Dayton Daily News from Dayton, Ohio • 6

CRIESE UNSTOPPABLE St ings Si Burick iamVs Near Perfection Sports World Daily News Sports Editor Shocks Bengals, 34-16 Monday December 24, 1973 Page Bengals Didn't Scare, Proved Themselves Worthy After the Miami Dolphins first 80-yard aggression for a touchdown against the Bengals Sunday, Cincinnati came back with a drive and settled for a quick field goal. "Now there," a viewer said to anyone who cared to listen, "was a rare example of character. Kenny Anderson didn't scare, the blocking was crisp and effective, the running was hard and charp, the receiving impressive. Miami may be a more experienced and a better team, but now we know the Bengals aren't running scared." Nor did they scare at any stage, even when it became and 21-3, and class, beyond any question, was beginning to tell. The forced early departure of Essex Johnson, the Grambling Rose, harmed the Bengal cause beyond measure.

Replacements are fine, but you need your absolute best in this kind of test. Anderson Wonder of wonders, as the first half was nearing Its end, things began to happen In favor of Cincinnati's surprising Central conference champions. Neal Craig proved Bob Griese human by Intercepting a pass and running nearly half the length of the field for a touchdown. The next thing you knew. Anderson scrambled close enough for another Hoist Muhlmann place kick.

By halftime, the margin was reduced to 21-16. Then the inevitable happened in the second half. A pass Interception gave the Dolphins another touchdown and it waa virtually no contest thereafter. By MARTY WILLIAMS, Daily News Sports Writer MIAMI The Cincinnati Bengals' fragile hopes for National Football league glory and green snapped like a wishbone Sunday afternoon In the Orange Bowl, but the good luck charm was divided into about 40 parts instead of the usual two. The Bengals had the misfortune of running into the defending world champion Miami Dolphins when they were in the mood for near perfect football.

When the last hankie stopped waving and the 74,770 fans headed for home, the Dolphins were sitting on a 34-16 victory that lifted them Into this Sunday's AFC title game against Oakland Miami drove 80, 80 and 75 yards for machine-like touchdowns on three of the first four possessions, then strangled the Bengals after a mild threat late in the first half produced a TD and two field goals that narrowed the ever-present deficit to 21-16. Cincinnati Coach Paul Brown offered nothing in the way of excuses. "We were just soundly defeated. Our guys were ready, but they just weren't a match for the Dolphin team we saw today. They whipped us in every aspect of the game." Offensively, Miami scored on six of its first 10 possessions and it could have been 7 come 11.

The final gun sounded with the ball on the Cincy three. QUARTERBACK Bob Griese was all but unstoppable as the poised Dolphins played in their seventh playoff game in three years. Two of his 11 completions went for TDs and sewn others produced first downs. He faced 14 third down situations and made the sticks an unheard of 10 times. Paul Warfield, the All-Pro receiver the Bengals feared most, caught four passes for 95 yards.

He scored the game's first TD with a 13-yard slant over the middle and set up the second with a 48-yard gainer to the Cincy eight. Running backs Mercury Morris and Larry Csonka ran almost at will in the first half. They finished the game with 20 carries and one score each, although Morris had the yardage edge at 106-71. But in spite of everything, the outclassed Bengals were still in position to deprive the Dolphins of a third straight trip to the Super Bowl when the third quarter opened. "That first half was a little weird," said Miami safety Dick Anderson.

"The offense had the three big scoring drives and we were feeling pretty good. Then the offense made one mistake and the special teams made one mistake and the next thing we knew it was 21-16." THE OFFENSIVE mistake was a pass Griese tried to force to tight end Jim Mandich in the right flat. Bengal safety Neal Craig snatched it away and rambled 45 yards for a TD. "We don't make mistakes like that," Griese said simply. "It's bad enough to have that happen down near the goal line where it usually doesn't hurt that much, but there was no excuse for it happening oi4, there.

