Silver and Black Report

Glen Coffee starts the 2^nd quarter with another big run, tallying 18 more yards. Shaun Hill is now in the game, and his first toss is incomplete to Arnaz Battle. CB Chris Johnson on the next play makes a solid open field tackle after a short gain on a pass. On 3^rd and 9, Justin Miller almost got his hands on a pass, but WR Josh Morgan made a great catch for 7 yards. But William Joseph ended the 49er drive on 4^th and 2 by batting a ball down at the line of scrimmage.

The Raiders take over on their own 40-yard line. JaMarcus Russell to Zach Miller for 11 yards opens the next drive. Russell had a nice play fake and looked comfortable on that play. The 49ers blitzed on the next play, Russell stayed in the pocket and attempted to hit Darrius Heyward-Bey, but the toss was incomplete. Justin Fargas on the next play gained 11 yards on a dump off pass. Russell hit Miller again, on a short quick toss to Miller for 2 yards. Russell showed his arm on the next play going deep to Johnnie Lee Higgins, but the CB was fooled and was penalized for a pass interference that netted the Raiders 22 yards. On 2^nd and 8, Russell tried to hit Higgins on a crossing pattern, but this time the Raiders were penalized for having an ineligible man downfield (Cornell Green). On 2^nd and 13, Fargas gained big yardage near the goal line on a screen, but the play was nullified by a Samson Satele hold penalty. The Raiders now faced a 2^nd and 23, and on a end around to Louis Murphy, the Silver & Black only mustered up one yard. On 3^rd and 22, Russell hit Murphy for a 25-yard touchdown pass. It appeared that the 49ers had a mix up in coverage, as the rookie beat Nate Clements on the play and the safety was not there to back him up. Oakland had great field position, they shot themselves in the foot after getting near the goal line, but they rally on a 3^rd and long and take advantage of San Francisco’s mix-up in the secondary as they attempted to play cover-2.

Oakland leads 7-0.

The 49ers get the ball at the 20-yard line after Sebastian Janikowski rolls a kickoff into the end zone. Coffee off the left side ran through a gaping hole and gained 35 yards. Eugene again was the last line of defense. Hill went deep on the next play and over threw his intended target, who had a step on Chris Johnson. Coffee gains another 3 yards on 2^nd down, as the 49ers continue to push around the Raiders’ front-seven with ease. On 3^rd and 7, Coffee gets the call on a draw play and gains another 8 yards against the Raiders’ abysmal rush defense. Coffee for 5 more yards on the ground on the next play. On 2^nd and 5, the Raiders blitz, but Stanford Routt gets beaten on a quick slant by Arnaz Battle for a gain of 12. On this drive, Coffee has punished any Raider defender who attempted to tackle him. San Francisco faced 3^rd and inches; so they went to Coffee who again churned out first down yardage. Coffee gets to the 2-yard line on the ensuing play right up the gut of the Raiders’ defense. Tommy Kelly and Sam Williams thwart Coffee on the next play after Tom Cable calls a time-out. Hill cannot connect with Vernon Davis on 3^rd and goal, as Tyvon Branch had nice coverage in the back of the end zone. The 49ers settle on a FG after a 13 play, 76-yard drive after the Raiders scored. They controlled the line of scrimmage during the entire series and dominated on the ground before getting near the goal line.

At this point, Coffee has 16 carries for 129 yards.

Justin Miller was not able to return the errant kick that went out of bounds. Jeff Garcia took over at this point, making his pre-season debut with the Silver & Black. A false start along the offensive line started Garcia’s drive. Garcia completed his first pass for 9 yards to Higgins. He then scrambled for 9 yards to midfield. As the clock reached the 1:07 mark, the Raiders call a time-out. Garcia moves in the pocket on the ensuing play and hits Murphy for 10 yards. 1^st and goal from the SF 38, Garcia was not able to hit a streaking Zach Miller. Michael Bush gets his first carry on a draw that compiles 10 yards. A few plays later, Garcia again scrambling out of the pocket, over throws a wide-open Higgins, who tips the ball and it is deflected into the hands of Allen Rossum for an interception.

A few plays later, the 1^st half ends with the Raiders holding a 7-3 lead.

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist