FRISCO — Dallas Cowboys corner Amani Oruwariye made a split decision on Monday night against the Cincinnati Bengals. Admittedly, he said it’s one he wishes he could have back.
Oruwariye found himself on Monday night in a place that’s usually home for two different type of special teams players: the spotlight can be on a special teams player for the extraordinary and, in the case of Oruwariye on Monday, the unfortunate.
The Cowboys, tied at 20 with the Bengals and less than two minutes left, had a blocked punt at the hands of linebacker Nick Vigil, who beat his blocker so quickly that he had no other choice but to seize the moment and block the punt.
The ball tipped off Vigil’s hands and went forward with a lot of spin and a lot of speed, creating a tough situation for Oruwariye, who turned around from blocking his opponent to see the ball coming towards him.
“I reacted like any athlete would, saw the ball, and in a split decision I made a decision to go and try and secure the ball,” Oruwariye said on Wednesday. “That’s just part of the game. I felt like it was something that I felt in that moment was the reactionary thing to do, so I’m standing by it.”
Instead of securing the ball, Oruwariye muffed it. The quick hop bounced high and awkwardly on him. It hit off his upper body and into the hands of a Bengals player. Cincinnati scored the game-wining touchdown shortly after.
Oruwariye was later asked on Wednesday in the locker room when he realized it probably wasn’t the right decision to try and make a play on the ball, considering how things ultimately went. He said quickly, once he saw everyone’s emotions around him.
“I was like, ‘Dang,'” he said. “That was a pretty big mistake in the moment, but like I said, it was reactionary. In the moment the ball got up on me pretty quick. I wish I could’ve secured it. Wish I could’ve just not touched it. Either way, it unfolded how it did, and that’s part of the game. That’s part of life. Things you’ve got to take and learn from and move on.”
The moving on part was tough immediately. Oruwariye was visibly emotional after the loss. He was seen walking to the locker room with a towel over his head. He had a towel over his head in the early part of the open postgame locker, as well, as he sat next to special teams coach John Fassel.
At one point, multiple reporters, including from DLLS, waited to try and talk with Oruwariye in the locker room. Special teams ace C.J. Goodwin, a veteran leader in the group, then spoke up.
“That’s my teammate,” Goodwin said to DLLS and others. “That’s my brother. We aren’t doing any negativity.”
Other teammates chimed in, too, as they walked out alongside Oruwariye in postgame.
Most players and coaches were quick to defend Oruwariye after the play, saying that one play doesn’t define the outcome of a game. Others were quick to point out that the reality of the play — and the emotional swing of the blocked punt seconds before — was unfortunate.
“I thought our defense played really well tonight,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after the game. “Played well enough to win. Obviously our offense played well enough to win. There’s three phases. You have a special teams phase, and that cost us.”
Oruwariye appreciated the support his teammates showed him.
“It’s a testimony to the kind of guys we have in this locker room,” he said. “Just great guys, great teammates, just wanting to rally around me, console me, support me in a moment like that. That’s just a very emotional moment. I didn’t want to feel like I was letting anyone down, and they quickly assured to me that wasn’t what I did. That was a good feeling to feel that from my guys.”
Now Oruwariye said he’s trying to move on from the play.
“The first night was kind of tough … but as time goes on, you realize it’s life,” he said. “There are things bigger than this game outside of life. It’s a learning lesson. Me being in Year 6, there are still things I can learn and build upon, and that’s what I plan to do.”
