49ers’ Gore shines in loss

By Eric Krupka  |   Tuesday, September 09, 2008  |  Comments( 12 )

San Francisco 49ers
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Last weekend, the San Francisco 49ers opened up the regular season against NFC West rival Arizona Cardinals for the third consecutive year. Unfortunately for San Francisco, for the second time, it's 0-1 to start the season. This time, the offense was to blame for a 23-13 defeat.

Quarterback J.T. O’Sullivan’s first NFL start was nothing to write home about. He completed 70 percent of his passes but turned the ball over three times (two fumbles), was sacked four times, and never seemed comfortable. The 49ers’ offense, under the direction of new coordinator Mike Martz, only mustered 13 points against a Cardinals defense which finished 27th in the NFL last season.

At times, the offense was able to move the ball, but turnovers ultimately killed any momentum it had built up. Remarkably, the Cardinals only scored seven points off five 49er giveaways, four of which the offense was responsible for.

On the bright side for the Niners, third-year linebacker Parys Haralson -- who racked up four tackles and 2 1/2 sacks -- was all over the field. Defensive end Justin Smith, who signed a big-money contract with San Francisco in the offseason, applied constant pressure on Cards QB Kurt Warner; what's more, he was terrific against the run in racking up a game-high seven tackles, including a half-sack.

The one positive on offense was running back Frank Gore. As usual, No. 21 punished the opposing defense, giving 49er fans and coaches alike something good to take from the loss.

Midway through the first quarter, Gore gave the 49ers their only lead of the game, 7-3, when he dashed 41 yards for a touchdown. He finished the game with 151 total yards (96 rushing); unfortunately, most of his teammates didn't join the party.

-Eric Krupka is a senior writer at RealFootball365.com. He can be reached at
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About Eric Krupka

Eric Krupka joined RealFootball365 as a Vikings columnist in November 2005.
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