PRO FOOTBALL : Shula Pulls Marino, Oilers Pull Out Win, 26-23

Just when Don Shula thought he had the Miami Dolphins back together, they fell apart again.

Dan Marino ended a 37-day holdout last week and started Sunday against the Houston Oilers, but was ineffective and was pulled from the game in the fourth quarter as the Oilers rallied to beat the Miami Dolphins, 26-23.

Shula said Marino was sharp at the beginning of the game, but lost some of his timing as the game progressed.

“We had some chances early in the game but he (Marino) was missing plays that he didn’t miss before,” Shula said.

Marino left the game briefly in the first quarter with an elbow injury, returned to help the Dolphins gain a 16-9 lead, but was replaced in the fourth period by Don Strock.

“I didn’t play well, I was making the right reads and the right decisions when to throw, but I didn’t step up and throw it the way I should,” Marino said. “I had the receivers, I just didn’t get the ball to them.”

Former Heisman Trophy winner Mike Rozier scored his first two NFL touchdowns after two years in the United States Football League, the second one from a yard out with 25 seconds to play for the Oilers’ winning points.

Quarterback Warren Moon hit Drew Hill on a 48-yard pass to start the winning drive.

“I like to get the ball early on a play like that where I have one-on-one coverage,” Rozier said. “It’s easier to attack and assess the situation, and I got a great block from Larry (Moriarty).”

Rozier’s game winner came on a one-yard dive after Strock replaced Marino in the fourth quarter and connected with Mark Duper on a 67-yard touchdown pass play to give the Dolphins a 19-16 lead with 8:43 left in the game.

Strock entered the game on the first play after Bud Brown recovered a fumble by Rozier at the Dolphin 33. He found Duper over the middle, and the receiver cut to the sidelines and went all the way for a touchdown.

Butch Woolfolk got the Oilers started in the second quarter with on 80-yard touchdown catch from Moon.

“I knew if Warren wasn’t hit it was a touchdown because I had the guy beaten,” Woolfolk said. “It was a simple matter of them trying to match (safety Mike) Kozlowski’s speed against mine.”

With the Oilers trailing, 16-9, at the half, Tony Zendejas kicked a 46-yard field goal and Rozier ran three yards on the first play of the fourth quarter for a go-ahead touchdown.

The Dolphins built their first-half lead on field goals of 33, 36 and 23 yards by Fuad Reveiz and William Judson’s 61-yard interception return.

Houston Coach Hugh Campbell praised the Oiler defense for its effort.

“Our defense is quicker and I think it will be tougher to sustain drives against us,” he said.