Rams Top Raiders in Overtime : NFL: Zendejas’ 29-yard field goal produces a 19-16 victory in a long, sloppy exhibition.

It figured that the Rams and Raiders, who took a decade to get together for this first intra-Los Angeles exhibition, would go ahead and take almost as long to finish the game.

They threw interceptions, fumbled footballs, missed field goals, charged offsides numerous times, false started on many other occasions . . . all neatly packaged in the Rams’ 19-16 overtime victory in front of 56,511 Saturday night at Anaheim Stadium.

It was quite an exhibition, all right, almost four hours long.

At least the overtime period was handled crisply.

When it seemed that this game would never end, Rams kicker Tony Zendejas won it on the first possession of overtime with a 29-yard field goal, his fourth of the night.

Rookie quarterback T.J. Rubley, taking over at the Raider 20-yard line, marched the team down to the Raider 12-yard line with a series of controlled plays, the big gainers coming on a 25-yard pass to receiver Jeff Chadwick and an 11-yard burst to the Raider 12 by running back Marcus Dupree.

Rubley, who played from the third quarter on, made a major move toward solidifying a roster spot by completing 15 of his 23 passes for 128 yards.

But by the time Rubley and Dupree, who easily had his best sustained performance in his two-year comeback, and Raider quarterback Todd Marinovich, running a last-minute drive reminiscent of his electric USC days, could enliven the game in the second half, the contest was limping toward the three-hour mark.

The starters from both teams were sloppy in the first half, committing a combined three turnovers and seven penalties. But as the night wore on, the game threatened to last all night.

The Rams are 2-0 in the preseason, the Raiders fell to 0-2.

The game looked as if it was finally won when Dupree’s up-the-gut running led the Rams on a long march into Raider territory. The drive started with almost nine minutes left in the game and ate up the clock.

On the drive, quarterbacked by Rubley, Dupree carried the ball nine times for 44 yards, and with the depleted state of the Ram running back corps, probably gained immeasurable stature in the eyes of Coach Chuck Knox.

With top running backs Cleveland Gary and Robert Delpino sidelined with minor injuries, Dupree gained 100 yards on 22 carries.

“As the game went on, I got stronger,” Dupree said. “I saw Walter (Payton play), and as the game went on, he got stronger. I’ve tried to pattern after him.”

Zendejas put the Rams ahead with 54 seconds left in the game with his third field goal on the night, from 26 yards out.

The Rams went 71 yards on 16 plays.

The game wasn’t won, though, thanks to Marinovich, who got a big 42-yard kickoff return from Stefon Adams, but had the ball on his own 42 with only 46 seconds left.

But looking poised and comfortable in the pocket running the hurry-up offense, Marinovich completed back-to-back passes to zip the Raiders to the Ram 15-yard line with 15 seconds left.

He eventually got the Raiders to the Ram eight-yard line, where kicker Jeff Jaeger’s 25-yard field goal with three seconds left tied the score, 16-16, and forced the overtime. It was Jaeger’s third field goal of the game.

The teams committed a combined three turnovers and seven penalties during the first half and five penalties were called before the third actual play of the second half.

There were nine penalties, seven against the Rams, and three points during the third quarter.

Five plays--and two penalties--into the game, the Ram end Gerald Robinson swiped Raider quarterback Jay Schroeder’s arm deep in Raider territory.

The ball bounced to the Raider goal line, where Ram linebacker Kevin Greene outdived Raider tackle Bruce Wilkerson for the ball and a touchdown.

Three plays later, Schroeder teamed with Willie Gault for a 69-yard touchdown pass. Gault caught six passes for 119 yards in the game.

Though Coach Art Shell stressed during the week that his running game needed to show more life, the Raiders gained only 11 yards on nine carries during the first half. And that was before Eric Dickerson came into the game during the second half, running mostly into defenders.

Late in the second quarter, Schroeder, with the Rams ahead by 10-7, forced a pass into the right corner of the end zone and into the hands of cornerback Robert Bailey.

Schroeder had tight end David Jones streaking to the right side of the end zone, but never saw Bailey.

In his up-and-down half of play, Schroeder completed 15 of his 27 pass attempts for 214 yards and was sacked twice.

The Rams took their 10-7 lead when quarterback Jim Everett finished off his night by guiding a 15-play, 70-yard drive during the second quarter that was free of both penalties and turnovers.

Zendejas then kicked a 24-yard field goal.

Early in the third quarter, the Raiders forced a fumble on a sack deep in Ram territory.

End Anthony Smith knocked the ball from rookie quarterback T.J. Rubley’s hands, defensive tackle Nolan Harrison recovered it at the Ram six, and four plays later Jaeger tied the score at 10 with a 28-yard field goal.

The rest of the game was a battle of field goals.