Gameday: Chargers vs. Raiders

CHARGERS AT OAKLAND RAIDERS -- The Bolts got off to a slow start before a late-arriving sellout crowd at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum as Oakland jumped out to a 5-0 first quarter lead. The Raiders scored on a field goal and a safety after Philip Rivers jumped on a loose ball in the end zone and was tackled by a Raiders defender. The Raiders completed a first-half shutout of the Bolts by outscoring San Diego 10-0 in the second quarter. Tight end Zach Miller hauled in a 63-yard TD catch and outraced several Bolts to the end zone, and minutes later, the Raiders missed a golden opportunity to stretch out their lead and settled for a 29-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski. The Bolts had a chance to get their first score of the game late in the quarter, but two late sacks backed up the SD offense and Nate Kaeding’s 44-yard field goal attempt was blocked. The Chargers offense finally showed some signs of life as the Bolts scored the only points of the third quarter, scoring on a 28-yard Kaeding field goal. Late in the quarter, the Bolts started their first touchdown march after Tim Dobbins intercepted a pass that was tipped at the line by Shaun Phillips. It took the Chargers only two plays into the fourth quarter to score their first touchdown of the day and they didn’t stop there as they would go on to score 25 points and outscore Oakland 25-3 in the period to close out the 28-18 win. Antonio Gates started the scoring on a nine-yard touchdown catch and then Marques Harris’ sack, strip and fumble recovery against Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell set up the Chargers go-ahead touchdown, a 13-yard run by Tomlinson. Kaeding would rebound from the earlier misses to hit from 47 after Oakland had tied the game at 18-18 and then Tomlinson put the game on ice with a 41-yard TD run all but dashing the Raiders’ hopes.

The Matchup

The San Diego Chargers will pay their long-time arch-nemesis a visit when they travel north to Oakland’s Alameda County Coliseum to take on the Raiders on Sunday, Sept. 28 at 1:05 p.m. PDT on CBS. Jim Nantz and Phil Simms will call the action.

The Series

The Chargers-Raiders series dates back to 1960 and the old American Football League. Since then, these two California rivals have faced off 97 times, playing in San Diego, Oakland, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and even once in the AFC Championship Game. The Raiders lead the all-time series 55-40-2, but the Chargers have won nine in a row, their longest win streak in the series. The Chargers have won the nine by an average of 15.4 points per contest. In 2007, the Bolts won by scores of 28-14 in San Diego and 30-17 in Oakland. The Raiders’ last win in the series was 34-31 in overtime in Oakland in 2003.

Notable Connections

Chargers owner Alex Spanos lives in Stockton, California, approximately 70 miles from Oakland. President-CEO, Dean Spanos grew up in Stockton and graduated from the University of the Pacific. Head Coach Norv Turner is from Martinez, Calif., approximately 20 miles from Oakland. He was the Raiders head coach from 2004-05 and spent the ’06 season across the Bay as the offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers. Tight ends coach Clancy Barone is from San Andreas, Calif. Running backs coach Ollie Wilson spent eight seasons (1983-90) coaching RBs at Cal-Berkeley.

Long snapper David Binn is from San Mateo, Calif. and a graduate of Cal-Berkeley. Wide receiver Malcom Floyd is from Sacramento. Center Jeremy Newberry is from Antioch, Calif. He attended Cal-Berkeley as well and spent the first nine season of his NFL career with the 49ers and 2007 with the Raiders. As a Niner, Newberry was a two-time Pro Bowl selection. Defensive end Igor Olshansky is from San Francisco, where he attended St. Ignatius HS. Wide receiver Kassim Osgood is from Salinas, Calif. Linebacker Derek Smith spent the 2001-07 seasons in the Bay Area as a 49er. Linebacker Eric Bakhtiari (practice squad) is from Burlingame, Calif.

Raiders Owner Al Davis coached the Bolts offensive ends from 1960-62. Head Coach Lane Kiffin was an assistant coach at USC from 2001-06. Wide receivers coach James Lofton held the same position in San Diego from 2002-07. Defensive backs coach Darren Perry spent time on the Chargers’ roster in 1999. Raiders linebacker Kirk Morrison and wide receiver Chaz Schilens both played at San Diego State.