Momentum Lasts Only Three Minutes : Offense: That’s how long it takes the Cowboys to counter a Raider touchdown and take control of the game.

Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman knew that the Cowboys had to respond quickly after the Raiders took a 13-7 lead early in the second half.

He realized that the Raiders had momentum, and that their Coliseum fans were beginning to think upset after Todd Marinovich completed a 31-yard touchdown pass to Willie Gault.

So, Aikman and the Cowboys turned to a play they had worked on all week: a deep post pattern to wide receiver Alvin Harper against Raider cornerback Lionel Washington left alone in man-to-man coverage.

On second and eight from the Cowboy 27-yard line, Aikman teamed up with Harper for a 52-yard completion.

The play turned the game around. Dallas scored three plays later on a four-yard run by Emmitt Smith to take a 14-13 lead.

Raider momentum had disappeared in the three minutes and five plays Dallas needed to drive 75 yards to score.

“I don’t know what would have happened if we didn’t score right away,” said Aikman, who completed 16 of 25 passes for 234 yards. “But it’s become a trademark for our offense to respond whenever our backs are against the wall.”

Dallas’ offensive coordinator, Norv Turner, believed the Cowboys could take advantage of Raider safety Ronnie Lott.

On Aikman’s big completion to Harper, Lott moved up to cover Dallas tight end Jay Novacek, who ran a 12-yard inside pattern. That left Washington alone with Harper.

“Harper is a big-time player, and he just went out and got the ball,” said Turner, a onetime Ram and USC assistant. “For six weeks, we’ve been able to throw to (Pro Bowl wide receiver Michael Irvin), and Harper has been left in single coverage. Today, Troy was able to throw the ball to him.”

For Aikman, who played at UCLA, returning to the Coliseum and leaving a winner felt good. In his only other appearance, he ended up on the losing end of a 17-13 USC victory in 1987.

“I can’t lie and say that I didn’t think about that,” he said. “This is only my second time coming in and playing here, and the first time wasn’t too (happy).”

Dallas had too many weapons for the Raiders, and Aikman knew when to use them. If he wasn’t handing the ball to Emmitt Smith, who scored three touchdowns, Aikman was giving the Raiders’ secondary fits.

Even though he was sacked five times, Aikman made plays when it counted. The Cowboys had 23 first downs and converted on seven of 14 third downs. The Raiders had only 12 first downs and missed on all eight third downs.

“Troy did a really good job in standing there against their pressure,” Dallas Coach Jimmy Johnson said. “That pass play (to Harper) was a really big big play because we came back so quickly after they had scored.”

Aikman scored the Cowboys’ third touchdown on a three-yard run early in the fourth quarter.

“The Raiders are an aggressive defensive team, and we felt that they would overplay the run,” Aikman said. “Then, when I rolled out, they were overplaying Novacek, so I just kept it.”

Dallas’ offensive balance is a key reason for Aikman’s success in leading the Cowboys to a 6-1 start.

Aikman, who was selected to the Pro Bowl last year and is in his fourth season with Dallas, completed passes to six receivers. Irvin, who entered the game with 674 yards in 33 catches, caught only three passes for 54 yards.

“Going into this game, I felt pretty good with our offense because (Turner) had put together a game plan that would work for us,” Aikman said. “We had seen on film that (Lott) liked to play aggressively and would take the tight end coming across (the middle), so we knew we’d have a chance with the deep ball.”

Harper, a second-year player from Tennessee, had his best game of the season with four catches for 79 yards.

“They played me with a lot of ‘man’ (coverage), and that gave me more opportunity to make plays,” said Harper, who had only eight catches going into the game. “I had been kind of down because I felt that I wasn’t contributing.”