J J Birden

Dan Henning has not been one to make excuses and he won't go so far to blame Sunday's 20-17 overtime loss on the officials, but he raised serious questions about referee Gordon McCarter's crew. McCarter's crew worked the Chargers-Rams game this season, and Henning took issue with several calls. Henning complained to the league office, and the league office said five of the nine penalties called against the Chargers were done by mistake.

The last time the Chargers opened the season at home, Don Coryell was the head coach, Dan Fouts the starting quarterback and Gary Anderson was taking a mighty leap into the end zone to cap off an uplifting 50-28 victory over Miami. Ever since that entertaining day--Sept. 7, 1986--the Chargers have been searching for that shoot-off-the-cannon excitement that rocked San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium Sunday after Sunday.

Those who thought Joe Montana was finally out of miracles were left pinching themselves again Sunday, when football's greatest quarterback pulled off one of life's most difficult tricks. The man stopped time. In his first start in 32 months, Montana was not how we remembered him. He was better.

Oregon Coach Rich Brooks was wondering why his football team had to play Nebraska last week when there are so many other bullies he has to deal with in his own conference. "We took home more money from Nebraska than we did in our first three games, so I guess that's the answer," Brooks said. The Ducks also brought home several injured players, a high price for a 48-14 defeat. There's no respite for Oregon, which will play unbeaten USC tonight at 6:30 at the Coliseum.

It was a day Joe Montana was to be broken at the hands of the unfeeling Houston Oilers. But when the fighting stopped, the hands raised triumphantly were his. The legend was supposed to end, but the legend only grew. Montana rallied the Kansas City Chiefs to 28 second-half points Sunday in defeating the Houston Oilers, 28-20, in the AFC semifinals. Their 11-game winning streak having disappeared, the Oilers sought comfort in the supernatural. "Amazing, just amazing," safety Bubba McDowell said.

No one knows if it was the end of Joe Montana's career, maybe even not Montana himself, but it was his end zone at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami. He had thrown a touchdown pass there to win the Super Bowl once, with just a few seconds left in that game. Now he was back or a playoff game against the Dolphins and was behind 10 points, but there was plenty of time.

In the one dressing room was the Kid. He had never started an NFL game before this day. His golden-red hair hung in ringlets down the back of his freckled neck. His blue eyes, which had never looked over a line of scrimmage in a regular pro game and tried to figure what a defense was doing, were wide with innocence. He was born when Nixon was President. In the other locker room was the Old Pro. He was starting his 133rd NFL game--and appearing in his 184th.

The Pacific 10 Conference track and field meet begins today at Drake Stadium, and the favored UCLA men's team will be relatively quiet on the first day of competition. Sunday, however, is the Bruins' coming-out party as their sprinters, hurdlers and relay teams are expected to supply more than enough points to retain the team title they won last year at Corvallis, Ore. It will most likely be a UCLA show in every aspect.

It was over before it began. The big game, a big letdown. The Chiefs had a 10-point lead and NBC-TV hadn't gone to its first 10-minute update of scores around the league. This was going to be the Chargers' coming out party, but it was no time to be fashionably late. But tardy they were, and unable to overcome a slow start, the Chargers went down to defeat, 27-10 in front of 63,717 in Arrowhead Stadium. "They (the Chiefs) made the big play to start the game off," Chargers Coach Dan Henning said.

They both left with tastes of bitterness. They both thirst for revenge. They both are running backs, one trying to show he has begun realizing his potential for greatness, the other eager to show there is more greatness to be seen. Harvey Williams and Marcus Allen. They are the centerpieces in today's matchup between the Raiders and the Chiefs at Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium. Yes, beyond the personalities, there is a lot at stake this evening.