PRO FOOTBALL : Dolphin Defense Rises to Occasion : Much-Maligned Unit Stops Saints to Save 31-27 Victory

For a change, the NFL’s most productive offense had to stand tensely on the sidelines and watch one of the league’s most generous defenses win the football game.

The Miami Dolphins scored 31 first-half points, with Dan Marino throwing three touchdown passes in the first 30 minutes of Sunday’s game, then had to stage a goal-line stand in the final 1:15 against the New Orleans Saints to win 31-27.

“Our young defense finally stopped them when they had to,” Miami Coach Don Shula said.

The Dolphins (7-7) started three rookies on a defensive unit that had given up 4,762 yards going into Sunday’s game.

It came down to, “We gotta stop them, it’s the ball game,” said Dolphins linebacker Bob Brudzinski, whose 10-year tenure extends back into the glory years of Miami football.

“We didn’t play too hot the whole game, giving up 257 yards rushing,” he said. “But we came up and stopped them when we had to.”

The Saints scored 17 points in the second half and had a touchdown called back on a penalty with 1:11 left to play.

“They really showed a lot of what they were made of the way they came back,” Shula said. “They must have done a lot of soul-searching because they came out after halftime and completely shut us down.”

Marino, who came into the game averaging 298 passing yards a game, completed 27 of 41 attempts for 241 yards Sunday. His touchdown passes went for 13 yards to Dan Johnson in the first quarter, 4 yards to Bruce Hardy in the second quarter and 23 yards to Tony Nathan just before halftime.

The Dolphins’ dormant running game also worked for the first 30 minutes. Lorenzo Hampton had 73 yards, including a 4-yard first-quarter touchdown as Miami gained 100 rushing yards in the first half.

Kicker Fuad Reveiz also had a 43-yard field goal in that half, which ended with Miami leading 31-10.

For the Saints, rookie Rueben Mayes had 203 rushing yards, including two touchdown runs--20 yards in the first quarter and 34 yards in the third quarter.

Morten Andersen kicked field goals of 27 yards and 29 yards, and tight end John Tice scored on a 3-yard pass from Dave Wilson in the fourth quarter.

The Saints are now 6-8 after the defeat that ended hopes for a first-ever winning season for the 20-year-old franchise.

Wilson, who finished with 276 passing yards on 19 of 34 completions, got the offense moving in the final 30 minutes, but couldn’t put it in for the score on the last drive.

With first and goal from the six, Mayes gained five yards on his first down and appeared to have scored the winning touchdown on his second carry, but it was called back on an illegal procedure penalty.

Dolphin cornerback William Judson dropped Mayes for a four-yard loss on third down and wide receiver Hebert Harris dropped a Wilson pass in the end zone on fourth down.