2- The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - Monday, January 24, 1994 Here is how the top 25 teams in college basketball fared this weekend, with first place votes are in parentheses. Games played are through Jan. 23. . . . Dallas comes through on Johnson's promise of victory, crushes Niners J* .; IRVING, Texas (AP)- Jimmy Johnson is a prophet and a healer. True to his word, the Dallas Cow- boys beat San Francisco on Sunday and are headed to their second straight Super Bowl against the Buffalo Bills. And Emmitt Smith, whose sepa- rated shoulder was pronounced "healed" by Johnson last Tuesday, dominated the 38-21 victory with 144 net yards in the first half, when the Cowboys took a 28-7 lead. Overall, he rushed for 88 yards and caught seven passes for 85 yards as the Cowboys made it even easier than Johnson's prediction Friday night on a local radio show - he had said the game would be close for three quarters and the Cowboys would break it open in the fourth. They did it two quarters earlier, scoring touchdowns on four of their five first-half possessions and break- ing loose with two TDs in less than four minutes after the Niners had tied it at 7-all on the first play of the second quarter. They added a fourth touchdown with 58 seconds left in the half and then held off San Francisco in the second half after Troy Aikman was knocked out of the game when hit in the head by Dennis Brown's knee. It hardly mattered. Aikman's replacement, Bernie Kosar, hit a 42-yard TD pass to Alvin Harper to open up a 21-point lead just 3:23 after the Niners had cut it to 14 points and seemingly grabbed the momentum on a 4-yard TD run by Ricky Watters. That made it 35-14 and it was over. Eddie Murray tacked on a 50- yard field goal. If this seems familiar, it should be. Harper's 70-yard reception broke the Niners' back after they had come within four points in last year's 30-20 loss to Dallas in this same game. And now the Cowboys go to Atlanta seek- ing a double-double - they beat the Bills last year 52-17 for the title. Not only did Smith shine, but so did the Dallas quarterbacks. Aikman was 14 of 18 for 177 yards before being knocked out of the game on the first series after intermis- sion. Kosar finished 5 of 8 for 83 yards. But the Dallas defense was also a major factor, holding Steve Young to 27 of 44 for 220 yards, sacking him four times, intercepting him once and keeping him from leading the 49ers to a Super Bowl that Montana did four times in San Francisco. The defense changed the game early in the second quarter after Daryl Johnston's 4-yard touchdown run gave the Cowboys a 14-7 lead in a game that was taking on the appear- ance of a shootout. That was just what Johnson had hinted at in his prediction. But that changed on two plays-starting when the Niners had a second-and-6 on their 27. Young found Ricky Watters in the flat, a play that's been a big gainer over the years for the Niners. But linebacker Dixon Edwards blasted Watters for a 6-yard loss at the 21. Now it was third-and-12 and Young threw over the middle. It was intercepted by Thomas Everett and put the Cowboys on the 24. Athlete of the W~eek WHO: Bob Young TEAM: Men's Gymnastics HOMETOwN: Puyallup, WA YEAR: Junior EuGIBIUTY: Sophomore WHY: Young took the top spot in the all-around this weekend against Western Michigan with a 55.90. The Wolverines took the team competition 279.95-261.2 over the Broncos. BACKGROUND: Recorded team-best scores in rings, parellel bars, and all-around in 1993. -i~ "1' ,. Bills pound Chiefs, capture record fourth straight conference, crown. o-%T% e4v T A " V% A V y v r A ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP)- Sorry, America, the Bills are back and Joe's not. The Buffalo Bills advanced to an unprecedented fourth straight Super Bowl on Sunday, beating Joe Mon- tana and the Kansas City Chiefs, 30- 13. What much of America outside of western New York feared --the only team to lose three consecutive Super Bowls, heading to Atlanta to try again - came true because Thurman Tho- mas was unstoppable. The Chiefs, who lost in their first. championship game since the 1969 season, and Montana, 4-0 in Super Bowls, were kept off-balance by Buffalo's aggressive defense. The Bills knocked Montana from the game early in the third quarter, while Kansas City's defense kept groping at Thomas, who rushed for 186 yards - 131 by halftime - and. 00 three touchdowns. This was the same Thomas who rushed for only 44 yards on Nov. 28,, when the Chiefs battered the Bills 23'- 7. The NFL's combined yardage leader when the Bills won the AFC " title in 1990, '91 and '92, Thomas went over 1,000 yards rushing in playoff competition with his biggest playoff output and second most of his career. Buffalo, which lost the last three Super Bowls by a combined 109-60, has won its four AFC titles by an aggregate 120-33. The Bills will face Dallas, which' 0 beat them in the 1993 Super Bowl 52- 17, next Sunday at the Georgia Dome- in Atlanta. Montana struggled throughout tlie' first half, at one point hitting just three of 14 passes. He was sidelined r when hit by three Bills on the thiud play of the second half - his helmet- collided with Jeff Wright's helmet,; and then he struck the turf. The 37-year-old veteran left the game dazed, the same feeling the Chiefs' defense must have had at- tempting to deal with Thomas. Mon- tana finished 9-for-23 for 125 yards. Dave Krieg, Montana's replace- ment, took the Chiefs 90" yards in 14 plays, including afourth-down, 19-yard pass to Keith Cash, and Marcus Allen scored from the 1, making it 20-13. The Bills, showing their champi- onship form -no other team has won four consecutive AFC, NFC or NFL crowns - answered immediately.' Thomas had an 11-yard run and a 15-yard reception in a 79-yard drive that stalled inside the l. Steve Christie kicked an 18-yard field goal with 11:55 to go. Trivia Answer Never. In the 28-year history of the Super Bowl, the same two teams have never met each other in consecutive years. NOW W when you buy TWO pizzas with TWO topping f or 98 I "Exdudes exrchess.. Offer available at participating ay shores. Bowus Pisa includes ceese and pepperoni and is available wilh any medium or lrePizza! Pizza!' purchme. Asir for derails. 01993 L. C. E., Inc. U MIC 6 SERVING U of M AT TWO LOCATIONS HIGAN UNION DINEIN NORTH CAM Lower Level COMMONS 65-2034 OAR~ 665-28( 'Us 10 AF F Jim Kelly and the Buffalo Bills head to their fourth straight Super Bowl. rF We Won't Card YOU! mm nBES VMECOUPON m m 2 SMALL I PIZZAS with cheese and 1 topping i * I I ja - aus ! I r mMBESTVAUECOUPON m - i Crazy CrustCO& I Crow Snuce. r m m EST VAUE m IBABYK U IPAN! I PANI 0u I,; ;R _. S IA Self- serve copiers: " Automatic - high speed * Two-sided copies * Reduce/Enlarge . Sort/Staple f I I