SANTA CLARA - When the 49ers jumped to an almost-immediate 7-0 lead in this game, it was thanks to a vintage run by Frank Gore. Playing amidst speculation that his run in San Francisco will soon be over, the 31-year-old halfback hurdled a body at the line of scrimmage, bounced off of two defenders who tried to sandwich him, eluded San Diego safety Eric Weddle - twice - and sped for a 52-yard touchdown.
Gore became the first player this season to score on both a 50-plus-yard run and a 50-plus-yard reception.
He wasn’t done, either. Gore wound up with 158 yards on 26 carries, making 49ers fans remember how this team used to grind out wins. It was his biggest rushing day since Dec. 14, 2009, when he gained 167 against the Cardinals.
“Frank was energized. He was playing very well,” 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said. “Our offensive line was doing an extremely good job. We rushed the ball very well.
As with much of the 2014 season, though, it was a different story after halftime. Gore had 129 yards on 14 attempts in the first half. He got 29 yards on 12 carries in the second.
3 YARDS NEVER LOOKED LONGER
It wasn’t the 49ers’ fourth touchdown of the game, a 1-yard run on a reverse by wide receiver Bruce Ellington, that proved memorable. It was how hard the Niners had to work to get there.
Faced with first-and-goal at the San Diego 3 after a couple of third-down receptions by Anquan Boldin, the 49ers looked ready to roll into the end zone. But Chargers linebacker Melvin Ingram flung down Gore for a 3-yard loss and Colin Kaepernick was forced into throwing a couple incompletions.
Wait a minute, though. Ingram was flagged for bumping Kaepernick out of bounds, and the 49ers got a new set of downs at the 3. Kaepernick threw incomplete. Gore was stuffed for no gain. Kap was incomplete again. But wait another minute. Chargers linebacker Jerry Attaochu was offside.
Given yet another shot, they finally punched it in on Ellington’s end-around.
WORDS CAN HURT YOU
It was bad enough that officials awarded Chargers defensive tackle Corey Liuget the ball in the end zone late in the third quarter. He and 49ers left tackle Joe Staley had been fighting for possession, and Liuget’s recovery of Kaepernick’s fumble gave San Diego a touchdown.
But as Staley was walking off the field, the zebras hit him with a 15-yard penalty, marked on the ensuing kickoff.
Asked what he did to draw the flag from referee Jeff Triplette, Staley said: “I told him he’s terrible at his job.
Were those his exact words?
“No,” Staley said. “I’m paraphrasing.”
NOTES
Kaepernick’s 90-yard touchdown run was the second longest in 49ers history, trailing only Garrison Hearst’s 96-yarder against the Jets in overtime in 1998.
S Antoine Bethea, a nine-year veteran, scored his first NFL touchdown on a 49-yard interception return in the second quarter.
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