Testaverde Leads Cowboys Past Lions By Jaime Aron Associated Press 11/1/04 IRVING, Texas - Eddie George was frustrated. The Dallas Cowboys were losing games and he wasn't getting many chances to help. All that changed Sunday. George had season highs with 31 carries for 99 yards and the suddenly running-again Cowboys ended their three-game losing streak with a 31-21 victory over Detroit. Even quarterback Vinny Testaverde, just two weeks shy of his 41st birthday, came up big on the ground. "From day one, I just wanted to contribute anyway possible and I'm just thankful for the opportunity to go out there and try to provide some type of running attack," said George, who signed with Dallas just before training camp. "Everything was working." For only the second time this season, the Cowboys ran the ball more than they threw it - a season-high 41 rushes (11 more than any other game) and season-low 24 passes. "I was pretty much of the mind-set that's what we were going to do," coach Bill Parcells said. "I just know we had better balance." At the end of the Cowboys' first 15-play touchdown drive, George already had eight carries, just four shy of his season average. His 21-yard run in the second quarter was only his second 20-yard run this year and helped set up a touchdown pass. George knew his role was going to change when he left Tennessee, but expressed his frustration after getting just 10 carries two straight weeks. He said he needed to touch the ball at least that much just to get into the flow of a game. His 31 carries Sunday were 10 more than his career average. Testaverde completed 19 of 24 passes for 235 yards and made up for three interceptions with three TDs, two to Keyshawn Johnson and one to Jason Witten. Nearly more impressive were the quarterback's two running plays. Dallas (3-4) had a fourth-and-3 play at the Detroit 35 in the second quarter when Testaverde called a sneak at the line and gained 7 yards, his first positive rush this season. Three plays later, he hit Johnson for 26 yards to make it 14-all. Testaverde broke the tie and put the Cowboys ahead to stay just 23 seconds after halftime when he scrambled 3 yards for his first rushing TD in 54 games, since December 1998. ReShard Lee's 52-yard kickoff return and a 43-yard pass-interference penalty on a play intended for Johnson set up the score. "Vinny went back to his youth, his young days," guard Andre Gurode said. Joey Harrington, Detroit's third-year quarterback, kept things close. His second TD pass, a 50-yarder to David Kircus with 5:29 left, made it 24-21. Harrington finished 19-of-32 for 255 yards. But Testaverde responded with a 38-yard TD to Johnson, giving the Cowboys their most points since a 38-7 win at Detroit last season. "They kept the ball away from us," Harrington said. "That's kind of been our calling card. We haven't been a big explosive offense. We just kind of slug it down the field. That's what they did to us." Detroit (4-3) looked more like the team that lost 24 straight road games, not the one that opened this season 3-0 away from home. The Lions were stopped on third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 from the Dallas 37 early in the fourth quarter before a false start turned a field-goal try into a punt. They also lost a big punt return because of a penalty (they had 10 penalties for 112 yards) and wasted a timeout before kicking an extra point. And they missed a chance to tie for the NFC North lead after Minnesota lost. "This team will do some exciting things at times," coach Steve Mariucci said, "but they'll also do some crazy things."