 2 TDs, 4 INTs
-Haynes: 18 att, 63 yards; 1 rec, 12 yards
-McClinton: 9 att, 43 yards; 2 rec, 18 yards
-Burfurd: 12 rec, 136 yards, 2 TDs
-Arbanas: 4 rec, 59 yards

Rams
-Harris: 15/26, 139 yards, 2 TDs
-McCutcheon: 22 att, 83 yards; 5 rec, 34 yards
-H. Jackson: 5 rec, 52 yards, 1 TD
-Jessie: 4 rec, 47 yards, 1 TD
-Youngblood: 1 sack
-Elmendorf: 1 INT
-Dryer: 1 INT
-B. Simpson: 1 INT
-Robertson: 1 INT


GAME SUMMARY
The Texans started off this contest by blitzing early in the first quarter, but the Rams were well prepared to counter it. James Harris came ready to play and helped the Rams drive into Texan territory, but it stalled there. The Texans answered with a blazing air attack, completing two passes for 33 yards to start their drive. But Dawson paid the price on a blitz up the middle when Fred Dryer intercepted one of his passes at the Rams’ 22-yard line. The Texans were obviously upset over the turn of events; on the Rams’ first play of their new drive, the Texans were penalized for unnecessary roughness. Harris continues to move the Rams downfield with successful pass after pass, but a blitz on 3rd and 3 brings their drive to a halt at the Texans’ 18-yard line. The field goal unit comes out, but the kick is wide left, keeping the Rams’ scoreless. Anxious to get the ball back into enemy territory, the Texans decide to try a running attack, which moves the chains after a nine-yard pick-up by McClinton. However, Haynes fumbles the ball on first down at the 38, and Eddie McMillan recovers. Another crucial turnover by the Texans!

After being penalized for illegal motion, the Rams try to pound ahead with their own running game, but McCutcheon gains only two yards. A blitz forces a bad throw by Harris, but it falls harmlessly to the field. On 3rd and long, the Rams try a draw that gains them only a yard, and are forced to punt, but would soon get the ball back as the Texans’ turnover problems continue to haunt them. On the very first play of their drive, Bill Simpson steps in front of a quick pass by Dawson and grabs the ball, returning it 11 yards to the Texans’ own 16-yard line. Despite throwing two interceptions in the first quarter, Dawson looks calm but obviously upset. The Rams’ offense takes the field, and moves the chains with two hand-offs to Cullen Bryant as time expires in the first quarter.

It wasn’t far into the second quarter before the Rams found themselves on the scoreboard after Harold Jackson pulls in a three-yard pass from James Harris for the touchdown! The Texans returned to the field and looked as determined as ever. After a quick pass into the flat, the Texans concentrate on their running attack by feeding the ball to McClinton and Haynes who get them to midfield. Then, Dawson took over with a 19-yard strike to Arbanas down the sideline! The Rams counter by blitzing, but it doesn’t seem to stop the Texans, who dodge the pressure with a quick pass to Burford for 20 yards and a 14-yard sweep to Spikes. Determined to force a mistake, the Rams continue to blitz, but Dawson remains cool and hits Burford with a short pass that leads him into the endzone! The Texans score in under five minutes with a balanced offensive attack!

After returning the ball to their own 32-yard line, the Rams know they need to take back the momentum, but find themselves at 3rd and 4 after two runs by McCutcheon, who can’t bring in Harris’s pass and the Rams are forced to punt. The Texans come back onto the field with momentum on their side, but it doesn’t last long. More pressure from the Rams defense forces a turnover on second down as Isiah Robertson grabs an ill-fated Dawson pass and gives the Rams another shot to drive a dagger into Dallas. Inside Texans territory, the Rams turn toward Cullen Bryant, who counters a blitz on third down with a 14-yard run off tackle! McCutcheon converts the following second down by rushing 9 yards on a draw play to counter a Texans’ safety blitz. The Rams are in the redzone for only one play as Harris hits Jessie for a 14-yard touchdown! The Rams take the lead!

And now, with 3:23 left before the end of the first half, can the Texans come out and even the score, or will the Rams defense continue to haunt Dawson? That question is answered quickly as Dawson connects with Bill Miller over the middle for 15 yards before the two-minute warning. A rush by McClinton takes Dallas into Rams’ territory but they can’t connect through the air. Forced to take a timeout, Dallas evaluates the situation. A quick strike from Dawson to Miller on a crossing pattern gets the Texans the first down, and then Dawson threads the needle to Arbanas on the sideline, who gets his feet inbounds for a gain of 18 yards! Inside the red zone, the Rams decide to blitz and it costs them as Dawson hits Burford on the sideline for 11 yards and the touchdown, tying the score! With the game tied and only a few seconds remaining, a few short runs by the Rams send both teams into the locker room.

