Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, October 3, 1994 TAG: 9410050021
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: CINCINNATI LENGTH: Medium
Dave Shula isn't just the gleam in his father's eye anymore. He became another notch in his belt Sunday night.
The first father-son coaching matchup in NFL history was predictable and ultimately forgettable. Don's Miami Dolphins beat Dave's winless Cincinnati Bengals 23-7 behind a pair of touchdown passes from Dan Marino.
The difference wasn't Don's huge advantage in coaching experience - 496 games to Dave's 37 - or parental insights. The difference was Marino.
He led the Dolphins (4-1) on long touchdown drives sandwiched around halftime, finishing them off with an 11-yard pass to Keith Byars and a 4-yarder to Mark Ingram.
That was plenty on a night where little happened on the field to take attention away from the sidelines.
Don's more talented team sweated out a surprising quick start by Dave's overmatched Bengals (0-5), took control with Marino's league-leading 13th and 14th touchdown passes of the seasons, then simply held on while Dave watched helplessly.
The game wasn't the shootout everyone expected - Marino completed 26-of-35 for 204 yards while the Dolphins' weak secondary gave up just one touchdown pass. But there was no surprise that dad came out with career win No.331 - everything pointed to it.
Don improved to 10-1 against the Bengals and 5-0 when Dave was on the other side as a player, assistant coach or head coach. He has almost as many wins against Dave as Dave has against the rest of the NFL - eight.
They embraced at midfield before the game while dozens of cameras clicked, sharing small talk but nothing about the game. The Bengals' quick start had everyone thinking that maybe the kid would be up to it.
Inspired by a mid-week dressing-down from the younger Shula, the Bengals came out pumped up and scored on the third play of the game. Darnay Scott ran past a hobbled Troy Vincent, took a pass from David Klingler in stride at the 10 and jogged into the end zone for a 51-yard score that rocked the stadium.
Young Shula also got the better of the coaching matchup early. The Bengals virtually emptied their play book on the first two series - draw plays, a reverse, the long pass to Scott. But the life went out of them when Doug Pelfrey's 47-yard field goal hit the crossbar on their second possession.
Hello, Marino. He hit six passes on a drive to Pete Stoyanovich's 28-yard field goal early in the second quarter, then took the Dolphins 80 yards in nine plays for the go-ahead score with 1:14 left in the half. Byars slanted over the middle, grabbed a short pass and cut behind a block from Ingram to go in standing up.
Marino's 4-yarder to Ingram - a play switched at the line of scrimmage - early in the second half gave Papa Shula room to maneuver, and Stoyanovich's field goals of 27 and 32 yards finished it off.
Both teams seemed to be just playing it out at the end. The Dolphins stayed on the ground for the most part protecting the lead - why risk it? - and the Bengals reverted to their bumbling selves.
Klingler completed 16 of 29 for 188 yards with three interceptions - two off his receivers' hands - and a fumble. The Bengals' offense never threatened after Marino's second touchdown pass.
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB