NFL game summary for 11/12/1972:
Mercury Morris scored three rushing TDs in Miami's most one-sided victory in club history. Their seven TDs included a pair by rookie lefthanded QB Jim Del Gaizo. The victory ran Miami's record to 9-0, and gave Don Shula his 100th regular season triumph as a head coach.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 106.2 (21) | 171.2 (9) | 277.5 (19) | 21 |
| DEFENSE | 206.8 (26) | 154.6 (14) | 361.4 (25) | 10 | |
 | OFFENSE | 210.9 (1) | 117.9 (23) | 328.8 (3) | 16 |
| DEFENSE | 116.9 (5) | 108.6 (1) | 225.5 (1) | 21 |
Line: Dolphins by 18
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots (2-7-0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Miami Dolphins (9-0-0) | 17 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 52 |
( 0- 7) MIA Mercury Morris 4 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)
( 0-14) MIA Mercury Morris 4 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)
( 0-17) MIA Garo Yepremian 16 yard field goal
( 0-24) MIA Larry Csonka 3 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)
( 0-31) MIA Mercury Morris 6 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)
( 0-38) MIA Marlin Briscoe 16 yard pass from Earl Morrall (Garo Yepremian kick)
( 0-45) MIA Marlin Briscoe 51 yard pass from Jim Del Gaizo (Garo Yepremian kick)
( 0-52) MIA Jim Mandich 39 yard pass from Jim Del Gaizo (Garo Yepremian kick)
NE MIA
First Downs: 11 21
Rushes-yards: 26-92 38-181
Yards/rush: 3.5 4.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 11-28-117-3 11-19-307-0
Sacked-yards: 4-40 1-6
Net pass yards: 77 301
Net yards/pass: 2.4 15.1
Total net yards: 169 482
Total plays: 58 (44% run) 58 (65% run)
Yards/play: 2.9 8.3
Fumbles-lost: 2-0 3-1
Turnovers: 3 1
Penalties-yards: 3-35 5-67
Attendance: 78,148
Passing:
NE: Jim Plunkett, 7 of 19 for 66 yards (2 int); Brian Dowling, 4 of 9 for 51 yards (1 int) MIA: Earl Morrall, 7 of 13 for 162 yards and 1 TD; Jim Del Gaizo, 4 of 6 for 145 yards and 2 TDs
Rushing:
NE: Carl Garrett, 10 for 44 yards; John Tarver, 4 for 17 yards; Bob Gladieux, 4 for 4 yards; Josh Ashton, 2 for 8 yards; Jim Plunkett, 2 for 7 yards; Jack Maitland, 2 for 1 yard; Brian Dowling, 1 for 6 yards; Reggie Rucker, 1 for 5 yards MIA: Mercury Morris, 16 for 90 yards and 3 TDs; Charlie Leigh, 6 for 20 yards; Larry Csonka, 5 for 32 yards and 1 TD; Jim Kiick, 5 for 16 yards; Hubert Ginn, 4 for 12 yards; Earl Morrall, 1 for 11 yards; Jim Del Gaizo, 1 for 0 yards
Receiving:
NE: Randy Vataha, 3 for 26 yards; Bob Gladieux, 2 for 26 yards; Jack Maitland, 2 for 17 yards; John Tarver, 1 for 16 yards; Carl Garrett, 1 for 15 yards; Bob Windsor, 1 for 11 yards; Reggie Rucker, 1 for 6 yards MIA: Marlin Briscoe, 4 for 128 yards and 2 TDs; Jim Mandich, 2 for 53 yards and 1 TD; Paul Warfield, 2 for 42 yards; Mercury Morris, 2 for 35 yards; Otto Stowe, 1 for 49 yards
Kick returns:
NE: Carl Garrett, 3 for 84 yards; George Hoey, 2 for 51 yards; Josh Ashton, 1 for 20 yards
Punt returns:
MIA: Charlie Leigh, 4 for 51 yards
Interceptions:
MIA: Jake Scott, 1 for 31 yards; Charlie Babb, 1 for 24 yards; Dick Anderson, 1 for 22 yards
Punting:
NE: Pat Studstill, 6 for 251 yards MIA: Larry Seiple, 1 for 36 yards
Field Goals:
NE: Mike Walker, 0/1 MIA: Garo Yepremian, 1/3
NE: Jim Plunkett, 7 of 19 for 66 yards (2 int); Brian Dowling, 4 of 9 for 51 yards (1 int) MIA: Earl Morrall, 7 of 13 for 162 yards and 1 TD; Jim Del Gaizo, 4 of 6 for 145 yards and 2 TDs
Rushing:
NE: Carl Garrett, 10 for 44 yards; John Tarver, 4 for 17 yards; Bob Gladieux, 4 for 4 yards; Josh Ashton, 2 for 8 yards; Jim Plunkett, 2 for 7 yards; Jack Maitland, 2 for 1 yard; Brian Dowling, 1 for 6 yards; Reggie Rucker, 1 for 5 yards MIA: Mercury Morris, 16 for 90 yards and 3 TDs; Charlie Leigh, 6 for 20 yards; Larry Csonka, 5 for 32 yards and 1 TD; Jim Kiick, 5 for 16 yards; Hubert Ginn, 4 for 12 yards; Earl Morrall, 1 for 11 yards; Jim Del Gaizo, 1 for 0 yards
Receiving:
NE: Randy Vataha, 3 for 26 yards; Bob Gladieux, 2 for 26 yards; Jack Maitland, 2 for 17 yards; John Tarver, 1 for 16 yards; Carl Garrett, 1 for 15 yards; Bob Windsor, 1 for 11 yards; Reggie Rucker, 1 for 6 yards MIA: Marlin Briscoe, 4 for 128 yards and 2 TDs; Jim Mandich, 2 for 53 yards and 1 TD; Paul Warfield, 2 for 42 yards; Mercury Morris, 2 for 35 yards; Otto Stowe, 1 for 49 yards
Kick returns:
NE: Carl Garrett, 3 for 84 yards; George Hoey, 2 for 51 yards; Josh Ashton, 1 for 20 yards
Punt returns:
MIA: Charlie Leigh, 4 for 51 yards
Interceptions:
MIA: Jake Scott, 1 for 31 yards; Charlie Babb, 1 for 24 yards; Dick Anderson, 1 for 22 yards
Punting:
NE: Pat Studstill, 6 for 251 yards MIA: Larry Seiple, 1 for 36 yards
Field Goals:
NE: Mike Walker, 0/1 MIA: Garo Yepremian, 1/3