Rookie Doesn’t Leave Raiders Holding Bag : Defense: Aaron Wallace makes the most of his chance with two sacks while providing pass rush in place of Howie Long. Team injury list expands as cornerback Garry Lewis could be out for six weeks.

Rookie linebacker Aaron Wallace, the Raiders’ second-round draft pick, was nicknamed “Sackman” at Texas A&M;, where he set a school record with 42 quarterback sacks, including 10 1/2 last season.

After Wallace made four sacks in an exhibition game at Chicago last month, the Raiders expected a big contribution to their defense.

Although Wallace didn’t play much in the Raiders’ first two regular-season games, he was used as their designated pass rusher in Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers because of an injury to defensive end Howie Long.

Wallace sacked Steeler quarterback Bubby Brister twice for 13 yards in losses as the Raiders rendered the Steeler offense disfunctional with a 20-3 victory at the Coliseum.

“Anytime Howie Long is out you’re going to miss him,” Wallace said. “I was just trying to get in there and hold up my end.”

Wallace’s first sack almost set up a touchdown late in the first half when he tackled Brister for a nine-yard loss at the Pittsburgh 31, forcing a fumble. Raider defensive end Scott Davis tried to scoop the ball and run, but couldn’t hold onto it and Steeler tackle Tunch Ilkin recovered.

Wallace’s second sack came when he raced around the left side of the Steeler line and tackled Brister for a four-yard loss late in the third period to force a punt.

“Aaron is a big play player,” Coach Art Shell said. “He has the ability to rush the passer and he showed that today.”

Employed at right defensive end in the Raiders’ nickle defense, Wallace almost got another sack, but Brister got the ball away before Wallace flattened him.

“Right now you don’t want to tell him to do too much because he’s a young guy,” Raider noseguard Bob Golic said of Wallace. “You just tell him to get out there and use his speed and quickness to get to the quarterback and that’s exactly what he’s doing. When we needed it the most, he came out there and makes some big hits on Brister.”

Was Brister prepared for Wallace’s strong pass rush?

“Everybody’s been asking me, ‘have you ever heard of Wallace before?,’ ” Brister said. “Hell yes, I watched him on film. He’s a good player and he’s going to be a great one before it’s all done.”

Although Wallace sustained a bruised right shoulder while trying to tackle Steeler kick returner Rod Woodson, he’s not expected to miss next Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears.

Wallace wasn’t the only Raider defender who played well as they failed to allow a touchdown for the second time in three games this season.

Playing without Long, their defensive leader, the Raiders sacked Brister a total of six times for 38 yards in losses, intercepted a pass and caused Brister to fumble four times.

Was Long surprised at how well the Raiders defense played without him?

“I don’t even want to glorify that with an answer,” Long snapped. “The defense does not revolve around Howie Long. The defense revolves around 11 players. The defense played great. Once they settled down they played great.”

Shell agreed with Long, saying, “This team dwells on doing things together. They believe in each other. They lost Howie last week and they rallied around each other and got the job done and they did the same thing again today. Until Howie gets back they’ll continue to do that.”

Brister thought the loss of Long didn’t make a difference.

“If Howie was in there they would have been better,” Brister said. “But with the guys they had in there today, they’re still a pretty good football team. Their defensive backs cover well, they’ve got great linebackers and their pass rush is pretty good.”

Golic, who recovered two fumbles, said the depth of the Raider defense compensated for Long’s absence.

“Obviously, you’re going to miss dramatically somebody with the impact of a Howie Long,” Golic said. “We’ve got tremendous depth in our defensive line. We’ve got a lot of guys who step in and play very, very well, and I think you saw that today.

“We totally believe in ourselves and our abilities and that’s what’s getting us through. Even in tough situations, you see us recover and play well.”

With Long already injured, the Raiders also lost another defensive starter when rookie cornerback Garry Lewis sustained a broken collarbone in the first quarter. Lewis is expected to be out six weeks.

“When someone like Howie Lewis or Garry Lewis goes down we have the talent on our team to have other people step in and get the job done,” linebacker Jerry Robinson said. “We get it done together and that’s the big key. There’s guys pulling together for one cause.”