Duper Is Super Again and Grabs Victory Out of the Air for Dolphins

For those wondering what has been wrong with the Miami Dolphins this year, Mark Duper provided an answer Sunday.

Duper returned from a seven-game layoff to catch 8 passes for 217 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown from Dan Marino with 41 seconds left which gave the recharged Dolphins a 21-17 victory over the New York Jets in the Orange Bowl.

“I think you now understand how much we missed Duper on offense,” said Dolphin Coach Don Shula, whose team had lost three of the last four games and saw its playoff hopes slipping away.

The 50-yarder, Duper’s second long touchdown reception, came two plays after the Jets rallied to take a 17-14 lead with 1:08 left on a 20-yard pass from Ken O’Brien to Rocky Klever.

“This would have been a devastating loss,” Shula said. “Thanks to Marino and Duper, it wasn’t.”

Rookie Lorenzo Hampton returned the kickoff after Klever’s touchdown 39 yards to the Miami 44, and Marino, who completed 21 of 37 attempts for 362 yards, hit Mark Clayton on a six-yard pass to set up the game-winner.

Duper, who said before the game he felt his injured left leg was only about 70% as strong as normal, raced past cornerback Bobby Jackson and extended his hands as far as he could to make a bobbling catch at about the 20-yard line. He ran untouched into the end zone.

“In my own mind, I didn’t think I could run the way I did today,” Duper said. He said he ran the same pattern on both of his touchdown receptions, and the second one came on an audible by Marino.

“They blitzed and gave us the chance for the big play,” Marino said. “If you’ve got a minute left you always have a chance with players with the speed of Duper and Clayton.”

Jet Coach Joe Walton said he didn’t want to have single coverage on Duper on the touchdown play, but his hand was forced because he only had five healthy defensive backs.

Jackson drew the unlucky assignment.

“When I saw him in front of me and looked back and saw the ball, I knew it was trouble,” Jackson said. “I just got beat on the play.”

Walton had no doubt what the difference was between the Dolphins who beat him Sunday and the team which the Jets beat, 23-7, four weeks ago.

“Duper adds a lot to their offense,” Walton said. “He adds a different dimension. He’s dangerous.”

Duper’s 217-yard effort broke the Dolphins’ single-game record of 210 yards set by Nat Moore against the Jets in 1981.

The victory gives Miami a 6-4 record and keeps its playoff hopes alive.

The Jets slipped to 7-3, leaving them tied with New England for the AFC Eastern Division lead.

Marino connected with Duper on a 60-yard bomb in the second quarter and then found Clayton on a 21-yard crossing pattern for another score in the third period.

Until the Jets moved 80 yards to Klever’s touchdown in a well-executed drive in the closing minutes, the only touchdown they could manage against Miami’s defense came on a 14-yard swing pass from O’Brien to Freeman McNeil late in the third period.

McNeil had 26 carries for 107 yards to pass the 1,000-yard mark. He leads the league with 1,052 yards.