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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- It's a long way from the Big Sky Conference to
the NFL, and rookie Ronney Jenkins is doing his best to narrow the
gap.
|  | | Ryan Leaf completed 11 of 18 passes for 80 yards. |
On a night when Ryan Leaf made his first appearance in San Diego
in 20 months, it was Jenkins who was the star. He had his second
86-yard kickoff return for a TD in as many games and powered his
way for a 2-yard touchdown as the Chargers scored the final 31
points to beat the Minnesota Vikings 31-7 Saturday night with
virtually no contributions from the first-team offense.
"Ronney Jenkins is an exciting player," coach Mike Riley said.
"We've been looking to make an impact in the return game. He's
definitely made an impact."
If Jenkins, a running back, is to make the final cut, it'll most
likely be because of his special teams play.
"Hopefully I do have a chance to make the team," Jenkins said.
"I'm just trying to do what my coaches expect from me. I expect a
lot out of myself."
Jenkins is a free agent from Division I-AA Northern Arizona. His
86-yard return tied the game at 7 midway through the second
quarter, just after Randy Moss put the Vikings (0-2) ahead with an
over-the-shoulder, 24-yard touchdown catch.
Jenkins took the kickoff at the 24 and started up the middle,
where he found a huge hole at about the 30. He evaded two tackles
and found clear running at the 50, then cut to the left sideline
and outran Don Morgan, holding the ball as if to say, "Come get
me."
"The blocking was perfect," Jenkins said. "The wedge opened
and I just hit it. I'm going to take what they give me."
Jenkins also had an 86-yard TD return in San Diego's 23-20 win
at San Francisco a week earlier.
Jenkins scored on a 2-yard run with 9:33 left in the game. He
finished with 69 yards on 10 carries.
Safety Rogers Beckett, the Chargers' second-round draft pick,
had an interception and recovered a fumble.
Jenkins got more yards on his touchdown return than the Chargers
did on offense in the first half. They had just 35 passing yards
and no rushing yards. They didn't get their first first down until
late in the second quarter, and that came on a pass interference
call against Minnesota on their 5-yard scoring drive.
"It just wasn't very good football," Riley said. "It was just
very disappointing. There was nothing going on. We were playing
good defense and we had the spark on special teams. Otherwise, we
might have been blown out like we ended up blowing them out."
Starter Jim Harbaugh completed 2 of 5 passes for just 1 yard and
threw one interception in his three possessions.
Leaf made his first competitive appearance in San Diego since
midway through his troubled rookie season of 1998, leading the
Chargers (2-0) on one scoring drive, although it was only a 5-yard
drive thanks to Scott Turner's interception of a deflected pass by
Daunte Culpepper.
Leaf, playing two days after tearing scar tissue in his
surgically repaired right shoulder, came on to a nice ovation -- and
a few boos -- late in the first quarter. It was his first appearance
in a game at Qualcomm Stadium since Oct. 25, 1998.
"I think that the way that I've approached things, even though
my shoulder's hurting, I've still got to just punch through it and
keep going with it," Leaf said. "Tonight it felt pretty good."
With Leaf at QB, 252-pound running back Robert Chancey scored on
his third crack from 1 yard out to cap the 5-yard scoring drive and
give the Chargers the lead for good at 14-7.
Leaf also ran the no-huddle offense on a 15-play, 72-yard drive
that was capped by Jose Cortez's 22-yard field goal for a 17-7 lead
with 4:58 to go in the third quarter. Leaf walked off the field in
frustration after his third-down pass to Trevor Gaylor was broken
up in the end zone.
Leaf, who threw a TD pass in San Diego's exhibition opener,
completed 11 of 18 passes for 80 yards.
Moses Moreno, the Chargers' second-string quarterback, threw a
6-yard pass to Reggie Davis with 40 seconds left in the third
quarter.
Culpepper was 12-of-23 passing for 129 yards, with two
interceptions.
"We did a lot of good things, but we have a lot of work ahead
of us," Culpepper said. "We have to get better overall."
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ALSO SEE
NFL Scoreboard
Minnesota Clubhouse
San Diego Clubhouse
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