Notes on a Scorecard - Oct. 21, 1991

The Raiders and Rams aren’t scheduled to meet again until 1994, but, for the 85,102 fans who nearly packed the Coliseum Sunday, next week wouldn’t be soon enough. . . .

There was hardly a dull moment during the Raiders’ 20-17 victory and, for the second time in less than 24 hours, the outcome of a game between intra-state rivals at the Coliseum wasn’t decided until a field goal attempt on the final scrimmage play. . . .

When is the rest of the NFL going to learn never to throw the football in the neighborhood of Ronnie Lott at crunch time? . . .

Jim Everett would love to have three plays back. Otherwise, he performed as efficiently as another Ram quarterback who used to wear No. 11, Norm Van Brocklin. . . .

San Diego Charger Coach Dan Henning should be interested to learn that the quarterback sneak was worked to perfection by the Raiders when they had the ball on their one-yard line on what turned out to be the last play of the first half. . . .

At first, the Coliseum scoreboard identified the teams as “L.A.” and “Anhm.” Upon the request of a Ram official, “Anhm” was changed to “Rams.” Too bad. The Rams should not be embarrassed to admit they play in Anaheim. . . .

It was a boisterous crowd, but nobody chanted, “Beat L.A.!” even once. . . .

Vernon Turner isn’t a household name, even in Anaheim, but he was a goat and a hero for the Rams in the third quarter. His unwise fielding of a punt on the Ram two-yard line set up Jeff Jaeger’s field goal that tied it, 10-10. Then the little wide receiver from Carson-Newman caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Everett to put the Rams ahead, 17-10. . . .

With the mighty NFC East having the day off, the only match during Week 8 featuring two teams with winning records was Kansas City vs. Denver. . . .

The USC-Stanford game at the Coliseum Saturday went from “it’s a shame that somebody has to win” in the first half to “it’s a shame that somebody has to lose,” in the second half. . . .

Of course, nobody would have lost if Trojan Cole Ford’s 45-yard field goal attempt had traveled a few feet to the left in the kind of finish that used to be commonplace in this series. . . .

Curtis Conway’s kickoff return late in the first half--96 yards, marked down to 82 because of a clipping penalty--reminded veteran USC watchers of Jaguar Jon Arnett. Conway faked out at least five Cardinal players, changed directions at least three times, and must have covered 150 yards. . . .

This has been the year of the big play and big mistake for the USC defense. . . .

The Trojans will need the kind of confidence, poise and accuracy that quarterback Reggie Perry displayed in the second half to be competitive for the rest of a difficult schedule that includes games against Notre Dame, California, Washington, Arizona and UCLA. . . .

Joe Gibbs, whose unbeaten Washington Redskins were idle over the weekend, watched son Coy, a freshman linebacker, play for Stanford and said, “I was more nervous in the stands than I am on the sidelines.”. . . .

The other unbeaten Washington team was fortunate to escape from Berkeley with a victory Saturday after recovering all four of its fumbles. . . .

I was surprised that Oregon State held UCLA to 44 points a week after the Bruins’ 54-point explosion against Arizona. . . . Losers’ Lane: Among the home teams at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland this year have been the Indians, the Browns, and Northwestern. . . .

The best moment of the World Series over the weekend was Steve Palermo throwing out the first ball. . . .

I wish people would stop asking me if Mike Tyson’s rib injury is phony. There is no reason why either side should have wanted the Tyson-Evander Holyfield fight postponed. . . .

However, Holyfield is giving the cold shoulder to the proposed Jan. 20 date outdoors at Caesars Palace. “I hate cold weather,” he says. . . .

News item: Charles Smith undergoes arthroscopic surgery on right knee. Reaction: So what else is new with the Clippers?. . . .

ABC commentator Dick Vermeil after California Coach Bruce Snyder gambled on fourth down on the Bears’ 30-yard line: “He’s got guts--and a long-term contract.”