It was just a poorly thrown pass. I should have thrown it out of bounds." Miami's next drive ended with Larry Seiple's second and last punt of the day. The Bengals took over on their own 33 and, thanks to a 22-yard scramble by Ken Ifcit.Mni ivt wuavauuiAaai amntttumniktifa, i t-t atfn-(--tiriai-T-tiriiniitia i-m in, riiiiii-ii UPI Tlphot ONE OF THE BENGAL'S FEW SUCCESSES AGAINST DOLPHINS Boobie Clark Makes Short Gain Before Curtis Johnson Stops Him 10 1J CINCINNATI 3 MIAMI 14 3-34 MD CB First Quarter Anderson that was their longest offensive play of the day, eventually got close enough for a 46-yard field goal by Horst Muhlmann only eight seconds before halftime. Muhlmann then purposely squibbed a kick that Mercury Morris couldn't handle, Jim LeClair grabbed the loose ball at the five and trotted into the end zone, but the officials ruled Morris never had control of the ball. That made it a muff instead of a fumble and a muff can't be advanced.

So the Bengals took over at the five, but without any timeouts. Muhlmann trotted in for the second time in four seconds and delivered his 12th straight field goal. "We were talking it up pretty good as we left the field," said Cincy defensive end Sherman White. "We really felt we could stop them in the second half. But I guess it was just talk.

We tried to stop them and we couldn't. We just didn't have it." The Dolphins got the ball in excellent position when Ken Anderson's first pass of the third quarter was picked off by Dick Anderson and retuined 19 yards to the Bengal 28, the losers' only turnover of the day. Two plays netted minus six yards for the Dolphins, but on third and 16 Griese threw in the direction of Marlin Enscoe and the veteran made a diving comeback catch for 17 yards. Four plays later, Griese hit Mandich for the score that knocked out the Bengals. CINCINNATI MANAGED only 82 yards in tiie second half, 65 of them on safety valve passes from Anderson to rookie running back Lenvil Elliott.

Elliott replaced Essex Johnson, the 997-yard runner who strained a knee on the Bengals' first play of the game. With tackle Manny Fernandez still out with a torn leg muscle, the Dolphins used their 53 defense much of the day. The extra help in the secondary led to an almost total eclipse of Cincy's sunniest downfield receivers, Isaac Curtis, Charlie Joiner and Bob Trumpy. Curtis, who had caught 20 passes for 445 yards and seven touchdowns during the six-game winning streak at the end of the regular season, snared one nine-yar-'er on the first possession and then drew blanks the rest of the day didn't even get one and Joiner's two harmless receptions totaled only 33 yards. Someone asked Coach Don Shula if he was proud of the way his secondary shut off the Bengal passing game.

"When you only give up five touchdowns through the air all year, you're pretty proud ot your secondary every week." :37 to qo. Dolphin TD Warfield 13 posi from Griess (Yepremlan kick). Drive JO yards, 10 ploys. Key plays 3rd down Griese passes of 7 and 24 yards to Klick and warfield, runs of 12 and 10 yards by Morris. 5:38 to no.

Benool FG Muhlmonn 24. Drlvt 55 yards in 9 plays to Dolphin 17. Key ploys runs of 14 ond 15 yards by Johnson and Clark, Anderson passes of 12 and 9 vords to Clark and Curtis. 0:21 to qo. Dolphin TD Csonka 1 run Ye-oremlan kick).

Drive 80 yards, 13 plays. Key plays Morris runs of 7, 13 and 11 yards, Csonko runs of 8 ond 12 yards, Griese passes of 8 and 13 yards to Kllck and Mandich. Second Quarter 7:37 to go. Dolphin TD Morris 4 run (Yepremlan kick). Drive 75 yards, 7 plavs.

Griese passes of 8 and 48 yards to Mandich and Warfield. 3:26 to ao. Bengal TD Craig 45 Interception return (Muhlmann kick). 0:08 to ao. Bengal FG Muhlmarf 46.

Drive 28 yards In 5 plays to Dolphin 38. Key plavs 6-yard Anderson poss to Clark on third and four, 22-yard Anderson scramble. 0:04 to qo. Bengal FG Muhlmonn 12. Drive 0 yards In 0 plays at Dolphin 5.

