It wasn’t really kismet or fate what happened today in Cowboys Stadium. Call it a strange coincidence. Last night, Albert Pujols belted three homeruns propelling the St. Louis Cardinals past the Texas Rangers in Game 3 of the World Series. The feat tied him with Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson as being the only men in Major League Baseball history to hit three homeruns in a single World Series game. Babe Ruth has the distinction of being the only man to have done it twice.
Today, in the NFL, the St. Louis Rams faced the Dallas Cowboys on the same day in which the Cardinals and Rangers square off in Game 4 of the Series. The match-up didn’t look all that intriguing. The St. Louis Rams were winless coming in to today’s game, and the Cowboys were looking for a win to keep pace with the Washington Redskins for second in the NFC East.
The story going into the game was Dallas QB Tony Romo and if his team could bounce back after a close loss to the New England Patriots last Sunday.
But the story after today’s game was DeMarco Murray, a rookie running back from Oklahoma University.
For Murray accomplished something that Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith never achieved. He rushed for 253 yards in a single game. The most yards Smith rushed for as a Dallas Cowboy was 237 against the Philadelphia Eagles on October 31, 1993.
Murray’s 253 yards came on 25 rushing attempts, and included a single rush that went for 91 yards.
Prior to today’s game, the most yards Murray had achieved with the Cowboys was 32 against the Patriots last week.
Next week, the Dallas Cowboys square off against those same Philadelphia Eagles almost 18 years to the day from when Smith rushed all over them up in Philly. It’s too early to say if Murray can duplicate today’s success, but he’ll certainly be a prime target for boos and catcalls. Love those fans in the city of Brotherly Love.
