Arizona Daily Star from Tucson, Arizona • Page B007

ARIZONA DAILY STAR B7 Monday, December 5, 2011 CARDINALS 19, COWBOYS 13, OT Again, Cards foil Dallas on final play v1 Stephens -Howling scores on 52-yard screen in overtime By Kent Somers THEARIZONA REPUBLIC GLENDALE The Cardinals continued their unpredictable climb to respectability on Sunday through a method that's becoming a cliche: beating the Cowboys in the final seconds or overtime at University of Phoenix Stadium. Running back LaRod Stephens -Howling turned a short reception on a screen into a 52-yard touchdown in OT to give the Cardinals a 19-13 victory. It was the Cardinals fourth victory in their past five games and improved their record to 5-7. "You know what? Overtime games here are crazy," Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "I'm just glad we've won more than our share of them." If it's a Cardinals and Cowboys game count on more drama than a soap opera on Friday afternoon.

The Cardinals beat the Cowboys a year ago with a field goal in the final seconds and in 2008 with a blocked punt in overtime. That's three games decided on the final play. This one ended, oddly, in the same manner as the Cardinals previous home game, a 19-13 overtime win against the Rams. Like the Rams, the Cowboys had a chance to win with a field goal in the final seconds of regulation, then lost by a giving up a big play. It's not often a coach ices his own kicker, but Cowboys coach Jason Garrett did, calling timeout before Dan Bailey's 49 -yard attempt sailed through the uprights for what would have been the clincher.

"I was glad they iced the kicker, so I didn't have to do it," Whisenhunt said. Bailey's second attempt was Cardinals running back LaRod Stephens-Howling turns a screen pass from DAVID KADLUBOWSKI THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC Kevin Kolb into a game-winning 52-yard touchdown in overtime. touchdown, and they had to go only 33 yards for that one. It was the Cards' second victory with Kolb at quarterback. Against the Cowboys, he overcame a terrible start and provided some hope for the future.

"Kevin was very sharp in the second half," Whisenhunt said, "being able to manage the offense and make some of those escapes and some of those throws. It's very exciting to see that we have something to build on and build with him." field. On first and 15, offensive coordinator Mike Miller called the screen pass, a play Arizona has run unsuccessfully for several years. So it was ironic that Stephens-Howling scored on it, especially when no offensive linemen were able to block for him because the Cowboys blitzed, and quarterback Kevin Kolb had to have at least a little time to get the pass off. "I tried to hold on to it as long as possible to give him Stephens -Howling) enough room to make a play," Kolb said, "then he does what he does best and that's making people miss in the open field." Kolb, who missed Arizona's previous four games with a foot injury, passed for just 44 yards in the first half and finished with 247.

The Cardinals had 49 total yards at halftime and finished with 327. "It was definitely a game of two halves," Kolb said. The Cardinals sacked quarterback Tony Romo five times, and while the Cowboys didn't have a turnover, they scored just one UP NEXT What: 49ers at Cardinals When: 2:05 p.m. Sunday TV: Channel 11 short, as was Garrett's postgame explanation for the timeout. "We felt like the play clock was running down," Garrett said.

"We just want to make sure he had a real clean opportunity at it." The Cardinals won the toss in overtime and moved to near mid-.