PRO FOOTBALL ’95 : Conservative Raiders Keep it Short, Win : Interconference: Hostetler disdains long passing in undefeated Oakland’s 20-8 victory over Washington.

No longer obsessed with the long ball, the Oakland Raider offense took its time. A well-rested defense responded by keeping the Washington Redskins out of the end zone in a 20-8 victory Sunday.

Jeff Hostetler, content to throw screens and underneath patterns against a tough Redskin secondary, had two touchdown passes but only one completion for more than 20 yards as the Raiders new ball-control game ate up the clock and kept the crowd noise down at RFK Stadium.

“It’s no use hitting your head against a stone wall,” said Hostetler, who completed 22 of 29 for 205 yards. “They let us take what we wanted. We spread the ball around, went underneath. We took a couple of shots downfield, but after that we played smart football.”

For the second consecutive week, Hostetler completed passes to nine different receivers. With several options for every play, he was able to get rid of the ball without being sacked--even though the line has lost two starters to injuries.

“There’s going to be a time when we play a team that stops those underneath patterns,” said Hostetler, who received a warm handshake from owner Al Davis in the locker room. “Then we’ll be able to go for long ones.”

Three of the Raider scoring drives lasted 18, nine and 10 plays. The first one, which culminated in a Cole Ford field goal, went 89 yards and consumed more than 11 minutes.

“We’re not running out for a lot of long ones,” Oakland Coach Mike White said. “But the percentage plays and the ball control is what we’re working toward. That’s going to be our style and hopefully we can make some big plays too.

“It’s easier to throw for 50 yards than to make those small gains, but [we want] to be efficient and not make mistakes, not get a lot of penalties, and to allow our defense to play and play with a little rest.”

The Raiders had only two penalties for 14 yards, while their defense, on the field nearly 10 minutes less than the offense, allowed the Redskins to sustain a few drives, but buckled down when it mattered.

“Any time you can keep a team out of the end zone, it builds character, even for late in the season,” defensive tackle Jerry Ball said.

The Raiders (2-0) have allowed only 13 points in their first two games.

Hostetler’s scoring passes, both in the second half, typified the Raider attack: a one-yard pass to tight end Andrew Glover and an eight-yard pass to running back Derrick Fenner.

The Redskins had a few promising drives of their own, but Gus Frerotte--starting for the injured Heath Shuler--couldn’t get his team any closer than a failed fourth-down run attempt by Terry Allen from the Raiders’ one late in the fourth quarter.

Six times, the Redskins had the ball inside the Raiders’ 25.

“We had some problems inside the 20,” said Washington Coach Norv Turner, whose team was plagued by turnovers and penalties. “I think there were some mental errors, so we couldn’t get done what we wanted to do. We’re a young football team.”

The Redskins (1-1) were hurt by two second-half fumbles, one by Allen that led to the Raiders’ first touchdown and the other by Henry Ellard that stopped a drive midway through the fourth quarter.

Allen, who had 16 carries for 49 yards after a 100-yard game last week, had the ball knocked loose by Ball, and Oakland marched 40 yards in nine plays to take the lead for good, 13-6, on Hostetler’s pass to Glover with 4:15 to go in the third.

The Raiders sealed it on a 10-play, 80-yard drive, culminating in Fenner’s touchdown with 10:55 left.

The Redskins scored on field goals by Eddie Murray of 21 and 43 yards, and on a safety when Darrick Brownlow blocked Jeff Gossett’s punt out of the end zone late in the game.

Frerotte finished with 20 completions in 34 attempts for 272 yards and one interception. First-round draft choice Michael Westbrook caught five passes for 89 yards.

Running back Harvey Williams had a solid game for the Raiders with 84 yards rushing and two receptions for 29 additional yards.