PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : RAMS : Rhett Next Big Test for Rushing Defense

After New Orleans’ Mario Bates rushed for 96 yards and three touchdowns against them Sunday, the Rams face the task of stopping another top rookie tailback--Tampa Bay’s Errict Rhett.

The Rams are ranked 12th in the league in rushing defense, giving up 103.3 yards a game. Bates averaged only 3.8 yards a carry against the Rams last week but scored on runs of one, 11 and 26 yards. Only one back has rushed for more than 100 yards on them this season--the Giants’ Rodney Hampton (112 yards in 27 carries).

“We’ve been vulnerable at times, but statistics can be misleading too,” Coach Chuck Knox said. “We have to play tougher against the run. They have a great running back who’s having a heck of a year. I’m sure they’re going to try to run it on us.”

Rhett, a second-round pick from Florida, has averaged 117.5 yards in his last four starts. He gained 192 yards in 40 carries in the Bucs’ 26-21 victory over Washington on Sunday, a team rookie record and the second-best effort by a Buccaneer running back behind James Wilder’s 219 yards in 1983.

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Assistant Coach Rod Perry and scout Lawrence McCutcheon, who have sons playing football at Mater Dei and La Puente Bishop Amat, respectively, offered their predictions on the schools’ showdown in the Southern Section Division I championship game Saturday night at Anaheim Stadium.

Daylon McCutcheon, a senior running back at Bishop Amat, the nation’s top-ranked team, has rushed for more than 2,000 yards this season. His father predicted a Bishop Amat victory “going away.”

Rod Perry Jr., a sophomore wide receiver, has more than 1,100 yards receiving for the Monarchs. His father, of course, predicted a Mater Dei victory.

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Knox said an MRI exam of linebacker Joe Kelly’s injured knee showed no tear, and he is expected to be ready for Sunday’s game. . . . Knox won’t make a determination until Sunday on defensive tackle Jimmie Jones (ankle).