Times-Advocate from Escondido, California • 33

couldn't seem to scare off Dove Eagles By RICK HOFF T-A Sports Writer SAN DIEGO If there was any man on the football field Sunday afternoon Who had more than the usual incentive to put out more than 100 percent, he would have to be Jerome Dove. His is not a name that is an appropriate label for a man who plays defensive back in the National Football League. Some say that his position, cornerback, is the most difficult in football. When Dove opened Sundays game at the corner for the San Diego Chargers, he was making his first start of the 1980 season. And he was making that start against the best team in the league with the biggest pass receiving target a quarterback would want.

It was also his first game of football as a married man. My wife was asking me the night before the game, 'How come youre so nervous? I told her that I had a real big job to do Sunday afternoon. How big was that job? About six-foot-eight, 225-pounds worth. Ill tell you, I was so scared before the game, I thought I was going to throw up, recalled Dove. But when I made that first contact, I knew it was downhill for me the rest of the way.

It was a curious battle, this one pitting the much larger Eagle against a pesky Dove in what looked to be mismatch. But the man smaller by half a foot negated the effectiveness of the huge claws that have engulfed footballs out of the sky at a record-setting pace. Only once in the 34 minutes the Eagle offense had the ball did Harold Carmichael catch a pass. Mitchell honored by WAC DENVER (AP) San Diego State played superb defense over the last three games to cap its football season with three victories, and one of the best of those defenders was linebacker Kevin Mitchell. Mitchells play in the Aztecs 21-20 victory over Utah on Saturday earned him defensive player of the week honors in the Western Athletic Conference.

Against Utah, the Moot-9, 200-pound senior from San Diego had five unassisted tackles, five assists, one sack, one pass deflection and two fumble recoveries. Mitchell also was the lone SDSU defender selected to this years All-WAC team. Other nominees for defensive player of the week were Utah tackle Steve Clark, Hawaii defensive back Dana McLemore and Brigham Young defensive back Bob Prested. Earlier, BYU running back Scott Phillips, who helped the Cougars finish 11-1 with last Saturdays 54-14 triumph over Nevada-Las Vegas, was named the WACs offensive player of the week. Phillips, a 6-foot-2, 193-pound senior from Springville, Utah, rushed for 58 yards on four carries and caught eight passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns against UNLV.

An All-WAC second-team selection, Phillips was the leagues top pass-catcher in 1980 with 60 receptions and a per-game average of 5.5. Other nominees for offensive player of the week were San Diego State running back Derrick Harvey, Hawaii placeklcker Jim Asmus and Utah wide receiver Floyd Hodge. This was my wifes wedding present, smiled Dove. His new bride, Nancy Marie, gladly accepted the gift. In the beginning, Dove had good reason to feel the jitters.

His team, fighting a tough battle for an AFC playoff berth, was taking on the club with the best record in the game. And he was taking on the man who had caught a pass in 124 straight games. The big man was almost shutout in game No. 125. Not until late in the third quarter of a contest the Chargers were leading, 19-7, did he catch a ball from quarterback Ron Jaworski.

They had to use their backs a lot because they werent having much success with the wide re-cievers, said Dove. That was our game plan. Charlie Smith, the other starting split end, also caught only one ball, that for nine harmless yards. The whole nation was watching us (on CBS-TV), so we had to prove something, continued Dove. We didnt have to prove anything to ourselves, although we were going up against the best.

I thought I was in never-never land when I got down in my stance and looked up at him standing 6-8, said Dove of Carmichael. But I just put it aside mentally. He puts his pants on like me and he eats food like me. But I saw him all day long and the more I looked at him, the taller he got. I had my teammates behind me all week during practice telling me not to worry about it, that he is just another receiver.

But hes not. Hes at least in the top five in the league. Id put our three receivers in the top three. Dove knew hed be getting that starting chance for the simple reason that the Chargers were running out of DBs. Pete Shaw went down for the year with torn knee ligaments suffered in the Miami game.

Mike Williams would not play because of a groin pull also sustained in Miami. Willie Buchanon would play, but he was also nursing a groin pull from Miami. Which meant that Mike Fuller was back in the starting defensive backfield along with Dove, Buchanon and Glen Edwards. Our DBs have gotten the least amount of publicity all year and theyve been doing a heck of a job, said linebacker Bob Horn. It makes our jobs a lot easier underneath when theyve got those deep routes covered.

We had good pressure from the line, too. Any time the front four plays good, we play good, echoed Buchanon. They put the pressure on and we didnt have to cover our guys so long. Dove indicated that he picked up additional motivation from the spectators in the stands. Our fans are the best in pro football," he said, flatly.

They encourage us so much. They hardly ever boo, and when they do, they have a good reason so it just makes me mad and want to play harder. They cheered for our offense late in the game and we fumbled. So then they stood up and cheered for the defense. Im just glad to behere.

I dont want to go anywhere else. If Dove continues to blanket receivers like he did Harold Carmichael on Sunday, he is undoubtedly assured of a job in Mission Valley. JEROME DOVE SAVES CHARGERS DURING INJURY CRISIS Raiders put on a 'Save the Raiders' program John Matuszak of the Raiders defensive line said that whatever happens to the franchise, We wont let the fans down this year. The final regular season home game is next Sunday against Dallas, he noted, But were going to do our This is a hard one to swallow' Miller downs in the last three games. He scored on an eight-yard touchdown run in the third period last night and Bahr kicked a 44-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.

Despite offensive problems, the Raiders have won seven of their last eight games and are 9-4, tied with San Diego for the AFC West lead. They drove 77 yards for the go-ahead touchdown against Denver, with a pass interference call accounting for a 36-yard gain. On a first down play at the eight, Plunkett faked a handoff left and rolled right to score. I was looking for (tight end) Raymond Chester, but he was held up and couldnt get over to that side. Their outside linebacker bit at the fake handoff, said Plunkett.

I got outside him, and Im not too fleet of foot. The Broncos came into the game with a three-game winning streak but now, at 7-6, their playoff hopes are very dim. This is a hard one to swallow, said coach Red Miller, whose team was held to 216 yards and turned the ball over six times. OAKLAND (AP) The Oakland defense put on a Save Our Raiders demonstration of its own last night. The offense was again scratching for points, and four scoring opportunities ended with missed field goal attempts by Chris Bahr.

But the Raiders made it 12 Monday night victories in a row by beating the Denver Broncos, 9-8. Oaklands all-time Monday night record is 16-1-1, by far the best in the National Football League. Several thousand fans stayed outside the Oakland Coliseum for the opening minutes as part of a Save Our Raiders demonstration. They missed the first of many big defensive plays, an interception by free safety Burgess Owens. Whether they came late or not, they were cheering us, said coach Tom Flores.

But A1 Davis, the team owner who is attempting to move the Raiders to Los Angeles for next season, said, They hurt the team by not being there. They should stay with football, and the commissioner (Pete Rozelle) should mind his own business. best to see that there are some more games here after that, playoff games. Thats my goal. The Raiders defense yielded a first quarter 41-yard field goal by Fred Steinfort but allowed Denver to cross the 50-yard line just once more the rest of the night.

The Broncos had only two first downs in the second half. We want to do a good job offensively to help them out. Theyre playing so damn well, said quarterback Jim Plunkett, speaking for an offense which has scored only four touch Associated Press Photos kind of night the entire evening for Bahr, who missed four of his five field goal attempts, plus an extra point. The Raiders were still able to hold off the Broncos, 9-3. NOT WORTH A BOOT Oakland placekicker Chris Bahr follows through on a 26-yard field goal attempt.

His reaction shows what kind of result he had. It was that Ehlers is last line of defense ment will be like this weekend when he travels with the team to Washington. Hell have to be at the stadium by 6 a.m. Saturday when the buses leave for Lindbergh Field. When the team lands in our nations capital hell make sure the equipment is safely transported to J.F.K.

Stadium. Once at the stadium all hell have to keep him company until the next morning is his radio and thermos of coffee. At least thats all he hopes will keep him company. Not until a couple hours after the game, or almost 36 hours since his head last felt a pillow, will Ehlers be able to sleep again. And does he mind? Heck no, I love it, said Ehlers, who has worked full-time for Coca Cola the past 23 years.

I wouldnt change jobs for all the tea in China. Where else can you be associated with a team and still get a salary? Some might consider Ehlers job a tad on the boring side. Carl doesnt think so. Its a very interesting job, he insisted. Youd be surprised what goes on at night.

Sometimes the walls crack. As fate would have it, most of Ehlers interesting experiences have been in Oakland, where Carl made his first trip ever with the Chargers last year. He admits it took him a while to Please see Norcross, D-3 their defense against thievery. Ehlers has been working as a security guard at the stadium the past six years. He guards the home locker' room for the Chargers, Aztecs and Sockers.

During baseball season he makes sure no one samples Dave Parkers jewelry by protecting the visiting teams dressing quarters. In the past year Ehlers job has taken on an added dimension. He now travels with the Chargers on occasion and protects their goods on the road. Hes compensated nicely by the Chargers but its not easy work, especially if youre one who values sleep. Consider what Ehlers assign Most of you die-hard Charger fans probably consider safety Glen Edwards the teams last line of defense.

Actually, Edwards doesnt rank anywhere up there with Carl Ehlers. Thats Carl Ehlers, not Carl Eller. Ehlers has the necessary size to line up on the defensive side of the football but at 6-feet-l, 296 pounds and 53 years of age, he might have I a hard time chasing down Earl Campbell. 1 But Crippler Carl can put a scare into any wandering soul who might be looking to permanently Ixmtow a Charger jersey, helmet or T-shirt. And in this case he really is the Chargers last line of defense,.