NFL game summary for 12/30/1979:
Vince Ferragamo's third touchdown pass of the game, a 50-yarder to Billy Waddy with 2:06 remaining, gave Los Angeles a victory over defending NFC champion Dallas. Ferragamo had touchdown passes of 32 yards to Wendell Tyler and 43 yards to Ron Smith as the Rams built a 14-5 halftime lead. Dallas rebounded with a pair of second-half touchdowns (Ron Springs' one-yard run in the third quarter and Roger Staubach's two-yard pass to Jay Saldi in the fourth period) to take a 19-14 advantage.
With 4:32 left in the game, Los Angeles marched to the Dallas 32 before losing the ball on downs. The Rams' defense held the Cowboys on the ensuing possession, forcing a punt with 2:16 left. The winning touchdown came on the first play following the punt. Ferragamo completed 9 of 21 passes for 210 yards. Waddy had three receptions for 97 yards. Tyler was the game's leading rusher with 82 yards on 19 carries.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 153.8 (7) | 167.1 (17) | 320.8 (13) | 49 |
| DEFENSE | 124.8 (10) | 159.8 (9) | 284.6 (7) | 41 | |
 | OFFENSE | 144.5 (13) | 223.8 (5) | 368.3 (2) | 37 |
| DEFENSE | 132.8 (11) | 157.4 (4) | 290.2 (8) | 25 |
Line: Cowboys by 8½
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams (10-7-0) | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Dallas Cowboys (11-6-0) | 2 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 19 |
( 0- 2) DAL Safety, Vince Ferragamo tackled in end zone by Randy White
( 7- 2) LA Wendell Tyler 32 yard pass from Vince Ferragamo (Frank Corral kick)
( 7- 5) DAL Rafael Septien 33 yard field goal
(14- 5) LA Ron Smith 43 yard pass from Vince Ferragamo (Frank Corral kick)
(14-12) DAL Ron Springs 1 yard rush (Rafael Septien kick)
(14-19) DAL Jay Saldi 2 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Rafael Septien kick)
(21-19) LA Billy Waddy 50 yard pass from Vince Ferragamo (Frank Corral kick)
LA DAL
First Downs: 16 17
Rushes-yards: 39-159 34-156
Yards/rush: 4.1 4.6
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 9-21-210-2 13-29-150-1
Sacked-yards: 1-8 1-0
Net pass yards: 202 150
Net yards/pass: 9.2 5.0
Total net yards: 361 306
Total plays: 61 (63% run) 64 (53% run)
Yards/play: 5.9 4.8
Fumbles-lost: 0-0 0-0
Turnovers: 2 1
Penalties-yards: 6-44 6-55
Attendance: 64,792
Passing:
LA: Vince Ferragamo, 9 of 21 for 210 yards and 3 TDs (2 int) DAL: Roger Staubach, 12 of 28 for 124 yards and 1 TD (1 int); Ron Springs, 0 of 1 for 0 yards
Rushing:
LA: Wendell Tyler, 19 for 82 yards; Cullen Bryant, 17 for 67 yards; Nolan Cromwell, 1 for 7 yards; Billy Waddy, 1 for 3 yards; Vince Ferragamo, 1 for 0 yards DAL: Tony Dorsett, 19 for 87 yards; Robert Newhouse, 7 for 21 yards; Ron Springs, 5 for 20 yards and 1 TD; Billy Joe DuPree, 1 for 27 yards; Roger Staubach, 1 for 3 yards; Preston Pearson, 1 for -2 yards
Receiving:
LA: Billy Waddy, 3 for 97 yards and 1 TD; Ron Smith, 2 for 55 yards and 1 TD; Wendell Tyler, 2 for 40 yards and 1 TD; Preston Dennard, 1 for 15 yards; Cullen Bryant, 1 for 3 yards DAL: Drew Pearson, 3 for 61 yards; Billy Joe DuPree, 2 for 26 yards; Jay Saldi, 2 for 17 yards and 1 TD; Preston Pearson, 2 for 15 yards; Butch Johnson, 1 for 3 yards; Ron Springs, 1 for 2 yards; Tony Hill, 1 for 0 yards
Kick returns:
LA: Eddie Hill, 3 for 64 yards; Jim Jodat, 1 for 12 yards DAL: Ron Springs, 3 for 61 yards; Steve Wilson, 1 for 18 yards
Punt returns:
LA: Eddie Brown, 3 for 17 yards DAL: Steve Wilson, 1 for 8 yards; Wade Manning, 1 for 2 yards
Interceptions:
LA: Eddie Brown, 1 for 21 yards DAL: Cliff Harris, 1 for 22 yards; Dennis Thurman, 1 for 18 yards
Punting:
LA: Ken Clark, 5 for 203 yards DAL: Danny White, 8 for 295 yards
Field Goals:
LA: Frank Corral, 0/1 DAL: Rafael Septien, 1/1
LA: Vince Ferragamo, 9 of 21 for 210 yards and 3 TDs (2 int) DAL: Roger Staubach, 12 of 28 for 124 yards and 1 TD (1 int); Ron Springs, 0 of 1 for 0 yards
Rushing:
LA: Wendell Tyler, 19 for 82 yards; Cullen Bryant, 17 for 67 yards; Nolan Cromwell, 1 for 7 yards; Billy Waddy, 1 for 3 yards; Vince Ferragamo, 1 for 0 yards DAL: Tony Dorsett, 19 for 87 yards; Robert Newhouse, 7 for 21 yards; Ron Springs, 5 for 20 yards and 1 TD; Billy Joe DuPree, 1 for 27 yards; Roger Staubach, 1 for 3 yards; Preston Pearson, 1 for -2 yards
Receiving:
LA: Billy Waddy, 3 for 97 yards and 1 TD; Ron Smith, 2 for 55 yards and 1 TD; Wendell Tyler, 2 for 40 yards and 1 TD; Preston Dennard, 1 for 15 yards; Cullen Bryant, 1 for 3 yards DAL: Drew Pearson, 3 for 61 yards; Billy Joe DuPree, 2 for 26 yards; Jay Saldi, 2 for 17 yards and 1 TD; Preston Pearson, 2 for 15 yards; Butch Johnson, 1 for 3 yards; Ron Springs, 1 for 2 yards; Tony Hill, 1 for 0 yards
Kick returns:
LA: Eddie Hill, 3 for 64 yards; Jim Jodat, 1 for 12 yards DAL: Ron Springs, 3 for 61 yards; Steve Wilson, 1 for 18 yards
Punt returns:
LA: Eddie Brown, 3 for 17 yards DAL: Steve Wilson, 1 for 8 yards; Wade Manning, 1 for 2 yards
Interceptions:
LA: Eddie Brown, 1 for 21 yards DAL: Cliff Harris, 1 for 22 yards; Dennis Thurman, 1 for 18 yards
Punting:
LA: Ken Clark, 5 for 203 yards DAL: Danny White, 8 for 295 yards
Field Goals:
LA: Frank Corral, 0/1 DAL: Rafael Septien, 1/1