1. But his homecoming was spoiled by two crucial fumbles in USC territory. 2. Running back Emmitt Smith, coming off a sprained knee ligament, had a crucial fumble near the goal line. 3. Smith, the leading rusher in the NFL, has had crucial fumbles in both games. 4. Smith has had crucial fumbles near the goal line in back-to-back games, which has indirectly led to the Cowboys losing to Washington and Philadelphia. 5. Two crucial fumbles. 6. Atwater had five tackles in the conference title game, adding a crucial forced fumble and a tipped pass that resulted in an interception. 7. He committed a crucial fumble deep in Packers territory Monday night that led to a Carolina touchdown. |