Mobile UPI  |   About UPI  |   UPI en Español  |   UPI Arabic  |   UPIU  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Sports News

NFL: Dallas 35, Minnesota 31

|
|
 
  
Published: Sept. 4, 2009 at 11:45 PM

MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- Jesse Holley returned a punt 82 yards for a touchdown with 2:51 remaining Friday, giving Dallas a wild 35-31 exhibition win over Minnesota.

The Cowboys returned two interceptions for touchdowns in a span of 2:29 in the third period to tie it, after which Minnesota built a 31-21 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Fourth-string Dallas quarterback Rudy Carpenter then led a 77-yard drive that took up half the final period and hit Scott Chandler with a 4-yard scoring pass that brought the Cowboys within three.

After Dallas held the Vikings, Holley fielded a punt on the bounce and brought it back all the way for the winning score.

Neither regular quarterback -- Tony Romo for Dallas or Brett Favre for Minnesota -- saw action in the game.

Minnesota built a 21-7 halftime lead thanks, in part, to an interception and lost fumble by Dallas quarterback Jon Kitna. The Cowboys tied it less than 3 minutes deep in the second half on interception returns of 23 yards by Pat Wakins and 44 yards by Steve Octavien.

Minnesota, which lost for the first time in four exhibition games, will open its season at Cleveland. Dallas (2-2) will begin at Tampa Bay.

© 2009 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
  
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
Super Bowl XLVI ticker tape victory parade N.Y. Giants win Super Bowl XLVI Cheerleaders of 2012
Additional Sports News Stories
1 of 25
Meryl Streep and Colin Firth attend the "BAFTA" ceremony in London
View Caption
fark
It's a Jeep thing. You wouldn't understand
Baby shower ends with three people stabbed after a drunken argument between relatives of mom-to-be...
"Man charged with exposing himself to women while riding bike" which really is a lot harder than...
Florida man ran into his ex-girlfriend yesterday. Then he backed up and ran into her again. He misses...
Adam Adamowicz, concept artist for Fallout and Skyrim, passes away after losing his fight against...
If you are Australia's most notorious hired gun, brag about having killed 19 people, and go by the...