The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • 84

GAMES EVENTS PEOPLE SKtlOK MONDAY SAN DIEGO COUNTY Cos Angeles Slimes DECEMBER 18. 1989 CCt No Butts About It, Chargers Surprise Chiefs HIGHLIGHTS SPORTS By BRIAN HEWITT TIMES STAFF WRITER KANSAS CITY-For the past month the Kansas City defense, ranked second in the NFL, had been kicking butts all over the league. As a result, the improved Chiefs had won four in a row. Sunday afternoon at frigid Arrowhead Stadium, Butts kicked back. Rookie running back Marion Butts, 6-1 and 248 pounds, rumbled for 176 yards on a team record 39 carries as the Chargers came from 13 points behind to upset Kansas City 20-13.

"It appears Butts is a first-down, heavy load type of back," said Charger Coach Dan Henning, who started four rookies on offense and found at least one he won't be looking to replace in next spring's NFL draft The defeat dropped the Chiefs to 7-7-1 and left a torpedo hole the size of Missouri in the broad side of their wild card playoff hopes. The Chargers raised their record to 5-10, but there was nothing nickel and dime about it. In beating the Chiefs for the fifth consecutive time, they ended a four-game losing streak and shut out Kansas City in the second half for the second time this year. On the Chargers' first defensive series free safety Vencie Glenn sent Kansas City quarterback Steve DeBerg to the sidelines when he blasted him on a safety blitz. "That's my Christmas present to him," Glenn said after the game.

DeBerg 14 of 33 for 142 yards) returned, but only after receiving 13 stitches in his chin. The Charger defense also limited Chief running back Christian Okoye, who entered the game as the NFL's leading rusher, to 60 yards on 18 carries. "Eight-man front," explained Charger defensive coordinator Ron Lynn. In the past six weeks the Chargers have kept Raider Bo Jackson, Colt Eric Dicker-son and Okoye from crossing the goal line. Meanwhile Butts, who carried the ball more times Sunday than he did his entire senior year at Florida State (29), looked more like Okoye than Okoye.

He gained 1 12 of his yards in the second half. "I still don't understand why I didn't play more in college," said Butts. "But I guess I'm for real now." The Chiefs, apparently, are not. Things began well enough for them when field goals of 36 and 30 yards by Nick Please lee CHARGERS, C5 lis jj)m A 3 'i San Diego County CHARGERS: Marion Butts carried the ball a team-record 39 times, rushed for 176 yards and powered the Chargers to a 20-13 victory over the Chiefs. The loss was the first in five games for the Chiefs.

CI HIGH SCHOOL AWARDS COACH OF THE YEAR: Mission Bay's Dennis Pugh led an undermanned team into the football playoffs, the school's first postseason appearance in 15 years. C17A BACK OF THE TEAR: Point Loma's Danny White developed into the county's top quarterback, which is something his coach, Ben-nie Edens, fully expected. C17A LINEMAN OF THE TEAR: Andrew Turner of Lincoln High School had the statistics and versatility to set himself apart from other top linemen this year. C17A Elsewhere NFL Chargers 20. Kansas City 13 CI Rams 38.

New York Jets 14 CI Seattle 23, Raiders 17 CI Cleveland 23, Minnesota 17 OT C6 Cincinnati 61. Houston 7 C7 San Francisco 21, Buffalo 10 C8 Green Bay 40, Chicago 28 C9 Indianapolis 42, Miami 13 CIO Washington 31. Atlanta 30 Cll Pittsburgh 28, N. England 10 C12 Detroit 33. Tampa Bay 7 C13 Complete coverage C4-17 Standings, summaries C20 RAMS: Jim Everett passed for 273 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-14 victory over the New York Jets that kept the Rams prominent in the playoff picture.

CI RAIDERS: L. playoff hopes were severely impacted when Sea-hawk quarterback Dave Kreig threw two touchdown passes in a 23-17 victory in Seattle. CI NBA SCORES Utah 122, Minnesota 112 Portland 121, Indiana 113 Houston 109, Orlando 94 Phoenix 125, Sacramento 113 Roundup C18 NHL SCORES Buffalo 4, Philadelphia 3 Montreal 2, N. Y. Rangers 0 New Jersey 3.

Boston 1 Chicago 6, Edmonton 5 Quebec 2. Vancouver 2 Roundup C18 UCLA: Notre Dame shot 48 free throws, making 32 in beating the Bruins. 86-84, in South Bend, for UCLA's first loss of the season after four victories. C17B AnoeuledPrea Rookie running back Marion Butts runs for 176 yards on team record 39 carries and sits Raiders Backed Into Corner After Loss By MARK HEISLER TIMES STAFF WRITER SEATTLE The Raiders have had their backs against the wall before and lived to tell about it. Of course, they had George Blanda in those days or Ken Stabler or Jim Plunkett This is their modern era and unless these wet-behind-the-ears successors to the dynasts pull off an upset as storied as any in their history next week against the red-hot Giants in the ice-cold Meadowlands, they'll MIKE DOWNEY miss the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

The game they knew they could win slipped away late Sunday night, when Steve Beuerlein overthrew Mervyn Fernandez at the goal line in the closing seconds, leaving the Seahawks with a 23-17 victory, a last agony of the decade in their Big Shop of Horrors, the Kingdome. In Al Davis' nightmares, does he see a four-receiver set and Dave Krieg's cherubic face, and Mike Haynes in civilian clothes on the sidelines while a first-year down hard on the Chiefs' playoff hopes. free-agent cornerback named Dan Land gets undressed? Without a running game, Krieg dinked the Raiders to death. He completed 25 of 34 passes for 270 yards. He converted 9 of 14 third-downs, three of them to receivers covered by Land, playing in place of the injured Russell Carter, dressed in place of Haynes.

