NFL game summary for 10/07/1979:

Tony Dorsett picked up 145 yards on 21 carries and scored a career-high three touchdowns to lead Dallas. Dorsett had scoring runs of three and five yards and cornerback Benny Barnes scored on a 33-yard fumble recovery return as the Cowboys built a 23-10 halftime advantage. Minnesota closed the gap to 23-20 in the third period on Rick Danmeier's 35-yard field goal and Sammy White's 28-yard scoring reception.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Team		Rush Yds/Gm	Pass Yds/Gm	Tot Yds/Gm	Turnovers
Dallas Cowboys	OFFENSE	158.0  (6)	239.2  (3)	397.2  (2)	11
	DEFENSE	137.2  (17)	172.8  (16)	310.0  (14)	10
Minnesota Vikings	OFFENSE	126.6  (20)	165.8  (16)	292.4  (19)	11
	DEFENSE	141.4  (20)	147.0  (8)	288.4  (8)	10

Line: Cowboys by 7½

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Dallas Cowboys (5-1-0)	3	20	7	6	36
Minnesota Vikings (3-3-0)	7	3	10	0	20

( 3- 0) DAL Rafael Septien 34 yard field goal
( 3- 7) MIN Bob Tucker 2 yard pass from Tommy Kramer (Rick Danmeier kick)
(10- 7) DAL Tony Dorsett 5 yard rush (Rafael Septien kick)
(17- 7) DAL Tony Dorsett 3 yard rush (Rafael Septien kick)
(23- 7) DAL Benny Barnes 33 yard fumble return (kick failed)
(23-10) MIN Rick Danmeier 37 yard field goal
(23-13) MIN Rick Danmeier 35 yard field goal
(23-20) MIN Sammy White 28 yard pass from Tommy Kramer (Rick Danmeier kick)
(30-20) DAL Tony Dorsett 30 yard rush (Rafael Septien kick)
(36-20) DAL Preston Pearson 6 yard rush (kick failed)

                     DAL             MIN
First Downs:         25              14
Rushes-yards:        46-279          22-61
Yards/rush:          6.1             2.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     15-23-174-0     18-34-206-0
Sacked-yards:        1-7             3-27
Net pass yards:      167             179
Net yards/pass:      7.0             4.8
Total net yards:     446             240
Total plays:         70 (65% run)    59 (37% run)  
Yards/play:          6.4             4.1
Fumbles-lost:        5-2             2-2
Turnovers:           2               2
Penalties-yards:     4-53            2-25

Attendance: 45,572

Passing:
DAL: Roger Staubach, 15 of 23 for 174 yards
MIN: Tommy Kramer, 18 of 34 for 206 yards and 2 TDs

Rushing:
DAL: Tony Dorsett, 21 for 145 yards and 3 TDs; Scott Laidlaw, 8 for 15 yards; Larry Brinson, 4 for 22 yards; Robert Newhouse, 4 for 14 yards; Roger Staubach, 3 for 2 yards; Ron Springs, 2 for 19 yards; Preston Pearson, 2 for 17 yards and 1 TD; Danny White, 1 for 25 yards; Billy Joe DuPree, 1 for 20 yards
MIN: Chuck Foreman, 10 for 19 yards; Rickey Young, 9 for 29 yards; Robert Miller, 2 for 12 yards; Tommy Kramer, 1 for 1 yard

Receiving:
DAL: Tony Dorsett, 5 for 47 yards; Billy Joe DuPree, 2 for 34 yards; Preston Pearson, 2 for 27 yards; Ron Springs, 2 for 4 yards; Tony Hill, 1 for 20 yards; Drew Pearson, 1 for 18 yards; Butch Johnson, 1 for 13 yards; Scott Laidlaw, 1 for 11 yards
MIN: Sammy White, 7 for 131 yards and 1 TD; Ahmad Rashad, 4 for 42 yards; Rickey Young, 4 for 19 yards; Bob Tucker, 2 for 6 yards and 1 TD; Chuck Foreman, 1 for 8 yards

Kick returns:
DAL: Steve Wilson, 5 for 69 yards
MIN: Jimmy Edwards, 3 for 91 yards; Robert Miller, 2 for 27 yards; Robert Steele, 1 for 0 yards

Punt returns:
DAL: Steve Wilson, 2 for 19 yards
MIN: Jimmy Edwards, 2 for 5 yards

Interceptions:

Punting:
DAL: Danny White, 4 for 155 yards
MIN: Greg Coleman, 5 for 190 yards

Field Goals:
DAL: Rafael Septien, 1/1
MIN: Rick Danmeier, 2/2

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