Lang Breaks Through to Make Mark in Battle of the Backs : Football: Playing only in the first half with the first team, he gains 34 yards in 10 carries and generates 80 yards of total offense for the Rams.

David Lang’s picture and bio weren’t included in last year’s Ram media guide. He wasn’t even mentioned in the abbreviated rookies and first-year players’ section. All he rated was three sentences between ellipses on a page of free agents.

If the first half Saturday night was any indication of Lang’s role this year, look for him on the cover of the 1993 guide.

He carried the load at tailback. He caught passes out of the backfield. He returned kicks. He played on the kickoff coverage team.

Maybe the Rams’ theme song this season ought to have a Motown chorus: “Do Lang, Do Lang, Do Lang.”

The absence of Cleveland Gary and Robert Delpino was part of the reason Coach Chuck Knox had to rely so heavily on Lang Saturday night, but the 5-foot-11, 201-pounder has been impressive in a training camp that has been notable mainly for the lack of impressive performances by running backs.

The top priority for Knox--who has been called Ground Chuck because of his deep-rooted belief in a strong running game--is finding someone to carry the ball. And Lang is emerging from relative obscurity to become a bona fide candidate for the starting tailback spot.

A 12th-round pick in 1990 from Northern Arizona, Lang missed the ’90 season because of a jail term after a conviction for receiving stolen property. Last year, he didn’t carry the ball on a play from scrimmage, but did return 12 kickoffs for 194 yards.

The new Ram regime is giving him a chance to show what he can do out of the backfield, though. Lang had 20 yards in nine carries during the first exhibition against Seattle, and Saturday night at Anaheim Stadium, he started at tailback and gained 33 more yards rushing than Eric Dickerson.

Playing only in the first half with the first team, Lang gained 34 yards in 10 carries and generated 80 yards of total offense during the Rams’ 19-16 overtime victory. Marcus Dupree played the second half and overtime at tailback and rushed for 100 yards in 22 attempts, but Lang’s play didn’t go unnoticed by Knox.

“Our running game took a step forward,” Knox said. “Lang has running ability. He ran well tonight.”

The first time Lang touched the ball, he returned a Jeff Jaeger kickoff 37 yards, slipping two tackles as he sprinted up the middle. On the Rams’ first offensive series, Lang’s number was called on all three plays. The result--a loss of one yard, a gain of three and an incomplete pass--wasn’t the stuff of highlight films, but it was an indication of the workload to come.

“I didn’t even know I was starting until I saw the lineup on the board (in the locker room),” Lang said. “I think I’ve had a pretty good camp so far, but I still have to improve. With Cleveland and Delpino out, this was kind of my break, my chance to prove my point.”

Eight of the next 20 Ram plays involved Lang, including a 17-yard dash off tackle that featured a couple of nifty moves to elude tacklers. Later in the second quarter, Lang was loose in the Raider secondary again, but this time, after gaining six yards, cornerback Derrick Hoskins knocked the ball from Lang’s grasp and linebacker Aaron Wallace recovered for the Raiders.

“It was a good run, but I didn’t finish it,” Lang said. “I wasn’t concentrating like I should and they managed to strip the ball out as I was going down.”

Said Knox: “It was a good run and those things happen sometimes when you’re trying to get that extra yardage. But next time, when he’s in traffic, hopefully he’ll protect the football.”

For Lang, the fact that there will be a next time is enough.