The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • 26

I Chargers Beat the Clock ar Coo Anjjeko Slimes BY DAVID DISTEL Tlmtl Staff Wrlttr SAN DIEGO-In the Chargers' playbook, it was called "Red Left Slot 20 Fin Down Rip." But it was so much more than that. It was a folly and it was a prayer and it was a fantasy. Time had run out in a 15-minute overtime period Sunday when John Jefferson, losing his footing in a wet end zone, caught a 14 -yard pass from Dan Fouls to give the Chargers a 29-23 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. A game that was nothing more than boring through quarters turned electric with the twilight. The placekickcrs, the Chargers' Rolf BenirschRe and the Chiefs' Jan Stcnerud, kicked field goals in the last minute and a half of regulation to produce a 23-23 tie.

Stenerud's 47-yarder hit the crossbar and bounced over with two seconds to play. Then in overtime, the game's leading ball-carriers, the Chargers' Lydell Mitchell and the Chiefs' Arnold Morgado, fumbled away scoring opportunities, As has been so often the case with the Chargers this year, all of the afternoon's labors were to depend upon one play. Everything else was to seem of considerably less consequence, Twenty -nine seconds remained as the Chargers huddled at the Kansas City 14. They had time for a pass and a field-goal attempt. Maybe another pass if they got a first down.

They had one timeout left. But they broke the huddle calmly, and Fouls stood over the center for what seemed like forever. He was watching the 30-second clock, una- ware that there was less time remaining on the game clock. Jefferson, the wife receiver, looked over his shoulder at the game clock -and was startled, "Hurry Dan," he yelled, "Hurry Dan." When Fouts finally dropped back to pass, he still thought there was going to be time for another play. But the time evaporated while the ball was in the air.

The Chiefs' Tim Collier slipped as he chased Jefferson. And then Jefferson slipped. But he caught the ball. BUSINESS CC PART III -J- MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1978 id Chief fl-fi Willi ft DUUS 1 I- "That game," Jefferson said, "was meant for us." Kansas City coach Marv Levy was understandably disappointed, but not so much so lhat he could not lake a moment to comment upon the quality of the drama played before 41,395 fans at San Diego Stadium. "It was great," Levy said, "to be involved in a game like this-even though we lost." The Chargers felt much the same, especially since they won.

"We figured we'd gel one more Flense Turn to Page 14, Col. II Bauer Makes Small Yards but Big Gains BY MATT MITCHELL Tlmtl Staff Wrllir SAN DIEGO-IIank Bauer isn't asked to gain 100 yards per game. The San Diego Charger running back is just supposed to cover ground in tiny bits and pieces. He was given the football six limes Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs and with it he scored two touchdowns, each from a yard out, and made three critical first downs to sustain drives in San Diego's overtime victory. In the first quarter, he got 2 yards for a first down inside the Kansas City 6-yard line, then scored four plays later.

During the overtime, he made a first down on a fourlh-and-onc situation, then later converted a third -and-thrcc by a scant margin as defensive lineman Dave Lindstrom of the Chiefs tried to hurl him back. 1 IsT 3 If. r'V 't fx 't Pi Ml i. r-i-i r-niiinlr i r1rWfei as he is met by Charlie Joiner. Ji A iljlfelfilll THE WINNER John Jefferson catches Sunday's winning touchdown pass from Dan Fouts Ram Defense Does Number on Steelers in 10-7 Win Lakers Run Their Streak to 8 -Oat Home, 134-106 BY ROSS NEWHAN Tlmtl Staff Wrlttr BY TED GREEN Tlmtl Staff Wrlttr I and then gives the high sign himself in grip of Gary Spani of received facemask penalty.

Times photos by Len Lahman 1 1 In fact, the only time Bauer failed to keep a drive alive or to score came in the first quarter when given the ball on third and four. "Aw, that's out of my range," he said, reflecting on his average of 3.3 yards per carry. "But, at least I'm over 200 yards now this season and have six touchdowns. It's six touchdowns more than I figured 1 would have when I came to training camp this year." Charger tight end Pat Curran, who uses Bauer incessantly as the butt of team jokes, walked by two reporters and demanded: "What arc you talking to Hank for? You lose a bet." "When you arc asked lo replace Lydell Mitchell (who had 144 yards in 29 carries against the Chiefs), it's an unbelievable feeling," he said, "Just to know people want you and like you almost defies description." Bauer, who is nearly bald and looks more like 42 than 24, look a couple of more digs from players walking by. "I'm good for the spirit and morale of the team," he said.

I don't mind be-PlcaseTurn (o Page 6, Col. 3 In analyzing a team that has begun to play the same way virtually every time out, West said: "The key is that these people have been together for two years now and they realize what can happen if we do move the ball. They've developed a confidence in our style of play and that confidence makes all the difference in the world. "As long as we rebound, we are explosive, we can be hard to defend." The contributions of two players, according to West, have been pivotal. "Norm Nixon has emerged as a floor leader," West said, "the type of player who makes us run.

And the one thing that goes unnoticed about Kareem Abdul -Jabbar) is that he passes the ball so well that it creates so many easy baskets for us. "Everyone knows about all the other things Kareem gives us." Playing only 29 minutes Sunday night, Abdul -Jabbar gave the Lakers 22 points, 13 rebounds and four assists. He had 11 points and six rebounds in the first quarter when the Lakers hit 15 of 19 shots, opening up a 37-25 lead. The Lakers actually won it with a 10-0 spurt midway through that period, a quick blitz in which the outlet passes of Abdul-Jabbar and the fast-break patterns of Nixon were significant. There was 9:03 left in the second period when the dazed Pacers called time out, already trailing by 20 points (49-29), the Lakers having hit 20 of their first 25 shots from the floor, a percentage of 80.

The percentage had dropped to a still torrid 63 (29 of 46) by half time, but the lead was up to 30, leaving the second half a mere formality in which the play turned sloppy. The Lakers wound up hitting 50 of 90 for 55. The Pacers were 49 of 108 for 45. Indiana's 7-1 center, James Edwards, and 6-9 forward, Mike Ban-torn, each had four fouls before the second quarter was half over, restricting their availability and severely hampering their team's of- Plea.se Turn to Page I Col. 1 GAG RULE Lydell Mitchell finds Chiefs in fourth quarter.

Spani Mi fag I' fey' iv it t.SA.l WIS i rii ii: fL- I The Indiana Pacers couldn't keep pace with the streaking Lakers Sunday night. Proving again that at least one pro team in Los Angeles has a consistently explosive offense, the Lakers buried the Pacers during an 80-50 first half and went to score a 134-106 victory before an crowd of 9,337 at the Forum. The Lakers are now 8-0 at home this year, averaging 126 points per game. They have also won nine in a row, longest streak since autumn of 1972, when they won 13 in a row. A year before they had won 33 straight, the longest slreat in the history of professional sports.

Jerry West, an architect of that streak and now the Lakers' coach, said he has not yet allowed himself lo think back on that memorable run, to compare it to what is happening now. In the great tradition of his profession, he said he is taking them one at a time, the next one being Tuesday night in Milwaukee. Of the Lakers' 28-point victory Sunday night, he said: "We really played well, there's no doubt about it. Everyone contributed in the first half. When you build a lead like that at home, there's really not much chance you can lose it.

All I had to do was keep reminding them how we got the lead and try to keep them playing the same way." Pro Football San Diego 29, Kansas City 23 (OT) Los Angeles 10, Pittsburgh 7 Denver 19, Cleveland 7 Houston 26, New England 23 Miami 25, Buffalo 24 Washington 16, NY Giants 13 (OT) Philadelphia 17, NY Jets 9 Detroit 34, Tampa Bay 23 Atlanta 20, New Orleans 17 Dallas 42, Green Bay 14 Minnesota 17, Chicago 14 St. Louis 16, San Francisco 10 Baltimore 17, Seattle 14 first Ram back to hit 100 this season), caught three passes for 29 yards and upstaged Franco Harris. The Steelers' star fullback struggled for nearly every one of his 50 yards on 22 carries. And in the second half, when Harris made only 10 yards, he and the Steelers learned the hard way that the Rams' defense isn't like Buffalo's or Seattle's or Cincinnati's, or some of the others that Bradshaw, Harris, Lynn Swann and friends have been beating up on. A crowd of 63,089 (there were no-shows after all 71,414 tickets were sold) and millions more watching the nationally televised game saw the Steelers finish with 174 net yards or half their customary output.

That, of course, was a tribute to the Rams' time-tested defense. It was led by Jim Youngblood, as it has been more than once this season. L.A.'s starting left linebacker was in on 12 tackles and stuck Harris with some hits that had "black-and-blue" written all over them. In one of many sterling performances since the nucleus of the unit was formed in 1973, the Rams' defense, the NFL's best in every major category, drove the Steelers back to their own 3, 19, 21, 11, 5, 14 and 8-yard lines, And each time the reward Please Turn to Page 10, Col. 1 FALCONS TOP SAINTS ON DEFLECTED PASS From Tlmi Wlra Strvlcai NEW ORLEANS Alfred Jackson caught an intentionally deflected pass thrown by Steve Bartkowski and scored to complete a 57-yard play with 10 seconds left Sunday, giving the Atlanta Falcons a 20-17 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

Atlanta trailed, 17-13, when it took over the ball at its 43 with 3:19 to go. On the first play, Bartkowski-who completed 16 of 33 passes for 218 yards lofted a pass in the direction of two Atlanta receivers, Please Turn to Page 14, Col. 3 By stopping the high-powered Pittsburgh Steelers time after time Sunday night, the Rams' rugged defense set up the offense in favorable field position again and again. Opportunity knocked just often enough for the Rams, who defeated the Steelers, 10-7, on Pat Haden's 10-yard touchdown pass to Willie Miller with 5V4 minutes left in the game. In an interconference showdown at the Coliseum billed as a possible preview to Super Bowl XIII, the Rams' defense proved (if any more proof was needed) that it has no peer in the National Football League by doing a number on Pittsburgh's league-leading offense.

Specifically, the number was minus 13. That was the Steelers' yardage total the last 26 minutes covering seven offensive series. During that time Terry Bradshaw, the NPL's leading passer, completed 1 of 9 passes for minus 4 yards and was intercepted, on a crucial, fourth-quarter play, by Rams cornerback Rod Perry. Frustrated by a litany of drive-killing mistakes-and also by a Pittsburgh defense that isn't too bad, either Haden Co. finally cashed in with a game-winning, 56-yard drive that featured John Cappelletti, John Cappelletti and John Cappelletti.

The Rams' undcrpublicizcd fullback caught a 9-yard pass to start the drive, fought for a tough yard on a third-and-1 play and then broke free on another third-and-1 for a 26-yard dash, his longest in a long time, to the Pittsburgh 10. Two plays later, Haden rolled right, searched the Steelers' secondary and found Miller, the slick, smallish receiver, between defensive backs Donnie Shell and Mike Wagner. The Rams' only touchdown in an old-fashioned, hard-nosed football game was enough for them to beat Pittsburgh, with whom they now share the NFL's best record (9-2). The Rams also stayed two games ahead of the Atlanta Falcons, in the NFC West. In perhaps his best game in four years as a pro, Cappelletti gained 106 yards on 20 carries (becoming the i.