Third-round RB/FB Jacob Hester scored two touchdowns and “ran over a few people.”

Hester finished with 13 carries for 49 yards.

But the play Hester apparently will remember most clearly was when he blocked LB Zach Thomas.

Said coach Norv Turner of Hester:  “He’s what we expected him to be.”

Hester’s performance might have made it a lot harder for RB Darren Sproles to win the battle to succeed Michael Turner as the top backup to LaDainian Tomlinson.

Rookie CB Antoine Cason looked good, too.

The Chargers’ starting offensive line struggled against the Cowboys’ first-team defense.

QB Philip Rivers completed 5 of 6 passes for 54 yards.

The starting quarterback seems to be fully recovered from his January ACL tear; “The knee felt fine,” Rivers said.  “Even the one sack, there was nothing to it.  I felt just fine out there.”

Coach Norv Turner had intended to give Rivers a full half of work; in the end, he played only one-and-a-half quarters.

Turner might give Rivers less action when the Chargers play on the phony grass in St. Louis next week.

C Nick Hardwick is out of his protective boot.

The Chargers have reduced pregame access to the parking lot from five hours to four; said one fan, “We paid $75 to park here and got cheated out of an hour.  I just hope they don’t take our season tickets away for standing up or saying a bad word.”