Key play LeCloIr recovery of Morris' muffed klckoff return. Third Quarter 9:42 to qo. Dolphin TD Mandich 7 pass from Griese (Yepremlan kick). Drive 28 yards, 7 ploys. Key plays D.

Anderson interception and 19-yard return to Bengal 28, 17-yard Griese pass to Briscoe on 3rd and 16 at Bengal 34. 4:48 to go. Dolphin FG Yepremlan 50. Drive 16 yards In 6 plays to Benaal 43. Key ploys Griese passes of 4 and 10 yards to Kllck ond Warfield.

Fourth Quarter Anderson a Rare Pearl Falling out of the playoffs lost the Bengals money, but they gained in respectability. They need never apologize for playing a quarterback (Anderson) from Augustana, a fullback (Boobie Clark) from Bethune-Cookman, a middle linebacker (Bill Bergey) from Arkansas State, a running back (sub Lenvil Elliott) from Northeast Missouri. Many professional players come from the major Institutions, but many make it from colleges so small a headline never greets them. The Bengals are a mingling from the very small and the large schools. They are young and bright and fast and wise enough.

In truth, no one expected them to stand up for 60 minutes against the defending world champions Sunday. They were proud losers. With a little change here, a switch there, the Bengals should be contenders for a long time. There is no longer any doubt that they plucked a rare pearl three years ago when they drafted Anderson. It is around Kenny that the offense will be built as it improves and gains the sophistication that comes when you have natural ability, experience, know-how, desire and fierce pride.

Fear not for the future of the Bengals, who have these things, and will improve as the years go by. Home, Sweet Home In the week end playoffs in both conferences, it became quickly obvious that home was the place to be. The road was rough and rutted. In four games in the National and American conferences, the visiting teams were the losers. Dallas got off to a remarkable start, turning two early Los Angeles errors into touchdowns, then raising Its lead to 174.

By halftime, when the turnovers started running the other way, L.A. got It back to 16-17. Then the Cowboys' Inherent superiority prevailed. Staubach finished the day with the green outlines of phony turf on the seat of his pants (he was sacked six times). Always Roger got up and went about his business as nonchalantly as though Merlin Olsen was no more dangerous to his health than the coffee-peddling lady of the commercial.

Quarterbacks, the good ones, are brave people. They thrive by doing the unexepected, or by doing the expected when they, think it is unexpected. Flyers Looked Good The home teams were also winners in Saturday's playoffs. Oakland pulverized the Pittsburgh Steelers, making its big move when it counted in the second half. Minnesota, its Francis Tarkenton scrambling like a rabbit running for its life, had the toughest time of all against George Allen's Washington Redskins.

Now Oakland's Raiders, going with lefthanded Ken Stabler, one of the few of his kind in football, will be at the disadvantage of facing the Dolphins in Miami next Sunday. Now the Vikings, for whom arctic weather is usually an advantage (as it used to be for Green Bay in those halcyon days of Vince Lombardi) will ask Tarkenton to do his scrambling at Dallas. The impression here is that the Super Bowl at Houston will be a 1972 repeat between Miami and Dallas. For a long-range forecast, the Dolphins should repeat the world championship they gained over Washington last January. IT WAS pleasant to see Dayton's basketball team come back from its debacle a week earlier at Michigan by beating Georgia and then a talented California team to win the UDIT week end meet.

Don Donoher said his team must improve Its Inside game; this the Flyers did. The final victory over California was a thing of beauty a team victory In which every regular superbly played his prepared role. 34 11:20 to qo. Dolphin FG Yepremlan 46. Drive 14 yards In 6 plays to Bengal 38.

ey piay n-yara run Dy csonka. Attendance: 74,770 5,277 no-shows) NFL Playoffs STAUBACH CHANGED COACH'S STUATEGY Key Play: Dizzy QB to Free Agent By DENNE H. FREEMAN DALLAS IP) Don't try to calculate the odds of a L. game-winning 83-yard touch- Saturday's Game NATIONAL CONFERENCE Minnesota 27, Washington 20 Sunday's Game Dallas 27, Los Angeles 16 AMERICAN CONFERENCE Saturday's Game Oakland 33, Pittsburgh 14 Sunday's Game Miami 34, Cincinnati 16 CHAMPIONSHIPS Sunday, Dec. 30 NATIONAL CONFERENCE Minnesota at Dallas, I p.m.

AMERICAN CONFERENCE Oakland at Miami, 4 p.m. I if s7 Wia. Will Dolphins' Memory Be as Good as Raiders'? "I'll be honest, I thought at that time we would win the game," said Knox. Of Pearson's catch, he said, "We had two people there, good coverage, but it was just a perfectly thrown ball. a knew what to do with it after he caught it." What Pearson did was to dance the last 10 yards to the end zone where he was mobbed by the Cowboy bench, including the injured Hill, who had his arm in a sling.

Dallas played excellent defense, allowing fleet Harold Jackson just one catch for 40 yards. The last time the teams met in October Jackson caught four touchdown strikes in a 37-31 Ram victory. Hadl said, "We lost the game in the first quarter when we gave them two TDs right off the bat. They took Jackson away from us, that was a big difference." The victory was costly. Hill will be lost for the Minnesota game but a team doctor said, "He'll be ready for the Super Bowl." Also, defensive tackle Bob Lilly of the Cowboys limped out of the game with a leg injury.

down pass from a dizzy quarterback who has changed his coach's play to a rookie free agent who suggested it in the first place. "I aged a little out there but I'll take it," said Dallas Coach Tom Landry of Sunday's 27-16 National conference playoff victory over Los Angeles that sets up a showdown for the NFC title with Minnesota in Texas Stadium Dec. 30. The key play came at 9: 37 in the fourth quarter with Dallas clinging to a precarious 17-16 lead. It was third and 14 and Landry called a turn-in pass to Drew Pearson of Tulsa, who was ignored in the National Football league draft.

Quarterback Roger Staubach, knocked dizzy in the first quarter and still not himself, changed the play to a if UPI Telephoto COWBOYS' CALVIN HILL LOSES BALL IN FIRST QUARTER Dave Elmendorf the Tackier; Rams Recovered on Cowboys' 27 deep post. Pearson leaped be- Los Angeles Dallas 0 10-16 0 10-27 OAKLAND (iPI The Oakland Raiders, having settled an old score with Pittsburgh, will next test the strength and memories of the Miami Dolphins. "We beat them earlier and stopped their winning streak. That might give them a little edge," Oakland fullback Marv Hubbard said, looking ahead to next Sunday's American Football conference championship game in Miami. Hubbard rushed for two touchdowns and 91 yards Saturday, complementing quarterback Ken Stabler's passing, as the Raiders belted the Pittsburgh Steelers 33-14 in a National Football league playoff opener.

Miami advanced to the conference title game with a 34-16 victory over Cincinnati Sunday. "THERE WAS no grudge motive in this game," Raider's Coach John Madden insisted after his team beat the Steelers. Yet the hard feelings came out, both in minor fist fights late in the game and in the Raiders' words later. "They didn' beat us" those other times. We beat our selves," said Stabler, the 27-y a r-old quarterback who completed 14 of 17 passes for 142 yards in the first playoff start of his career.

The Steelers beat the Raiders 13-7 in the playoffs last year on a freak touchdown pass in the final seconds. In a regular season game last month, Pittsburgh capitalized on four interceptions and won 17-8 here. "We just didn't look like the Steelers," defensive back Mel Blount admitted Saturday. Defensive tackle Joe Greene added, "we didn't have our frenzy. They had it." Willie Brown, Oakland's veteran All-Pro cornerback, supplied the big defensive play in the game when he intercepted a pass into the flat by Terry Bradshaw and ran 54 yards for a third period touchdown.

That put Oakland ahead 23-7. "BRADSHAW was supposed to pre-read the coverage and he didn't said Pittsburgh Coach Chuck Noll. "It was the turning point of the game as far as we were concerned." The 1 i defending Super Bowl champions, brought an 18-game winning streak into the University of California's Memorial stadium early this season and lost 12-7 to the Raiders. Oakland players, still upset over not getting a shot at Miami in last year's playoffs bristled when the result was termed an upset. "So what? We only beat an expansion team," said linebacker Dan Conners in a dig at the seven-year-old NFL champs.

HILL OUT OF NFC TITLE GAME DALLAS UP? Dallas Cowboy running back Calvin Hill will miss next Sunday's game with the Minnesota Vikings because of a dislocated elbow, team doctors said today. They added that Hill might be to play in the Super Bow! if the Cowboys are in Hill dislocated lvs left el! ow Sunday early in the fourth period of the National Football league playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams. rV Dal Hill 3 run (Frltsch kick) Oal-Pearson 4 poss from Staubach (Friisch kick) Dal FG Frltsch LA FG Ray 33 LA FG Ray 37 LA FG Ray 40 LA Baker 5 run (Roy kick) Doi-Peorson 83 pass from Staubach (Frltsch kick) Dul-FG Frltsch 12 "I thought about taking him out but he has the ability to come up with the key play he's a competitor," Landry said. "I called a turn-in and Roger changed it to a post route, but that certain feel for a situation makes him a great quarterback." Staubach said of the injury: "I played with a hazy feeling a dreamy feeling for awhile." PEARSON said "That's samething I've always wanted to do to catch a touchdown pass when it really meant something." Preece and Eddie McMillan, the victims of Peanon'r. cati, were amazed It happened.

"Eddie had h'm on the outside and I had him on the inside I really don't know how he came out i ball," Preece said. McMillan said "I felt I had a shot at the ball I probably could have knocked it away, but in a game like today's you've got to go for the ball. 1 just trussed it and he got it. It's one of the best catches I've seen all year a great catch." Los Angeles, playing under freshman Coach Chuck Knox, made a gallant comback after being down 17-0 early in the se-ond nuarter. Cowboy Middle linebacker Roy Jordan intercept'' a John Hadl pass on the first p'av from scrimmage.

Three plays later Calvin Hill, tor suffered a drlocated left elbow, drove three yards for i''e touchdown. Dallas kicked off and Larry McCutcheon fumbled after a jarring tackle and Staubach took the Cowboys 35 yards, climaxed by a four-yard, third down touchdown pass to Pearson. It was on this series that Stauback was knocked dizzy. "Roger said he was OK, but he really wasn't," said Landry. "His mind just wasn't clear.

He was not picking up his keys and was just going back there and scrambling and not picking up his receivers." DAVID RAY, who mifsed three field goals, kicked V-'-ers of 33. 37. and 40 yard" to bring the Rams within 17-9. Fred Dryer outfought Bill for a fumble on the Dallas 17 and Tony Baker's five-yard run 'arle it 17-16. Hill was hurt on the play.

Rams Cowboys li tween two defenders at the 50 and raced the rest of the way for the game-clinching score. STAUBACH said "We had run the same play in the second quarter but I told Pearson to run a post pattern instead of a deep curl like he is supposed to He came back and said he thought he was open. "So, in the fourth quarter I checked free safety Steve Preece and when he hesitated for just a split second I just fired the ball in there as hard as 1 could throw it." Landry toyed with taking Staubach out of the game after a first quarter scramble which left the former Heisman Trophy winner's ears ringing. First downs Rushes-yards ig Return yards rabies Punts un tips-lost Penollies-yards 1 1 30-93 99 12 7-23-1 S-43 2-2 2-20 45-162 136 49 1-15-2 U6 2-2 S-44 INDIVIDUAL LEADERS RUSHING Los Angeles, McCutcheon --I' sen Oallus, Hill 2S- Garrison 10-30, Staubach 4-30. a.MViNG Los Anaeies, Snow 3-77, L.

Smith 2-13, Jackson 1-40; Dallas, Pearson Hill 2-21, 1-36. PASSING Los Angeles. Hadl 7-23-1, 133 MCLiitcheon 0-1-0; Dallas, Staubach 8-16-2, 180..