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Closing it out in style Dillon runs for 192 yards in last game at Cinergy Field
Posted: Sunday December 12, 1999 10:55 PM
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Corey Dillon turned the last NFL game at Cincinnati's stadium into a Bengals classic. Dillon rushed for 192 yards and three touchdowns in less than three quarters as the Bengals ground down the Cleveland Browns 44-28 Sunday in the last NFL game at Cinergy Field. The Bengals (4-10) plan to move a few blocks away to Paul Brown Stadium in 2000. Dillon gave the old place a sendoff to remember. Playing on the same field where he broke Jim Brown's rookie record with 246 yards in 1997, Dillon picked up chunks of yards at a record pace by eluding the Browns (2-12) with his cutbacks on the slick artificial turf. Coach Bruce Coslet sat Dillon down late in the third quarter with a 44-21 lead, ending the running back's pursuit of Walter Payton's NFL-record 275 yards rushing against Minnesota in 1977. "We knew he was just under 200 yards and we thought about putting him back in to go over 200, but then we realized that wouldn't be a team record or anything," Coslet said. "And there is such a thing as sportsmanship." It didn't matter to Dillon, who puts little emphasis on personal records. "I was not disappointed with the decision," Dillon said. "I know what the record is and records are made to be broken, just not today." It was a virtual replay of the rivals' first game in Cleveland on Oct. 10, when Dillon took inside handoffs from Akili Smith and tore through the league's worst defense for 168 yards, then the second-best performance of his career. Running the same cutback plays with a different quarterback, Dillon rolled up 162 yards on 20 carries in the first half alone on a cold, rainy afternoon. Dillon has rushed for 1,173 yards this season, 360 of them in the two games against the expansion Browns. "This is really embarrassing for us," linebacker Wali Rainer said. "It's got to be heart out there and there wasn't any. He's a good back, don't get me wrong, but the defense just didn't play good. It was a terrible effort by everybody." Cincinnati won the game on the ground, rushing 53 times for 279 yards, the second-best total in franchise history. The Browns managed only 11 yards on 11 carries, the fewest ever allowed by a Bengals defense. "I wasn't pleased and I let them know it," coach Chris Palmer said after talking to his team. "Anytime anybody runs for [279] yards on you, that's not a good sign. You've got to be more physical, attack the line of scrimmage and don't let them run it down your throat." Dillon gave a hint of things to come when he tore off a 16-yard run on his second carry, putting him over 1,000 yards for the season. Dillon became the 11th running back in NFL history to gain 1,000 in each of his first three seasons. "Sometimes I feel like I'm overshadowed playing in Cincinnati," Dillon said. "We have a lot of talented players who could go to the Pro Bowl, but they get overlooked because they play for the Bengals and that's not right. We just want people to take a look." Jeff Blake complemented him by completing 11-of-22 for 176 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown pass to Darnay Scott against an all-out blitz that made it 44-21 in the third quarter. While Dillon flirted with history before taking the final quarter off, the Bengals added to their history of finishing strong when it no longer matters. The NFL's worst team of the '90s has won three in a row for the first time since 1997, improving its December record in the decade to 20-18. Dillon decided a ragged game between Ohio's two bumbling teams -- the Browns couldn't tackle Dillon, the Bengals could cover Tim Couch's receivers and both teams' special teams had one misadventure after another. Craig Yeast, who was Couch's favorite receiver at Kentucky, returned a punt 81 yards for Cincinnati's first touchdown and the second of his rookie season. Couch completed 16-of-28 for 239 yards with two touchdowns as Cleveland reached a season high in points. His best moment came late in the first half, when he hit Kevin Johnson with a 44-yard pass to the 1-yard line, Terry Kirby took it in and Couch ran in the 2-point conversion that made it 23-15 with 45 seconds left. But Tremain Mack returned the kickoff 55 yards to set up Dillon's 2-yard touchdown run with 15 seconds left for a 30-15 halftime advantage, the Bengals' biggest first half since 1989. Notes: Cleveland's Ronnie Powell was taken off the field on a backboard as a precaution after spraining his neck on a kickoff return. He had full sensation in his arms and legs. ... Johnson had seven catches for 135 yards, both highs in his rookie season. He broke Eric Metcalf's club record for catches by a rookie (he has 60). ... Mounted police came on the field as the clock ran out, but fans stayed off the field. The Reds are scheduled to play three more seasons at Cinergy. ... The Bengals swept the season series from Cleveland for the first time since 1990. The Browns lead the intrastate series 27-26. ... The Bengals were 133-101, including the playoffs, in 30 years at the stadium. ... Dillon is the first Bengals back to have three consecutive 100-yard games since Pete Johnson in 1980.
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