Cowboys romp past Giants
<p>Dallas' Kevin Ogletree (85) scores a touchdown while New York's Kenny Phillips attempts to make the tackle Wednesday night at East Rutherford, N.J.</p>
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys waited all year for another shot at the New York Giants. When they got it in the 2012 season opener, they were ready.
So were the replacement officials, who barely were a story with Dallas dominating the Super Bowl champions for much of a 24-17 victory Wednesday night that wasn’t nearly so close.
It won’t make up for the New Year’s Day loss that cost the Cowboys the NFC East title and sent the Giants on their way to the NFL championship. It sure could provide impetus for this season, though, particularly with the discovery of a new game-breaker, Kevin Ogletree.
While the officials were expected to be a big factor with the league’s lockout of the regulars, there were no controversies, no blatant mistakes or rampant confusion. The spotlight belonged squarely on the Cowboys, from Tony Romo’s three touchdown passes and 307 yards in the air to DeMarco Murray’s 129 yards rushing to Ogletree’s two scores.
“A huge emphasis for us was big plays,” said Ogletree, who enjoyed his big night not far from where he grew up in the New York borough of Queens. “I don’t want the focus to be on me too much, but I am very, very humbled and appreciative of how we played today.”
Dallas’ defense frustrated Eli Manning and his offense with three sacks and a half-dozen pressures, all before the largest crowd at MetLife Stadium for a Giants game. The 82,287 saw the defending league champs lose in the now-traditional midweek kickoff contest for the first time in nine such games.
“We let them know where we are as a defense, and that we’ll play that way every week,” DeMarcus Ware said after getting two sacks to give him 101 1-2 for his career, now in its eighth season.
When the Cowboys were threatened late — a spot they often have folded in against the Giants — Romo hit Ogletree for 15 yards on third down to clinch it. That gave Ogletree 114 yards on eight catches; he had 25 receptions for 294 yards and no scores entering the game.
“I’m close to home, so it’s a good feeling,” Ogletree said. “But Dallas is my home now.”