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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -- Jake Plummer brought happy memories back to
Arizona.
The slender quarterback, criticized as a one-year wonder after
taking the Cardinals to the playoffs in 1998 and then flopping last
year when he had a hand injury, passed the Cardinals to a 32-31
victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night.
|  | | Michael Pittman's 1-yard touchdown leap gave the Cards a short-lived lead in the second quarter. |
Plummer passed to David Boston for 63 yards on the Cardinals'
last possession -- a play that ended at the Dallas 22. Two running
plays later, Plummer passed 17 yards to Frank Sanders for the
touchdown that produced the final score with 1:54 left.
"I love throwing to Frank, especially when I'm on the run,"
Plummer said. "Last year I didn't get him enough touchdowns, so
I'm glad to get him two today."
Coach Dave Campo, the Cowboys defensive coordinator until this
year, said the scheme called for double coverage on Plummer's go-to
receiver.
"If you can't cover him with two guys, I don't know what to
do," Campo said.
The Cardinals (1-1) went for two points, but Thomas Jones was stopped on
a running play. Needing just a field goal to win, backup quarterback Randall
Cunningham guided the Cowboys past midfield, but misfired on his
last four attempts.
It was the 12th fourth-quarter comeback victory Plummer has
directed in his 40-game career, and it might have saved the career
of coach Vince Tobin. ESPN, which carried the game, reported at the
start that Tobin's job hung in the balance.
"This is my fifth year here, and we've had a lot of great
comebacks," Tobin said. "This has to go down as one of the most
cherished. This may be the best one."
The victory also denied Campo his first victory in two games.
Michael Pittman scored on a 1-yard run, Cary Blanchard kicked
four field goals and Plummer threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Sanders for
the Cardinals.
"Watching Jake in the huddle, it was a blessing," Sanders
said. "He was so poised. He was in total control."
But Cunningham overshadowed Plummer most of the game. Both
players threw for 243 yards.
Cunningham had three scoring passes, including a 46-yard bomb to
James McKnight. But Troy Aikman's replacement, playing with a
sprained thumb similar to Plummer's injury last year, had his best
moments early.
He completed his first 13 passes -- then was 11-for-21 the rest of
the way.
After the Cardinals regained the lead for the first time since
the second quarter, Cunningham marched the Cowboys downfield.
Cunningham kept the drive alive with a 6-yard pass to Jackie
Harris on fourth-and-5, and on the next play found Harris for 21
yards to the Arizona 43. But the drive fizzled.
Wane McGarity returned a punt 64 yards to score -- the Cowboys'
first punt-return touchdown since Deion Sanders took one 70 yards against
Washington last Oct. 24.
The Cowboys got lucky on their final touchdown, a 15-yard scoring grab
by Michael Wiley that made it 31-23.
Simeon Rice, the Cardinals' franchise player who didn't report
until Thursday, hit Cunningham as he released the ball, and it
wobbled just over the line of scrimmage. But Wiley was in the open
area, caught the ball in stride and ran into the end zone 6:07 into
the fourth quarter.
It took Blanchard's second field goal -- a 54-yard effort as the
first half elapsed -- for the Cardinals to close to 21-13 at
halftime.
But the Cowboys started the third quarter with the ball, and
Cunningham had a 15-yard run and a 2-yard dive for a first down on
fourth-and-inches on the way to a 45-yard field goal by Tim Seder
that sent Dallas to a 24-13 lead 6:44 into the third.
The Cardinals responded with an 87-yard scoring drive capped by
Plummer's 4-yard scoring pass to Sanders with 2:34 left in the
period, and made a break when cornerback David Barrett ripped the
ball out of McKnight's hands after a catch and recovered on the
Dallas 24.
But Arizona gained only 7 yards in three plays and settled for a
35-yard field goal by Blanchard to cut it to 24-23 as the fourth
quarter began.
Emmitt Smith, who needed eight yards to become the third player
in history to rush for 14,000 yards, got there on his second carry
and finished with 59 yards on 16 attempts. But Arizona's patched-up
defense generally held him in check.
"We scored 31 points -- not enough to win, and we need to
continue to score more," Smith said. "You've got to outscore your
opponent."
The Cardinals marched 67 yards to score their first points on an
opening drive in 19 games since Dec. 27, 1998, against San Diego.
Game notes
The victory was only Arizona's fourth in its last 20
regular-season games with Dallas, but the second consecutive. ...
Cunningham played because of Aikman's 10th career concussion,
making the 131st start of his 15-year career. ... Before McGarity,
the last opponent to score against Arizona on a punt return was
Washington's Brian Mitchell on Dec. 7, 1997. ... Cunningham ran for
34 yards, raising his NFL-leading career total for quarterbacks to
4,838, and has 202 career touchdown passes. ... Eleven of the last 13
Cowboys-Cardinals games at Sun Devil Stadium were decided by eight
points or less. ... Boston had 102 yards on six catches, his second
consecutive 100-yard game.
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