Los Angeles kicks off to start the third quarter, hoping that the halftime break cooled off some of Dallas’s momentum. After Dawson hits his favorite target – Chris Burford – for 20 yards, the Rams look like they’re on their heels… until Dave Elmendorf picks off Dawson at the 36-yard line and returns the ball near midfield! With momentum back on their side, the Rams feed McCutcheon the ball. Six yards on a sweep, seven through the air, five yards up the middle… he can’t be stopped! Well, perhaps he can as Los Angeles is called for two consecutive illegal motion penalties that put them at 2nd and 15 to go at the Dallas 35. Harris can’t connect with Bob Klein, and after the Texans sniff a draw out, the Rams settle for a field goal and take the lead, 17-14.

But the Rams defense continues to shine. After Spikes finds a hole up the middle and gains 18 yards on the ground, the Rams force a fumble by Chris Burford after he makes a huge catch! Isiah Robertson is there to pick up the ball and gives the Rams another chance to widen the gap. But Dallas responds, perhaps sensing the necessity of the situation, and forces a fumble after Ron Jessie pulls in a 20-yard pass from Harris. The Texans have the ball back! A 14-yard pass from Dawson puts the Texans into Rams’ territory, but after a few short runs, the Texans are called for holding and face a 1st and 20 near midfield to end the third quarter.

Dallas trails by only a field goal to start the fourth quarter, and are unable to convert the twenty yards needed for a new set of downs. But the Texans bring out Tommy Brooker, who makes a clutch 48-yard field goal to tie the game! The Rams come back onto the field, hoping to put this one away, but can’t. The Texans defense holds up and gets Harris out of rhythm. The Rams are forced to punt. Dallas spends nearly seven minutes trying to drive from their own two yard line, but can’t get further than the Rams’ 43 before having to punt themselves. The defenses really seem to be stepping up as the end draws near! The Rams get the ball back at their own 20 after the punt, but seem to have gone conservative. Three runs fail to convert, and they punt once more. The Texans, after a great special teams return that put the ball on the Rams’ 38-yard line, see that this game could be theirs. Dawson hits Arbanas for a quick 16-yard strike before the two-minute warning. The Texans are nearly in the red zone, and could win with a field goal! Two runs by McClinton help center the ball, and the Texans choose to try a quick pass, but it’s nearly intercepted. With a minute and a half on the clock, the Texans try for a field goal… and miss! Brooker’s attempt is wide left! The game is still tied!!

There’s a minute and a half left to go, and the Rams are on their own 29-yard line. After McCutcheon fails to gain any ground with a sweep, the Rams call time out. Harris comes out shooting and hits Jackson on the sideline for six yards, but on third down, Harris can’t connect with Jessie and the Rams are forced to punt again. It looks like Dallas really has them out of rhythm late in the game. The Rams try to do the same to Dallas and blitz on first down, but Dawson remains cool under pressure and hits Chris Burfurd deep over the middle for 30 yards!! The Texans are at midfield with under a minute left! They call a quick timeout only to lose a yard as Haynes is buried by the Rams defense. Another time out. It’s 2nd and 11 now, and Dawson connects with Burford on the sideline for 9 yards. The Rams blitz up the middle on third down, but Haynes gets enough to convert on a sweep to the left. The clock’s ticking though, so Dawson is forced to spike the ball to regroup. Second and ten, and Dawson goes back to the bread and butter by tossing toward Burford… who can’t come up with the catch! Burford is beside himself! It’s a critical third down on the 39-yard line. Ten yards to go. Dawson drops back, but in comes Jack Youngblood! Youngblood brings down Dawson in the backfield for a loss of four! What a clutch play by Youngblood! The Texans let the clock run down to only nine seconds before punting the ball into the endzone, and after a failed bomb by Harris, this game is going into overtime!!

The Rams win the coin toss and elect to receive, returning the kickoff to their own 28-yard line. Despite the momentum gained by Youngblood’s sack and the winning coin flip, the Rams are patient and run the ball. Bryant picks up five on a draw, followed by McCutcheon getting 12 yards on two pitches to the right side. The Rams find themselves at midfield as Cullen Bryant pounds up the middle for 10 yards, putting the Rams in Dallas territory. After a short run by Bryant, the Rams decide it’s time for the final strike. Harris drops back in the pocket and makes his reads, sending a 20-yard pass to Jessie, who is knocked out of bounds to stop the clock. The Rams are inside the 25-yard line! A sweep to McCutcheon picks up 8 yards and helps center the ball, and on second down, the Rams waste no time by bringing in Dempsey, who kicks the game-winner: a 31-yard field goal that hooks through the uprights! The Rams win in overtime, and move into the semi-finals!