Ask not whose Land this was, he was Krieg's. "They say Krieg's hot," said Howie Long. "I like to say he's more smart than on. Shoot, you could complete that eight- "1 I to Seahawks yard pass underneath the zone "Second-and-7, third-and-6, they dump it off. He gets the ball with four yards to go and he rambles and rambles.

Typical Chuck Knox strategy. If you can't run the ball, throw the ball short" "He" was Seahawk fullback John L. Williams, who had 12 catches, not one of them more than 10 yards downfield, for 129 yards. The Raiders held the Seahawks to 82 yards 53 after the opening drive and what good did it do? The Seahawks still Please tee RAIDERS, CIS Rams Hum While They Drum Jets Rams: heart-stopping finishes are replaced by a breather as playoff pursuit continues. By CHRIS DUFRESNE TIMES STAFF WRITER The Rams dedicated Sunday's 38-14 victory over the New York Jets to all fans with stomach conditions, pacemakers, and shrinking cuticles.

Could it be? No overtime, fumbled kick-offs, fourth-quarter rallies, stick-in-the-mud center snaps, blocked-punts or 90-yard receptions? It could. Things were so calm that the Rams' Gaston Green actually buckled his chin strap and took a pitch with 6:37 remaining. Gained six yards, too. And Ram rookie Cleveland Gary even scored a touchdown. Wonders never ceased.

Backup quarterback Mark Herrmann led a touchdown drive. Defensive end Brian Smith, who was a linebacker on injured reserve a few minutes ago, had two sacks in his NFL debut Brett Faryniarz, a pass-rush specialist who entered the game with no pass-rush credentials, took it out on the world with his first three sacks of the season and two fumble recoveries. Six days after their nervous breakdown toss to San Francisco on national television, the Rams stormed the Anaheim Stadium tunnel with all the fervor of a mini-camp Please tee RAMS, C17 They Fail Math, but Pass Addition Goodby, Bo, hello, Joe, me-o-my-o. Son of a gun, we're having big fun in the Big Ten Plus One. The very same week Bo Schembechler announced that he no longer would be coaching Michigan football beyond the first day of the 1990s, his conference, the Big Ten.

invited Joe Paterno's Penn State to pledge the fraternity. This is good news for the Rose Bowl, even if Paterno retires from coaching before Penn State becomes eligible to play in Pasadena, as appears will be the case. The Rose Bowl needs some new blood, seeing as how the same visiting teams Michigan and Ohio State, usually, with occasional walk-ons by Iowa, Illinois and Michigan State keep coming back and coming back. Since we are tired of waiting for Wisconsin, Purdue, Minnesota, Indiana and Northwestern to show up, we welcome the chance to catch Penn State's act out here on New Year's Day. We will be glad to see the Nittany Lions, ugly uniforms and all.

Any school that once kept Miami from winning a national championship is OK by us. We still aren't sure about the Big Ten's big picture. Will it still be called the Big Ten and not the Big Eleven? Are they worried that people would confuse the Big Eleven with a convenience store? Will Northwestern get the old heave-ho? Will a 12th school be recruited to keep the schedules balanced? A little bird has been whispering the word Nebraska in my ear. attempting to persuade me that the Cornhuskers are unhappy in the Big Eight What a football conference that would be the Big Ten plus Penn State and Nebraska. Beats the heck out of the AFC East, I can tell you that.

The school that ihouldpm the Big Ten now is an obvious one Notre Dame. Ideally located, adequate in all sports, economically desirable. Notre Dame would be the perfect 12th partner for the Big Ten. Please see DOWNEY, C3 mm Boris Becker HIS BEST: Boris Becker said it was "almost impossible for me to play better" than in beating Mats Wilander in a match that clinched the Davis Cup. C2 TOP PREP: The late Kevin Cope-land of Dorsey High School was honored posthumously with the Glenn Davis Award as Southern California's best prep football player at a banquet in Anaheim.

C22 TV's BEST BET A PRO FOOTBALL PhiladelphiaNew Orleans, 6 p.m.,Chl0 Complete listings C19 INDEX Morning Briefing C2 Horse Racing C18 The Day in Sports C19-20 Xewswire C22 CRUISE CONTROL Notre Dame's Elmer Bennett (12) tries to drive around UCLA's Mitchell Butler. The Irish beat UCLA, 86-84. C17B.