By Tom Friend
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, December 11, 1989; Page C1

Dan Henning simulated Joe Gibbs's offense, but not his ending. From the Washington 6-yard line, San Diego Chargers rookie Billy Joe Tolliver whistled a fourth-down pass through the ice-cold hands of wide receiver Wayne Walker -- while Redskins cornerback Martin Mayhew tugged at Walker's waist -- and Washington escaped snow-capped RFK Stadium with Gibbs's 100th career victory, 26-21.

"I think after 99 wins, the guy would at least give an old friend a break," said Chargers Coach Henning, Gibbs's right-hand man here in two separate stints covering four seasons.

Tolliver, who has the hair color of redhead Sonny Jurgensen and the sturdy arm to match, threw sidearm curves and overhand lobs for 24 completions, 350 yards and a 14-0 first-quarter lead. But he bungled a center snap that led to an insurance Redskins field goal and said, "if I had it to do all over again," his final pass to Walker wouldn't have been so hard and aimed so high.

Squaring its home season at 4-4, Washington -- 8-6 and still scoreboard watching for wispy playoff possibilities with two games to play -- triumphed in the end because of San Diego's kick coverage, quarterback Mark Rypien's "ice water" coolness, Gary Clark's subtlety and Gibbs's fourth-down gun-slinging. It also helped that two San Diego defenders dropped pillow-soft interceptions and that Marion Butts's Chargers-version Riggo Drill lasted only a half.

On a sentimental note, wide receiver Art Monk surpassed Hall-of-Famer Charley Taylor on the Redskins' career receiving list with nine catches and is in third place all-time in the NFL with 651 receptions. Monk nearly put Taylor (649) in tears when he said afterward he wants Taylor to present him in Canton, Ohio, if he ever reaches the Hall of Fame himself.

A game ball naturally went to Monk, but one went to Gibbs for reaching the century mark in victories and another to middle linebacker Neal Olkewicz for climaxing his RFK career with six tackles. In an exuberant locker room, teammates hoisted the retiring Olkewicz up on their shoulders.

But it was two passes hoisted by Rypien -- the second for the winning touchdown with 7:27 to play -- that redirected the course of this game, before a crowd of 47,693 (7,999 no-shows).

The first, a 45-yard touchdown dart to Ricky Sanders to cap a hurry-up 93-yard drive, closed a two-touchdown Chargers lead to 14-7 with 15 seconds left in the half. The 250-pound Butts, a rookie who didn't even start full time at Florida State, had 42 yards rushing at the time in Henning's one-back offense (borrowed from Gibbs), but Sanders's touchdown was a momentum-switcher.

On the play, Rypien (23 of 39 for 302 yards) sprinted to his left, pump-faked a pass downfield to Monk and then threw deep right to Sanders for the score. Washington had run this play earlier in the game, but Mike Tice failed to occupy cornerback Gill Byrd (who didn't cover the tight end) and Byrd intercepted.

But on the touchdown play, the subtle trick of placing wide receiver Clark at the line of scrimmage and making him stay there after the snap eliminated one San Diego defensive back and kept Sanders from facing double coverage.

"One thing I've learned in coaching," Gibbs said, "is how a big play before the half can change things."

Chip Lohmiller converted field goals of 38, 31 and 32 yards in the third quarter to put Washington in front, 16-14. During this stretch the Chargers (4-10) gained only two first downs and 27 yards and San Diego linebacker Cedric Figaro and nickel back Elvis Patterson dropped easy interceptions deep in Chargers territory.

Figaro's bounded four times off his hands, and he might have had a 70-yard touchdown return. Patterson's drop was Rypien's last bad pass.

The Redskins' secondary blew a zone coverage early in the fourth quarter that enabled running back Darrin Nelson to go 32 yards with a one-handed catch. Two plays later, Butts (72 yards on 22 carries) went 10 yards into the end zone for a 21-16 Chargers lead with 8:04 to play.

The ensuing kickoff landed in the hands of Joe Howard, who had earlier busted a 38-yard punt return and a 59-yard kickoff return (called back because of Greg Manusky's illegal block). This time, as with the earlier kickoff, Howard started right, waited for the aggressive Chargers to overpursue and slipped back left for 51 yards to the San Diego 39.

Gibbs said Howard is his most deft returner since Pro Bowl pick Mike Nelms.

Washington's go-ahead touchdown was the emphatic result four plays later, on fourth and four. Gibbs has been routinely gambling on fourth down since New York Giants Coach Bill Parcells beat him at Giants Stadium with fourth-down plays in October, and it is paying dividends.

On this one from the San Diego 33, linebacker Billy Ray Smith blitzed on defensive end Lee Williams's coattails, but Rypien stood in and arched one to where Clark was supposed to be inside the 10-yard line.

Rypien never saw the completion -- he'd been shoved head over heels -- but Clark caught the hanging pass in front of Patterson and hurdled into the end zone for a 23-21 lead with 7:27 remaining.

"If we do sneak in the playoffs," Rypien said, "well, we'll be on a roll."

Rypien did much animated celebrating after the touchdown. But so composed was he before throwing that Gibbs said, "I thought he had ice water . . . There was supposed to be maximum protection, and it didn't hold up."

Gibbs, in particular, mentioned Rypien's "snarling" performance, standing in the face of San Diego's top AFC pass rush. The Chargers came in leading their conference in sacks and came away with zero here. They had come in holding 11 straight opponents to 20 points or under and could not make it 12. Moreover, if there had been one obvious weakness in Rypien, it had been his seeming lack of fight at critical times.

"I think this was his best game," Gibbs said. "He was fiery. I saw it in his eyes."

On Tolliver's next snap, he fumbled the exchange from rookie center Courtney Hall (San Diego had rookies straight up the middle -- Hall, Tolliver and Butts) and defensive end Charles Mann recovered at the 12-yard line with 7:13 to play. Gerald Riggs slammed in from the 1 for a would-have-been game-cinching touchdown, but center Jeff Bostic was flagged for holding.

"I can't wait to see that on film," Bostic said. "I was glad they dropped their fourth-down pass. Very glad."

In short order, Washington was penalized three more times on various five-yard infractions, one of which wiped out a field goal before Lohmiller on the next play repeated from 28 yards with 3:22 to play and made it 26-21.

"We waited so long to kick, my hands were starting to get numb," holder Ralf Mojsiejenko said.

On San Diego's final drive, Tolliver found wide receiver Anthony Miller for a 25-yard gain, just as he'd found him on a 49-yard post pattern and a 25-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Tolliver's second touchdown pass, which made it 14-0, was to his teammate from Texas Tech, Walker.

When Tolliver's last attempt failed with 1:20 left, San Diego out of timeouts and Rypien kneeling with Bostic's snaps, Henning sprinted -- without shaking Gibbs's hand -- to the locker room. The last nine of the Chargers' 10 losses are by an agonizing seven points or fewer.