Chargers force 5 turnovers; romp to victory

Chargers QB Jim Harbaugh gets a lift from G Aaron Taylor. MULTIMEDIA Week 2: SD 34, CIN 7 CHARGERS: The Chargers open up open up the 1999 season with a 34-7 victory over the Bengals. RealVideo: 56k | 300k BENGALS: Turnovers sealed Cincinnati's fate in 34-7 loss to the Chargers. RealVideo: 56k | 300k

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CINCINNATI (Sept. 19, 1999) — It was a successful coaching debut for Mike Riley, and quarterback Jim Harbaugh made his first game with the San Diego Chargers a memorable one.

Harbaugh threw 2 touchdowns and the Chargers took advantage of 5 turnovers to record an impressive 34-7 victory over the Bengals.

Riley had an extra week to prepare for his first NFL game since the Chargers had the opening bye and it paid off.

Harbaugh completed 15 of 26 passes for 164 yards before sitting out most of the final quarter for fellow veteran Erik Kramer.

Jeff Blake was 7-of-16 for 68 yards before he was forced out of the game with a right shoulder strain late in the first half. No. 1 draft pick Akili Smith came in and completed 10 of 17 passes for 100 yards and an interception.

John Carney booted 4 field goals for San Diego.

Cincinnati (0-2) took a 7-0 lead on its opening drive of the game. After linebacker Junior Seau was penalized for hitting Blake out of bounds, Blake found tight end Tony McGee in the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown pass on the next play.

"We kept our composure, right off the bat when we fell behind," said Riley on the early deficit. "I think that we got off to a slow start. It may have been the layoff, or first-game jitters. But we got stronger as the game went along and that's a good sign."

A miscommunication on a handoff from Blake to Corey Dillon led to a fumble which was recovered by Seau at the Cincinnati 3. But the Chargers settled for a 27-yard field goal by Carney.

Carney added a 23-yard field goal with 3:07 left in the first quarter, helped by a 50-yard pass from Harbaugh to Mikhael Ricks to the Cincinnati 9.

Damon Griffin fumbled on the ensuing kickoff and Scott Turner recovered at the Cincinnati 20. Three plays later, Harbaugh connected with running back Natrone Means on a 12-yard scoring pass as San Diego took a 13-7 lead with 1:39 remaining in the quarter.

The Chargers extended their lead to 20-7 with 2:08 left in the second quarter as Harbaugh threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Graham.

On Cincinnati's next drive, Blake was driven hard to the turf by Seau and fumbled, knocking him out of the game. Linebacker Gerald Dixon, a former Bengal, recovered the ball and ran 27 yards for a touchdown with 54 seconds remaining in the first half. Harbaugh connected with Ricks for the 2-point conversion and San Diego had a 28-7 lead at the intermission.

"Gerald Dixon and I switched, and they didn't pick it up," Seau said. "They were sliding to me, so we decided to mix it up. It was a big play because being away we wanted to shut the crowd out of the game, and that's what we did."

Blake, who left last week's game with leg cramps, wanted to come back in the game, but coach Bruce Coslet would not let him.

"I wanted to come back in, but it's coach's decision," Blake said. "When he tells you to sit down, you sit down. There's nothing you can do. I was trying to get back in. If Akili Smith is the quarterback, I will help him. I will do everything I can to get my shoulder right to help us win."

Carney added a 21-yard field goal in the third quarter and a 42-yard field goal early in the final quarter.

Means had 27 carries for 79 yards and Ricks had 4 receptions for 91 yards as the Chargers racked up 266 yards of total offense.

Seau presented Riley with the game ball.

"Mike Riley is the key," Seau said. "We put him through hell in the preseason (0-5).

Riley left Oregon State to replace June Jones as the 12th coach in Chargers history. He was 8-14 in two seasons with the Beavers after posting a 40-32 record in four seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League from 1987-1990, including a pair of Grey Cup titles.

The Bengals were held to 172 yards of total offense, committed 4 fumbles and held the ball for only 21:30.

"We didn't get dominated, we gave them the damn game," said Blake on the offense. "Our defense played awesome, we didn't give them a chance. I'm tired of losing. I'm sick of it."

Coslet echoed Blake's sentiments.

"They (Chargers) got 14 first downs and averaged less than 4 yards per snap and beat us by 28 points. That's a screwed up game," he said. "You can't turn the ball over and expect to win in this league."

Carl Pickens, who recently signed a five-year extension, did not start and caught 2 passes for 10 yards. He extended his own franchise record with at least 1 reception in 79 straight games.

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