Raiders Win This Young Man’s Game : Pro football: Defense holds off 49ers’ last-ditch drive, 12-6, as Montana watches from the sidelines. Jaeger bests Cofer in battle of field goals.

There were no touchdowns scored, no memorable runs or receptions, but no one seemed to notice in the end when the San Francisco 49ers came racing down field in the closing minutes toward the winning score, as they had many times before with Joe Montana.

Except this time it was half of No. 16 leading the charge, a No. 8 named Steve Young.

Young’s desperate fourth-down pass fell incomplete at the 10-yard line with 1:48 left Sunday, preserving a 12-6 Raider victory before a sellout crowd of 91,494 at the Coliseum.

Ronnie Lott, a 49er for life until this season, watched the last drive from the Raider secondary, in what had to feel like an out-of-body experience.

Somehow, Lott knew things were going to work out. Maybe it was because he was in the game and Montana, the king of comebacks, was watching in jeans and a T-shirt.

Young gave it his best shot, but it wasn’t enough. With Montana lurking, it might never be.

Young was good, but . . .

“You can’t buy it,” Lott said of Montana’s knack for great finishes. “Anyone that could buy it would make a lot of money. It’s unfair to put those two in the same situation. No one will be like No. 16.”

The instant Young’s pass sailed past receiver John Taylor’s outstretched hands, the former 49ers, Lott and tailback Roger Craig were somehow vindicated.

The great showdown was over. A great burden had been lifted.

“I’m glad it’s over,” Lott said. “I think now, both teams can go and fight for the playoffs.”

Lott spent more time in the 49er locker room afterward than his own.

“Certain guys I will carry with me where ever I go,” Lott said later.

The game at its core was more a plodding defensive struggle and a battle of field goal kickers, with Jeff Jaeger of the Raider defeating Mike Cofer, four field goals to two.

Mixed emotions replaced touchdowns.

With 10:38 remaining, for instance, 49er receiver Jerry Rice was upended by Raider cornerback Terry McDaniel, Rice landing on his head in a awkward manner.

Lott’s dilemma: Does he congratulate McDaniel for the hit or go to a former teammate’s aid?

Lott rushed to Rice’s side.

“That’s what any classy football player would do,” Lott said.

Rice is Roger Craig’s best friend.

When Rice didn’t get up, Craig’s stomach turned to knots.

“That hurt me to see him lay there,” Craig said. “Emotionally, it hit hard. But it’s the business, the nature of pro football. I get hit every week.

“After the game I went over to Jerry and said, ‘Don’t scare me like that again.’ ”

Rice suffered a mild concussion and returned. More than points or pleasure, it was that kind of game.

The Raiders struggled on offense once again, relying on another strong defensive effort. In their three victories, the Raiders have scored 16, 16 and 12 points. If Sunday’s object was to get Jaeger in field goal range, the Raiders succeeded.

“Here we go again,” Schroeder said. “Everyone has to bring up the negative. They had a hard time getting it into the end zone against our defense”

True enough. The Raider defense, in fact, hasn’t given up a touchdown in eight quarters at the Coliseum. They applied heavy pressure on Young all day, forcing him to make bad decisions. In the second quarter, as Anthony Smith was pulling him down by his jersey, Young attempted a pass that was intercepted by defensive end Howie Long, who returned it 11 yards before being tackled by Young.

“Steve Young is a hell of an open field tackler,” Long joked later.

The interception led to Jaeger’s second field goal, which gave the Raiders a 6-3 halftime lead.

In all, Jaeger scored on attempts of 44, 20, 49 and 41 yards, making him the runaway early favorite for the Raiders’ offensive MVP. Jaeger has made 12 of 13 attempts this season.

Jaeger’s final kick, with 12:53 remaining, put the Raiders ahead, 12-3. The way the defense was playing, the lead seemed safe enough. Everything had gone according to their conservative script: The Raiders didn’t take many chances or make many mistakes on offense.

The same dull routine, until Steve Smith fumbled at the 49er 30-yard line with 6:23 to play.

The fumble changed everything. The Raiders were driving to put the game away when Jim Burt popped the ball loose from Smith and Charles Haley recovered. It had been an important drive. On third down at his 42, Schroeder, who heard more boos on this day, won the crowd back for a moment when he leaped bravely over safety Dave Waymer for a four-yard gain.

Smith’s fumble gave the 49ers new life.

“Emotion goes a long ways in this game,” Schroeder said.

The 49ers had to settle for a 25-yard field goal by Cofer, which cut the lead to 12-6 with 3:54 left.

The Raiders needed to run time off the clock, but couldn’t. They were forced to punt and the 49ers got the ball back at their 26 with 2:30 left.

Young, who hadn’t been able to throw deep to Rice or Taylor all day, passed 17 yards to Rice on first down. Then to John Taylor for 23 yards. Then 12 more to fullback Tom Rathman.

“We’ve all seen it,” Raider nose tackle Bob Golic said. “The 49ers score 15 touchdowns with 30 seconds left to win it.”

The 49ers were at the Raider 22 with 2:10 left. But the Raiders held. On first down, Lott broke up a pass intended for Rathman.

On second down, Dexter Carter was stopped after a three yard gain. On third and seven, Young threw to the right corner for Rice, who was smothered in double coverage by Eddie Anderson and McDaniel.

On fourth down Young, under pressure, led Taylor too far on a pass that would have given the 49ers a first down.

With 1:48 remaining, it was left to the Raiders to run out the clock. No easy chore. But they used some rare imagination. The 49ers were left with no timeouts, but could still get the ball back if Schroeder simply knelt three times.

“When I left the sideline, Art (Shell) told me, ‘You’ve got to kill seven seconds off the clock, you can’t give up the ball and you’ve got to end up somewhere on the five-yard line.’ Other than that, nothing to it right?”

Schroeder knelt on first down. But on second and third downs, he scrambled dangerously near his own goal line, watching the clock with one eye and the 49ers with another. When Schroeder knew he had consumed enough time to run out the clock on third down, he slid to the turf and threw his hands in the air.

For once, there was nothing the 49ers could do.