Article clipped from Fort Lauderdale News

Dolphins 16, Vikings 14 No Names The Big Names Slay Other Pro Football, Page 2D More Dolphins-Vikings, Page 6D By MIKE SCHWEBEL Sports Staff Writer BL00MINGTON, Minn. - As the Dolphins left the scene of the crime yesterday, Metropolitan Stadium, Garo Yepremian clutched the murder weapon the game ball. The victim, Minnesota, had been beaten on its home ground for just the fourth time in three years. Only one man was smiling in the Vik ings' dressing room. That was Hubert Humphrey and he smiled after losing an election. The last-minute 16-14 victory by the Dolphins was only a ball game, even if it did make them the lone undefeated team in the NFL. "I still haven't figured out how we beat 'em," defensive tackle Jim Dunaway said. Technically, it was on three Yepremian field goals and a three-yard touchdown pass from Bob Griese to tight end Jim Mandich. But what the Dolphins really did was out-defense the defense. The Purple Gang ran into the No Names and the No Names won. Fran Tarkenton, for instance, was sacked five times for 33 yards in losses. He was intercepted three times. Bob Griese, i was sacked twice, intercepted twice. The Dolphins were held to a total offense of 2S4 yards, but the Vikings only got 240, 56 of them coming on a touchdown bomb to John Gilliam with 10:26 left in the opening quarter. Gilliam was embarrasingly alone. "My mom was probably going nuts watching this game in Chicago, but that was my seven points they put up on the board," said cornerback Tim Foley, who claimed responsibility on the play. "Actually there was supposed to be somebody in the middle, too (free safety Jake Scott), so we both blew it, but I blew it the most. It was third down and three and I just let him go mentally. It was bush. I wasn't thinking about the 50,000 people who saw it (actually a sellout of 47,900). Heck, I ' had a whole nationwide TV audience,') .' Foley said. , " Tarkenton tried Gilliam's number again early in the third quarter, only Foley was there and intercepted. His theft gave the Dolphins possession on the Minnesota 37; Yepremian kicked a field goal from the 38i Yepremian followed with a 42-yarder witty , ; S:23 left in the quarter to make it 7-6. The Vikings then intimidated the Miami defense for the only time all day, driving 80 yards in 13 plays. It still took them four downs to get over from the three yard line but Bill Brown dove in from a foot away with 33 seconds remaining in the third quarter. When Roy Winston intercepted a Griese pass, a 14-6 lead looked good. . Three downs and two sacks later, the Dolphins had the ball again. In a desperate attempt to gain a first down in a third and' ' 25 situation, they turned fancy with a double reverse, ex-quarterback pass complete from Marlin Briscoe to Mandich. . ;'. , j, "The way I was catching the ball I was, lucky to get to throw it," Briscoe said. The ' play went from Griese to Mercury Morris to' Briscoe to Mandich and was three yards' short of a first down. . , , S ' - i Coach Don Shula said later, "I knew we , had to get a field goal and a touchdown. V , didn't care if it came on a field goal and touchdown or a touchdown and field goal." f : . Yepremian' admitted, "I thought he' , would want to go for the first down, but this man has got a lot of confidence in me. He t . told me it was important. I figured if he had that much confidence in me I musti have 10 times that much." . I The kick was good from SI yards out, , breaking a club record previously shared by 1 Yepremian and Booth Lustig of 48 yards, i Garo, operating on grass, and in 70-k, degree weather, felt like he could have kicked a field goal in Bloomington from " ' Minneapolis. "That one might have been ; (Continued on Page CD, Col. J) .