Notes on a Scorecard - Sept. 9, 1991

The Raiders returned to their 1990 form Sunday. They won ugly. They had more than enough defense and just enough offense in a 16-13 win over Denver that was virtually a replay of their 14-9 victory last September. . . .

Rarely has a crowd for a Raider game at the Coliseum been so well behaved. Maybe it’s because only 48,569 fans showed up, the fewest ever to see the Broncos play the Raiders in Los Angeles. . . .

John Elway may be an exciting performer, but this time he was a dull play caller. . . .

The Raiders’ play-calling was not exactly inspired, either. . . .

Had they lost, the decision to run the ball over right tackle on third and 10 at the Denver 18-yard line with 57 seconds left in the second quarter and the Broncos leading, 6-3, would have been long remembered. Roger Craig was stopped for a three-yard gain and Jeff Jaeger’s 32-yard field goal attempt on the next play was wide. . . .

Marcus Allen was missed more as a pass receiver than as a runner. . . .

Lyle Alzado watched from the Raider sidelines and received a standing ovation from the fans above the tunnel, who had just booed the team off the field, at the end of the first half. . . .

The Coliseum scoreboard clock didn’t malfunction until late in the second quarter. . . .

As was widely anticipated, turnovers were a key to the outcome of the Ram-New York Giant game. . . .

Stretch of the Day: Robert Delpino’s long reach that put the ball over the goal line for a one-yard Ram touchdown in the second quarter. . . .

A team, such as the Giants Sunday, shouldn’t get another chance if it attempts an onsides kick and the ball goes out of bounds before anyone touches it. . . .

The most encouraging thing about UCLA’s 27-23 opening night win over Brigham Young was the re-emergence of Kevin Williams as a force in the Bruin backfield. . . .

In 1988, Williams came out of Spring (Tex.) High School rated as the finest tailback prospect in the nation. He had a productive redshirt freshman season, but, plagued by injuries, gained only 112 yards last year. Saturday night, he gained 132. . . .

I know Ty Detmer is too small and his arm isn’t strong enough, but there has to be a place for him in the NFL next season. . . .

The Heisman Trophy winner showed toughness in the face of a strong pass rush, pinpoint accuracy, and also a strong competitive fire when he yelled at Eric Drage after the flanker dropped a fourth down pass that would have given BYU a first down deep in UCLA territory late in the game. . . .

Miami is fortunate that it doesn’t have to play a team as high scoring as Penn State or California Thursday in the Orange Bowl. Instead, the Hurricanes get Houston. . . .

I wonder what weaknesses USC scouts found in Penn State during the Nittany Lions’ 81-0 win over Cincinnati. . . .

The 86 points scored by Cal against Pacific was more than the Golden Bears’ 1959 NCAA championship basketball team scored in all but one of its 29 games. . . .

Actually, Nebraska was the first down (44) and yardage (800) champion of the day, but held the score down to 59-28 over Utah State. . . .

Time of possession statistic of the weekend: Washington had the ball for only 29:22 in its 42-7 win over Stanford. . . .

Watch out for Iowa. . . .

Saturday was a big day for present and past Notre Dame offensive players. A few hours after the Irish scored 49 points against Indiana, Rocket Ismail of the Toronto Argonauts caught touchdown passes of 15, 22 and 10 yards against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. . . .

USC beat Memphis State Saturday--in women’s volleyball. . . .

Revitalized Jim Gott may be the Dodgers’ key reliever the rest of the way. . . .

Atlanta’s sweep of the New York Mets at Shea Stadium was the result of one team fighting for the pennant and the other playing out the schedule. . . .

Thumbs up to the Autrys for hiring Whitey Herzog, who is as good a baseball man as there is. . . .

The newest power in international hockey is the United States, as evidenced by its win over the Soviet Union in the Canada Cup. . . .

Billie Jean King should be proud that two of her TeamTennis people, Martina Navratilova and Jimmy Connors, did so well in the U.S. Open. . . .

CBS announcer Pat Summerall, describing the Monica Seles-Jennifer Capriati match: “It sounds like they’re both jump-starting a motor scooter.”