San Diego Chargers

Vs.

Los Angeles Rams

August 30, 1969

Rams Score Early, Hand Chargers 24-14 Defeat

SAN DIEGO- Roman Gabriel powered the Los Angeles offense to a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter Saturday night and the defense survived a nervous duel with the Chargers in the second half as the Rams won the third annual Battle of San Diego, 24-14.

President Nixon came down from the summer White House to see George Allen's Ram team for the second straight week. He raised the crowd total to 53,071, the largest ever to watch a football game in San Diego.

It was a bruising, brilliant exhibition of football professional style. The Ram defense broke the game open when Merlin Olsen forced a fumble setting up a field goal. Next, Allen's kicking team produced a 10-0 reading in the first quarter when Ron Smith carried a punt to a 78-yard touchdown.

Then Gabriel took off with the offense on two touchdown marches in the second quarter- the best and second best drives by the Rams to date- for a halftime lead of 24-7, and that was too much for the Chargers.

Quarterback John Hadl, who had teamed with Lance Alworth on a three-yard touchdown play in the second quarter, threw a short pass to his other end, Gary Garrison, for a 72-yard touchdown in the third quarter- but that was to be all for San Diego.

Three times in the fourth quarter, Allen's defense took the ball away from Hadl. Ron Smith and Richie Petitbon each intercepted a pass after linebacker Myron Pottios had made the defensive play of the game, a jarring tackle that separated San Diego fullback Jeff Queen from the ball on the Ram 14.

So it was a team victory (as Allen called it) as usual- a combined victory for the offense, the defense and Los Angeles' special forces.

Olsen's and Potties' tackles were the two worst things that happened to the San Diego coach, Sid Gillman- interrupting two menacing offensive adventures by Hadl. But in terms of the Ram future, Gabriel's second quarter was the important thing.

He marched the Rams 76 yards to make it 17-0 at 8:27 of the second period. And after Hadl had counter­marched, Gabriel drove 36 yards in the last two minutes of the half to knock out the Chargers.

It was the second Ram decision here in the three years of the rivalry, which began with a 50-7 Charger defeat in 1967 and continued with a 35-30 Charger triumph last summer.

In composite points, Allen's three year lead over Gillman stands at 87-56. In NFL-AFL games this summer, the NFL lead is now 17-10-1.

The president of the Chargers, Gene Klein, and the president of the baseball Padres, Buzzie Bavasi, sat in President Nixon's party to see the Chargers win the total offense battle from the Rams, 443 yards to 243. San Diego also led in ball control, 76 plays to 60, and in first downs, 23-14. But the Rams led in clutch plays. Allen's front four made many of them. Deacon Jones harassed Hadl at length, for as long as he (Jones) lasted on his injured foot. Roger Brown made a triumphant return at defensive tackle, and Olson played normally, which is to say steadily.

But for one of the few times this summer the offense had its complement of stars, too. Jack Snow caught six passes at timely junctures. The members of the new backfield, fullback Tommy Mason and rookie Larry Smith, each averaged 5 yards. And Gabriel completed 17 of 27 passes for 159 yards- outperforming Hadl in the percentages if not in yardage. The Hadl score was 17 of 34 for 306 yards.

Lance Alworth kept San Diego from falling apart in the first half, instituting the plays that helped the Chargers rebound from 17-0 to 17-7. But the Ram defense controlled him in the second half. In the last 30 minutes Hadl threatened and Gabriel threatened alternately. Alworth was open sometimes, but in the end the battle belonged to the Ram defense.

It had been a strange sort of game in which San Diego had accumulated 90 yards in the first quarter but no points- as Los Angeles ran up 19 net yards and 10 points- when, suddenly, Gabriel struck in the second period.

He came out throwing the ball midway through that period, Gillman has aligned the Chargers in a Baltimore defense this summer, obviously, a zoning and blitzing defense which frustrated Gabriel for the first 21 minutes. In that stretch, he made only one first down.

He beat the new defense finally with quick passes. On his big 76-yard drive in the second quarter, Gabriel quick-passed his way along, reaching Snow, Billy Truax, Wendell Tucker and Larry Smith. Then, at the Charger 22, Larry smashed 17 yards to the 5. An instant later, Gabriel sneaked across.

Ram receiving was even more skillful on Gabriel's 56-yard thrust in the last two minutes, at the end of which the Chargers were a beaten team, 24-7.

Mason's 16 yards on a draw play got the Rams going that time. Then Larry Smith made a determined catch in a crowd of Chargers for 16 yards. Next, Snow made one of his impossible catches with cornerman Bob Howard hanging on for 19 yards. And ultimately, Truax made a reaching catch for five yards and the touchdown with seven seconds left before the halftime gun.

Hadl also quick-passed the Chargers to most of their yards and all their points. The Gillman system is based on getting the ball in a hurry to Alworth and Garrison, and this offense might have made it an even game if Gillman's kicking team could have restrained Ron Smith.

Ron's long scoring punt return in the first quarter nudged the Chargers off balance, 10-0, and thereafter, they never really re­covered. On his 78-yard sprint, Ron was blocked to the sideline by Larry Smith- then he was blocked along the sideline by a Ram contingent. Ron had to fake out the Charger safetyman with his last move, and he did precisely that.

Allen fielded a make­shift, beaten-up defensive team. Its rich performance was a surprise considering the state of its health.

David Ray of the Rams upends Russ Smith of San Diego

Att-53,071

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