Smith Sets Cowboy Record: 237 Yards : NFC: Running back’s 62-yard touchdown run late in the game wraps up 23-10 victory over the Eagles.

The Philadelphia Eagles worked all week on stopping Emmitt Smith, but on Sunday nothing worked.

Smith rushed for a team-record 237 yards, including a 62-yard touchdown run, as the Dallas Cowboys beat the Eagles, 23-10.

“Gang tackle him, put four hats on him, and the rest come in and strip the ball,” Eagle linebacker Seth Joyner preached during the week.

But the Eagles had trouble putting a single “hat” on Smith, whose total in the driving rain tied for the sixth highest in NFL history.

“I didn’t expect to have such a great day against the Eagles, because they play such tremendous defense,” Smith said.

He must have thinking of the days of Reggie White and the late Jerome Brown. This isn’t the same defense.

Still, the resilient Eagles, an 11-point underdog, played the Cowboys to a standstill in a driving rain until Smith broke his big run with 3:45 left in the game.

Dallas (5-2) won its fifth in a row since losing its first two games and tied the New York Giants for first place in the NFC East.

Smith, who was holding out during the two defeats, broke the Cowboy record of 206 yards by Tony Dorsett against the Eagles in 1977. Smith, who had 30 carries, gained 65 yards in the first quarter, 64 in the second, 14 in the third and 94 in the final quarter.

He said the Eagles were trying to take away the passing game, leaving him with lots of room.

Of his 62-yard scoring run, Smith said: “They thought I was going outside and I just popped it to the inside and got past the safety.”

Said Philadelphia Coach Rich Kotite: “Smith’s run broke our backs. We decided to blitz, and they split it and went.”

The Eagles (4-3), hurt by injuries, weren’t given much chance against the powerful Cowboys. Because of the injuries, they played with a makeshift defensive line, third-string quarterback Ken O’Brien, and 37-year-old James Lofton at receiver.

Actually, O’Brien and Lofton, who had four catches for 57 yards, kept the Eagles in the game.

Philadelphia limited Troy Aikman to nine-for-19 passing for 96 yards and checked Michael Irvin with three catches for 36 yards. But they couldn’t handle Smith.

After the Eagles’ Jeff Feagles punted out of bounds at the Dallas 2, the Cowboys moved 81 yards on 11 plays, with Smith gaining 55 yards. Murray kicked a 35-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

Dallas increased the lead to 10-0 in the second quarter after O’Brien was sacked, fumbled, and the Cowboys’ Russell Maryland recovered at the Dallas 47. Kevin Williams raced 11 yards on a reverse for the touchdown. Smith had 23 yards rushing on the drive.

Philadelphia cut the deficit to 10-7 at halftime with an 11-play, 80-yard drive capped by O’Brien’s three-yard pass to Hershel Walker, who started the march with a 23-yard run.

Murray kicked a 23-yard field goal for Dallas and Matt Bahr a 33-yarder for Philadelphia in the third quarter.

“I don’t know if this was his (Smith’s) best performance (because) I’ve seen him have so many great games,” Aikman said. “But I don’t know if I’ve seen him run any harder than he did today. He was phenomenal.”

“Fabulous” was the word used by Dallas Coach Jimmy Johnson.

“He’s a pretty good mudder,” Johnson added.

Single-Game Rushing Leaders

Emmitt Smith of the Dallas Cowboys cracked the top 10 for single-game rushing Sunday with 237 yards against Philadelphia. The top rushing performances in NFL history :

Player Team Year Carries Yards Avg TD Walter Payton Chicago 1977 40 275 6.9 1 O.J. Simpson Buffalo 1976 29 273 9.4 2 O.J. Simpson Buffalo 1973 29 250 8.6 2 Willie Ellison Rams 1971 26 247 9.5 1 Cookie Gilchrist Buffalo 1963 36 243 6.8 5 Emmitt Smith Dallas 1993 30 237 7.9 1 Jim Brown Cleveland 1961 34 237 7.0 4 Jim Brown Cleveland 1957 31 237 7.6 4 Jim Brown Cleveland 1963 20 232 11.6 2 Bobby Mitchell Cleveland 1959 14 232 16.6 3