Cowboys run wild on winless Rams

~ Dallas' Murray ran for a team-record 253 yards in a 34-7 victory

ARLINGTON, Texas -- As bad as their run defense had been all season, this was the chance for the St. Louis Rams to show what they could do with a few breaks.

They were going against a Dallas offense featuring a starting left guard who was unemployed as of Monday. The Cowboys also were missing their leading rusher.

The Rams responded with the worst effort in franchise history.

St. Louis allowed rookie DeMarco Murray to run for a 91-yard touchdown on his first carry and 253 yards overall, leading the Cowboys to a 34-7 victory Sunday.

Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo, left, shake hands with Cowboys coach Jason Garrett after Sunday's game in Arlington, Texas. The Cowboys won 34-7 to drop St. Louis to 0-6. (LM Otero ~ Associated Press)

Murray broke a Dallas franchise record that had gone from Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett to NFL career rushing king Emmitt Smith. It was the most yards in the NFL this season, the ninth-most in league history and the most ever against the Rams, who fell to 0-6.

The previous best was by a guy named Jim Brown. In 1957.

Murray also shook up the record books with his TD run. It was the longest ever against the Rams and the second-longest in Cowboys history, topped only by the NFL-record 99-yarder by Dorsett in January 1983.

"Until they decide they are going to tackle the way it's coached and the way we ask them to do it, it's probably not going to change," said St. Louis coach Steve Spagnuolo, whose background is defense.

The Rams came in allowing 163 yards per game on the ground, the worst in the NFL by more than two first downs. That number is going up after allowing 294 yards rushing Sunday.

Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray (29) finds open field during the first half of the NFL football game at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011. Following are Cowboys Montrae Holland (64) and St. Louis Rams outside linebacker Chris Chamberlain (57). Murray ran for a franchise-record 253 yards, including a 91-yard touchdown that's the second-longest in club history, to lead the Dallas Cowboys to a 34-7 victory over the ailing St. Louis Rams. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade)

The holes were so plentiful that when Murray took himself out to catch his breath in the fourth quarter, fourth-stringer Phillip Tanner finished that drive with 35 yards on the first four carries of his career, capping it with a 6-yard TD run.

"It's easy to run the ball when you're not making tackles," Rams safety Quintin Mikell. "When you're not getting guys on the ground, there's not much you can do."

For Dallas (3-3), the real satisfaction was ending a two-game losing skid and emphatically breaking a stretch of 11 straight games decided by four points or less.

The Cowboys never trailed and left no reason for team owner Jerry Jones to criticize coach Jason Garrett's play-calling -- except maybe to wonder why Murray didn't have a bigger role in the offense until this game.

Murray didn't even start against the Rams.

With lead back Felix Jones out with a high ankle sprain, Tashard Choice trotted out first. The plan was for him to share the load with Murray, a third-round pick whose development was slowed because he missed most of training camp with a hamstring injury.

It took all of one carry for Murray to become the main option.

On a first-and-19 from the Dallas 9, Murray went through a giant hole on the left side, cut through an attempted ankle tackle, then outran Mikell.

"I never thought in a million years that I'd ever have a day like this," Murray said. "This is what I've been working hard for since my Pop Warner days."

A.J. Feeley made his first start since 2007 and was 20 of 33 for 196 yards with one interception and one sack. But the offense gained only 4 yards in the third quarter and had only two good drives. The first ended in a 6-yard touchdown run by Steven Jackson that got St. Louis within 14-7. The other ended with a fourth-and-goal from the 1 that was stuffed in the final minutes.

"We couldn't get any rhythm and left the defense on the field entirely too long," Jackson said. "For whatever reason, this keeps being the same old story."

Jackson finished with 70 yards, 46 coming on the touchdown drive.

Brandon Lloyd caught six passes for 74 yards in his St. Louis debut.