Saints 22 49ers 24 summary ....... The Saints came up a little bit short after failing to take advantage of an uncharacteristically flat 49er squad. play-by-play ............ As was the norm in the preseason, the offense got off to a slow start with a 3 & punt series. Steve Young took off for an 11 yd gain on the Niners' first play, but sacks by Wayne Martin & Ernest Dixon forced a punt from the eleven yard line. Jim Everett hit Michael Haynes on a rollout for 8 on the Saints' next offensive play, but two runs by Mario Bates couldn't get the 2 yds needed for a 1st. The Niners finally got in gear and whipped off four successful plays in a row: Loville ran for 5, Floyd ran for 7, Young ran for 9, then Young hit Taylor for a 36 yd gain to the NO 20 despite pretty good coverage from Jimmy Spencer. The QB then went to Rice for exactly the needed yardage on 3rd & 11. The drive stalled, however, thanks to a coverage sack and Vince Buck's defense of a pass intended for Rice. The game remained scoreless after a 33 yd FG attempt hit the right upright and bounced away. The O finally got a first down thanks to Everett's 4 yd throw to Wesley Walls on 3rd & 3, but the team couldn't move the sticks a second time. The 49ers soon scored on one of their patented short throw, long run plays as Rice scooted down the sideline for a 50 yd TD. After Tyrone Hughes returned the ensuing kickoff to the 26, Everett hit Quinn Early twice in a row for a total of 14 yds. On 3rd & 5, Tim McDonald hid behind Chris Port before picking the ball off and returning it 52 yds for an easy TD. With 11:27 to go before the half, San Francisco was up 14-0. The next Saint possession moved from the 33 to the 46 thanks to a couple of Bates runs and a 3rd down catch by Irv Smith, but the drive ended when a deep post throw that would've been good for a TD glanced off of Torrance Small's fingertips. The Niners appeared to be on their way to another score when Floyd & Loville gained 10 yds apiece on dump passes to move the ball to the SF 40. However, the Saint D came alive. First Wayne Martin stopped Floyd in the backfield for a 3 yd loss. Then Renaldo Turnbull sacked Young, forcing the QB to the sideline with a neck injury. Backup Elvis Grbac entered the game and wasted no time throwing an interception (Dixon helped him out be hitting the QB as he threw). Sean Lumpkin gathered the ball in and outran the Niner offense for a 47 yd TD return. Unfortunately, a bad snap prevented the extra point try from taking place. San Fran responded by driving for a score. First Grbac hit Jones for 10 on 3rd & 2 from the SF 37. On 3rd & 4, Loville took a swing pass 8 yds to the NO 39. After moving the chains via a Floyd run and a Rice reverse, consecutive catches by Jones & Rice put the ball at the NO 5. The defense got tough, though, and made SF settle for a 28 yd FG with :39 to go before halftime. The offense took over at the 23 with two timeouts. Everett hit Early twice in a row on out patterns to move the ball to the 40. A screen to Derek Brown gained 14, then a pass to Walls picked up 13 more. On the final play of the half, Chip Lohmiller (BTW the only player in the team's history to wear the number 2) came on to try a 51 yd FG. The boo birds were ready to shower the kicker with verbal abuse, but the right-footer came through and nailed the kick. The Saints were down 8 at the half. At halftime I went outside to throw the football around and Steve Young got ready to re-enter the game. He probably got sick of watching the game from the locker room because that meant having to sit through commercials for Fox's fall season (BTW, watch TV Nation this Friday to see Crackers confront Carmen Policy about salary cap shenanigans). The Niners began the first possession of the second half at their own 14 thanks to a penalty. Five plays netted 26 yds before Young connected with Jones for a 20 yd completion to the NO 40. A sack brought up 3rd & 13, but a 12 yd Rice catch & a QB sneak moved the sticks. One play later Floyd worked himself open and took a pass to the 4 yard line. He was soon rewarded with a TD reception. The PAT made it 24-9 Frisco with 7:00 left in the third quarter. The Saints showed that they weren't ready to concede defeat when Everett hit Haynes for 37 on the first play of the next possession. A 7 yd catch by Early on 3rd & 5 gave the Saints a 1st at the SF 32, and one play later Everett went back to Early for a 28 yd TD. The two point try was intended for Walls (and appeared to be catchable) but fell incomplete, thus leaving the home team down by 9. The Forty Niner offense picked up where it left off with a 5 yd catch by Rice, followed by a 13 yd Floyd run, followed by an 8 yd Floyd screen. Loville got the yardage needed for the 1st one play later, and a 4 yd catch by Rice on 3rd & 2 gave San Fran another 1st at the NO 35. The drive was attenuated, however, when the Saints recovered a Floyd fumble at the 31. The offense managed to reach the SF 47, but the drive progressed no further. Floyd gave the Saints another chance by fumbling again (Vince Buck recovered at the NO 46). This time the Saints were able to convert the turnover into points. Walls got just enough yardage to pick up a 1st on 3rd & 7, then Small gained 15 to the SF 29 on a slant pattern. One play later Everett hit Haynes on a post for a TD. The extra point reduced the deficit to 2 points with 5:43 left to go. The Niners attempted to run out the clock and almost managed to do so. A dump to Taylor on 3rd & 9 from the 28 was good for a pickup of 10. Two runs by Loville moved the ball to midfield. On 3rd & 3 from the 43, Eric Allen shut down a pass in the flat to bring up 4th & 1. The San Franciscans tried to get a cheap first down by drawing the Saints offside, but the defenders didn't fall for what was probably the most obvious fake to be seen on the Fox Network since that alien autopsy. Hughes fair caught the punt at the 15 with 1:54 left in the game. Because there were no timeouts remaining, Everett threw (successfully) to the sidelines- to Small for 12, then to Walls for 13. The QB tried to go deep to Haynes, but a great play by the defensive back prevented the connection from taking place. On 4th & 10 from the NO 40, Everett waited too long to get rid of the ball, was hit, and fumbled. The Niners returned the ball to the 3 & ran out the clock. drive chart & stats ................... (P)unt, (M)issed FG, (E)nd of period, (F)umble, (I)nterception, out of (D)owns 1 2 3 4 5 4 3 2 1 G 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 G S >>>P 1:35 A >>>>P 1:45 I >>>>>>>P 2:56 N >>>>>>>>>>I 2:34 T >>>P 3:07 S 6 :10 Lumpkin | >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>3 :39 Lohmiller | ....................................................halftime | >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>6 2:52 Early | >>>>>>>>P 2:56 | >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>7 2:06 Haynes | >>>>>>>>>>>>F :57 | ....................................................gameover | 21:37 1 2 3 4 5 4 3 2 1 G 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 G 4 P<<<< 1:51 9 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>M 5:24 E >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>7 2:21 Rice R 7 :07 McDonald S >>>>>>>I 3:15 | >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>3 4:16 Brien | ....................................................halftime | >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>7 8:00 Floyd | >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>F 4:48 | >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>F 3:35 | >>>>>>>>>>>>>P 3:49 | E :57 | ....................................................gameover | 38:23 1 2 3 4 5 4 3 2 1 G 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 G .......throwin' & catchin'...../...runnin'.... Everett Bates 3- 16 13-26 Brown 1- 15 Walls 5- 40 Smith 1- 4 Haynes 5- 97-1 Early 6- 66-1 Small 2- 28 incomplete 14 intercepted 1 23-38-266-2-1 13-26 Niners: Young 21-27-260-2-0; Floyd 10-48 run, 6-66-1 catch; Rice 6-87-1 notes ..... * Zellars started at fullback but didn't gain any yards * the 5 sacks are encouraging, but the D didn't stop SF too often * Bates left after the very first play with an ankle complaint but returned * Brian Jones saw a lot of action- Tubbs may have gotten dinged * deja vu- could've beaten SF in first meeting; they'll be ready next time * it would be nice if the offense wouldn't wait so long to get going ******************************************************************************* Frank Serpas III serpas@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu