Month: December 2014

49ers collapse in fourth quarter, lose to Chargers, 38-35 in overtime

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By Morris Phillips

In a season of second half letdowns, the 49ers let themselves down to new depths on Saturday night at Levi’s Stadium.

In a half of great highs and lows, the 49ers squandered leads of 28-7 and 35-21 only to lose to the playoff-hopeful Chargers, 38-35 in overtime.  With less than six minutes remaining in regulation, the Chargers parlayed a big fumble recovery into a pair of touchdowns to force overtime.

For the 49ers, a team-record 355 yard team rushing effort was wasted by a pair of second half turnovers that led directly to San Diego touchdowns. On the Chargers’ final drive, a depleted and fatigued 49ers’ defense allowed a 14-play, 80-yard drive culminating with Philip Rivers connecting with Malcom Floyd on an 11-yard touchdown pass with 29 seconds remaining.

“That’s just what we do and who we are,” Philip Rivers said. “We’re going to go fight like crazy and see what happens. We just kind of kept that mantra the whole second half, and kept looking up and kept getting closer and closer and was able to tie it up there late.”

Then in overtime, on the initial possession of the period, Bruce Ellington fumbled attempting to stretch a run on a reverse, and the Chargers gained possession near midfield. Nine plays later, kicker Nick Novak gave San Diego the win with a 40-yard field goal.

The Chargers found the entirety of the evening uplifting, a validation of a team and its players believing in each other and facing overwhelming adversity going 100 mph. For the 49ers, the collapse was another example of a season gone wrong, complete with multiple late game collapses, in particular losses to the Rams and Bears, non-playoff teams, that spoiled the initial season in Santa Clara.

“It’s been a tough year for our team,” Frank Gore said. “Even starting in camp, it has just been injury after injury. It’s hard to win when you don’t have your top guys, but I am happy for the guys who did step up.”

Gore rebounded from a concussion that cut short his afternoon in Seattle, with a 158-yard rushing performance that included a 52-yard touchdown run in the game’s early minutes that put San Francisco up 7-0. Colin Kaepernick took off on a 90-yard touchdown run at the conclusion of the third quarter that re-established a two-touchdown lead for the 49ers.

The 49ers conclude their season next Sunday against Arizona at Levi’s Stadium, a game that will hold great influence on whether Arizona or Seattle capture the NFC West.

In a season of second half letdowns, the 49ers let themselves dowium.

In a half of great highs and lows, the 49ers squandered leads of 28-7 and 35-21 only to lose to the playoff-hopeful Chargers, 38-35 in overtime.  With less than six minutes remaining in regulation, the Chargers parlayed a big fumble recovery into a pair of touchdowns to force overtime.

For the 49ers, a team-record 355 yard team rushing effort was wasted by a pair of second half turnovers that led directly to San Diego touchdowns. On the Chargers’ final drive, a depleted and fatigued 49ers’ defense allowed a 14-play, 80-yard drive culminating with Philip Rivers connecting with Malcom Floyd on an 11-yard touchdown pass with 29 seconds remaining.

“That’s just what we do and who we are,” Philip Rivers said. “We’re going to go fight like crazy and see what happens. We just kind of kept that mantra the whole second half, and kept looking up and kept getting closer and closer and was able to tie it up there late.”

Then in overtime, on the initial possession of the period, Bruce Ellington fumbled attempting to stretch a run on a reverse, and the Chargers gained possession near midfield. Nine plays later, kicker Nick Novak gave San Diego the win with a 40-yard field goal.

The Chargers found the entirety of the evening uplifting, a validation of a team and its players believing in each other and facing overwhelming adversity going 100 mph. For the 49ers, the collapse was another example of a season gone wrong, complete with multiple late game collapses, in particular losses to the Rams and Bears, non-playoff teams, that spoiled the initial season in Santa Clara.

“It’s been a tough year for our team,” Frank Gore said. “Even starting in camp, it has just been injury after injury. It’s hard to win when you don’t have your top guys, but I am happy for the guys who did step up.”

Gore rebounded from a concussion that cut short his afternoon in Seattle, with a 158-yard rushing performance that included a 52-yard touchdown run in the game’s early minutes that put San Francisco up 7-0. Colin Kaepernick took off on a 90-yard touchdown run at the conclu

BYU holds off late Cardinal rally

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By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, December 20, 2014

Brigham Young received a big game from Tyler Haws and Chase Fischer Saturday, as the Cougars held off Stanford 79-77 in college men’s basketball at Provo, Utah.

Haws finished with 24 points, three rebounds and four assists, while Fischer added 16 points, followed by Kyle Collinsworth with 15 points,10 boards and seven assists; plus 13 points off the BYU bench by Anson Winder.

Chasson Randle topped the Cardinal with 24 points, while Stefan Nastic added 20 points, nine rebounds and one assist. Reid Travis chipped in with 15 points for Stanford (6-3).

BYU (9-3) had built a 13-point lead late in the second half, but hung on as Randle missed a pair of 3-point attempts in the final six seconds.

Free throws were a key for both teams. BYU made 21 of 29, but missed four foul shots in the last two minutes. The Cardinal hit 7 of 10.

The most telling statistic was points off turnovers, in which the Cougars had a 22-13 edge. BYU was also 25-13 in second-chance points.

BYU led 35-34 at halftime and built a 58-49 lead with an 8-0 run midway through the second half. The Cougars biggest lead was 72-59.

Stanford responded with a 13-5 run capped by a steal and dunk by Anthony Brown that cut the Cardinal’s deficit to 77-72. Randle followed with a 3-pointer, pulling Stanford to within 79-77 with 54 seconds to play.

The Cardinal were unable to capitalize on a BYU turnover in the last minute.

Next for Stanford is a trip to the Lone Star State to play No. 9 Texas on Tuesday.

Sharks Beat Blues in Final Seconds

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By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE– The San Jose Sharks won a nail-biter of a game Saturday, defeating the St. Louis Blues in overtime 3-2. The game went to the last minute of overtime before a Brent Burns blast from the blue line ended it. Andrew Desjardins and Marc-Edouard Vlasic also scored for the Sharks, while Steve Ott and Patrik Berglund scored for the Blues. It was the Sharks’ fifth win in a row, and eighth home win in a row.

It took the Sharks more than thirteen minutes to get a shot on goal against St. Louis. That shot came off of Barclay Goodrow’s stick. The Sharks saw several shots blocked, but the Blues also kept the Sharks hemmed in their zone for faceoff after faceoff, not allowing the Sharks to make much of the zone time they did get. For all the zone time the Blues had, they did not get all that many shots on net either. They were at four when the Sharks’ first shot registered.

Nonetheless, the Shark saw the Blues take the first penalty of the game at 13:31, for too many men on the ice. The Sharks did not get a shot on goal through the power play. Their second shot came in the last two minutes, from Patrick Marleau.

McLellan must have liked the way the Sharks started the first period, since he put exactly the same guys out to start the second: James Sheppard, Melker Karlsson and Barclay Goodrow up front, with Brent Burns and Brenden Dillon on defense. Whatever the plan was, it looked like an improvement. The Sharks tripled their shot count before three minutes elapsed in the second period.Five minutes in, the Sharks were outshooting the Blues 5-1. Shots came from Goodrow, Tye McGinn, John Scott, Marleau and Logan Couture.

The Blues took a second penalty, at 5:47 of the second. Jori Lehtera went to the box for high sticking. While the Sharks had trouble sustaining an attack, the power play was an improvement over the first period one. They had four shots through the two minutes, and a few very good chances. The Sharks took over the shot lead at the end of the power play.

Still, the teams remained tied 0-0.

Andrew Desjardins changed that at 10:47 of the middle frame. He carried the puck in and shot from a bad angle for his second of the season. Assists went to Justin Braun and Tye McGinn.

It took them several minutes but the Blues answered with a goal from Patrik Berglund at 14:29. The puck came off the back boards pretty hot, and Niemi stopped the resulting shot but he delivered the rebound right to Berglund and could not recover to stop his shot. Assists went to Alex Pietrangelo and Dmitrij Jaskin.

The Blues took the lead with 2:39 left in the period. After some very good pressure form the Sharks, the Blues got out of their zone by way of a breakaway for Steve Ott. His shot went under Niemi and assists went to Ian Cole and Maxim Lapierre.

The Sharks finished the period with some wild chances in the Blues’ zone but could not even the score. They did, however, get credit for 17 shots in the period.

The third period was mired in heavy mud, with the Sharks racking up shots and the Blues stopping them. By the end of the period, the Blues had only added three to their game tally, while the Sharks got credit for nine. In the final minutes, the Sharks were attacking furiously, but it was only in the last 20 seconds that they finally tied the game.  The goal was Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s fourth of the season, with assists to Joe Thornton and Melker Karlsson.

With three minutes gone in the five minute overtime, neither team had recorded a shot on goal. Thirty seconds later, Patrick Marleau took the first, after a spectacular rush up the ice that showcased his exceptional speed.

With 1:03 left in overtime, Alexander Steen was called for hooking, giving the Sharks a man advantage for the final minute. They did not need the full minute. A few touches, several passes, and Brent Burns shot it in from the blue line for the win. Assists went to Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture.

Patrick Marleau led the Sharks in shots with 5. Tommy Wingels led the team in hits with 8, and Brent Burns had the most ice time among San Jose skaters with 26:07. Burns laso led the team in blocked shots with 4. Antti Niemi made 18 saves on 20 shots. The Sharks’ power play went 1/3 and they took no penalties.

David Backes led the Blues in shots with 4, and blocked the same number. Steve Ott led them in hits with 7. Jay Bouwmeester led the Blues in ice time at 26:03. Barret Jackman led his team in blocked shots with 5. Jake Allen made 27 saves on 30 shots.

The three stars of the game went to Brent Burns, Jake Allen and Andrew Desjardins.

The Sharks’ next game is in Anaheim on Monday against the Ducks at 7:00 PT.

Raiders commentary: While NFL welcomes relocation bids will Raiders seek L.A. or San Antonio?

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by David Zizmor

ALAMEDA–What’s been going for along time there hasn’t been an NFL team in Los Angeles going on 20 years now and there are three teams that have had a history in Los Angeles the Rams, Raiders and the Chargers. The Chargers date back to the early days of the AFL back in the days of former Charger receiver Lance Alworth before moving down to San Diego. The Rams were the original team in L.A. they played there from the beginning of the AFL before becoming part of the NFL.

The Rams moved from L.A. in the mid 90s to St.Louis and the Raiders moved to L.A. in the mid 80s and moved back to Oakland in the 1995. All three of those teams have a history in L.A. all three of those teams have situations with their stadiums that could allow them to move back to L.A. The Raiders lease is up at the end of the year at the Oakland Coliseum, the Chargers lease is up at Qualcomm, and at Edward Jones Stadium the Rams lease is up as well.

The Chargers have had a lot of talk about leaving San Diego and they look serious about leaving San Diego. The big problem of course is that there is no NFL stadium in Los Angeles and they’ve tried to build a brand new stadium there for years and years. Nobody there has been able to pull it off, it’s very similar to the Bay Area that no public entity wants to pay for it and their not able to blackmail anybody.

It’s not like other cities where teams just threaten to move and the local government finds local funding to save the team. That won’t happen in this case public funding for a new stadium won’t work in California and the tax payers won’t accept it and they won’t listen and they won’t give into the threats of a team leaving. That’s one of the reasons why you have a couple of privately financed stadiums in the Bay Area namely Levis Stadium and AT&T Park in Santa Clara and San Francisco.

Dodgers Stadium was privately financed in 1959, AT&T Park in San Francisco was one of the only privately financed Stadiums in all of baseball. Then the 49ers Stadium Levis Stadium that as well is privately financed, so an NFL team who plans to move to L.A. will most likely will have to privately finance a new stadium. There have been a lot of potential plans out there that have never come to pass.

Some of the reasons why some new stadiums run upwards into a billion dollars to build is that an NFL caliber stadium averages at a billion. What NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has said is he is accepting applications from teams that would potentially like to move. That really doesn’t mean a whole lot because there is not anyone place to move. You could move but if there is no stadium it doesn’t make any difference.

All three of those teams the Rams, Raiders and Chargers anyone of those teams could move and it seems two of them is likely to go back to L.A. as L.A. is big enough to handle that as they did in the past. Right now all of this speculation being that no team can move until 2016. You have to look at all those particular cities if there is stadium plans that would keep those teams in place.

David Zizmor covers the NFL for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal defeats EWU, moves to 10-1, best start since 1955

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By Morris Phillips

Being 10-1 to start a season for the first time since 1955 is obviously rare. So is winning immediately with a new coach, and doing so with expectations low due to losing key seniors. Add the confounding injury to one of your best returners, and you’ve been introduced to the 2014-15 Cal Bears.

It’s a story that’s even surprised Coach Cuonzo Martin.

“It’s not easy but they brought their heart out to practice and the game,” Martin said in an attempt to explain the team’s early success. “They battle, they compete and they get better as a team. They value each other on both sides of the floor, allowing the team to be successful.”

The Bears got a test from Eastern Washington on Friday night that was at moments even bigger due to the presence of the Eagles’ two capable scorers, Venky Jois and Tyler Harvey. But the Bears played unselfishly offensively, established an 11-point lead at the half, and won pulling away late, 78-67.

Tyrone Wallace led the Bears with 21 points and 11 rebounds while playing both guard spots. When Wallace wasn’t manning the point, Sam Singer did, adding 15 points on 7 of 9 shooting. While the assist total of 13 wasn’t particularly high, the Bears shared the ball with Christian Behrens, roaming the baseline, the beneficiary. Behrens had 20 for Cal and eight rebounds, again showing that he will unquestionably have the best of his four seasons in Berkeley this season.

EWU was led by Harvey who looked almost Curry-like in a 31-point scoring night in which he included six made 3-pointers. Jois was good as well for an Eagles’ team that will compete for the Big Sky Conference title. The undersized, but mobile post from Australia had 23 points on 9 of 14 shooting, but came up short when the Bears focused on bringing a second defender to help on his forays to the basket midway through the second half.

Martin singled out Behrens for his continued growth in his post-game comments, saying that the senior forward grew quickly from summer workouts to now with him establishing himself as a 30 minute-a-game player for the first time. Singer also lauded his teammate for his dedicated effort in practices. For himself, Behrens simply declared himself healthy, which may the biggest statement of all.

“In the summer, when Coach Martin challenged him, he said, ‘Christian, you can either come with us or we are going to leave you behind.’ Christian said, ‘I’m coming with you and I’m going to lead this team, I’m going to help lead this team,’” Singer recounted.

For a team that has already achieved rarities, another awaits on Monday, when the Bears highly-ranked and regarded Wisconsin, a team that was a Final Four participant in March and returns NBA lottery prospect Frank Kaminsky.

Sac Kings commentary: Cousins not happy about Malone firing but ready to work with new coach

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by Charlie O Mallonee

SACRAMENTO–In last week’s firing of Sacramento Kings former coach Mike Malone was it a matter of the Kings pulling the trigger too early or too late? Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro decided that the best style of play was the issue on why he released Malone. That should not have come to any surprise because Malone really set the tone for who you really wanted to be as a basketball player as coach in his first season.

You have a team that played defense first that set up the offense and you really wanted to go with a rather conditional set up offense who really can set it up on the floor. So we knew who Malone was before he came in. Now the Kings are talking about an up tempo San Antonio Spurs style, extra pass, lot of outside shooting running team.

Well that’s not who Malone was, so if you say at the end of the year “Mike your not building the squad that we want, were going to let you go” that would have been a little bit more understandable. But to let the guy come in and have a 9-6 start, he won nine of his last 14 games before the slide. Of course things fell back a little bit when DeMarcus Cousins got sick with meningitis which is nobody’s fault.

Then to shoot Malone out the door over style of play is just insane and it makes the franchise look unstable. D’Alessandro begs to differ and says, “look at the franchise, look at the planned management, look at me and at the team were very stable” I’m sorry you don’t look stable when you shoot a man out the door when your style of play is not right. When Cousins caught meningitis there was no indication that Malone’s job was in jeopardy.

The one thing that we know about the Kings right now and it shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody is that they lack depth. They really have no one to step in the gap when Cousins wasn’t there. Kings guard Ryan Hollins came in and he worked hard and forward/center Reggie Evans other than one game that Evans put up 22 points he is really a defensive guy. There was not a tougher defender or rebounder in the NBA than Evans.

Evans isn’t going to give you those 25 points plus the 12.5 rebounds a game that Cousins is going to be able to get. So with the lack of depth nobody should really be surprised about what was happening to the Kings other than the fact that they were going to be facing some eastern conference teams that everybody was hoping would kind of level that playing field a little bit but it didn’t.

Cousins was not happy about Malone getting fired, the one thing about Malone Cousins liked was Malone was a no pulled punches coach. Malone tells everyone on the team he’s happy and if he’s not happy he’s telling everybody including the members of the media he’s unhappy. If you look at the progress of Cousins under Malone particularly in the maturity area where it was a bad call I’m going to keep playing you. Even his goal coming in having less than ten technical fouls for the season that was all maturity things because of Cousins relationship with Malone.

The Kings host the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday afternoon at Sleep Train for a 3:00pm tip.

Charlie O covers Kings basketball for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings Fall In Cousins Return

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By Tony Renteria

DeMarcus Cousins made is return after his bout with viral meningitis but even he could not help the as the visiting Milwaukee Bucks(13-13) handed the Sacramento Kings(11-14) another loss 108-107.

Cousins had 27 points and 11 rebounds in 33 minutes of action in his return.  Cousins who did look tired at times is looking to come back to his early form before his illness where many in the league had his considered any early candidate for MVP.

Kings Interim Head Coach Tyrone Corbin in his second game in that role still needs to find the right combination to get the Kings back on track.

Corbin did get some good play from Ben McLemore, the second year player from Kansas is starting to look the part of a lottery draft pick as he dropped 22 points and averaging almost 12 points a game this season.

The Bucks who were playing with out Injured star Jabari Parker who tore his left ACL last game were lead by point guard Brandon Knight who had 20 points for the undersized and aggressive Bucks.

The Bucks continue there west coast trip by heading to Staples Center to take on the Clippers on Friday, while Kings host the Los Angles Lakers on Sunday.

Warriors slip by Thunder behind Curry’s 34 points

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — Stephen Curry scored 34 points and handed out nine assists, elevating the Golden State Warriors to a 114-109 home win over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday night after clawing back from a 17-point deficit early in the game.

“We stepped up tonight,” Curry said after the game. “We had to battle tonight and once we got stops and transitions, we felt good.”

Golden State (22-3), bounced back tonight after snapping their franchise-record 16-game winning streak in Tuesday’s 105-98 loss at Memphis. The Warriors improved to 9-1 at home this season, and have won 17 of their last 18 games.

Oklahoma City came out and jumped ahead of Golden State, building a 40-32 first quarter lead. Kevin Durant scored 16 of his 30 points in the first quarter sinking 6 of his first 7 shots from the floor, including 5 for 6 from 3-point range. Oklahoma City made 15 of its first 25 shots.

The 40 points scored by the Thunder in the first quarter were the most points surrendered by Golden State in any quarter this season, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Durant appeared to be heading for big night, but sprained his right ankle late in the second quarter and didn’t return to the game.

The reigning league Most Valuable Player finished with 30 points in 20 minutes on 10 of 13 shooting, becoming the first player since the NBA/ABA merger in 1976 to score at least 30 points in 20 minutes, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

“I wanted to go back out and play, but thought I should be cautious about it,” said Durant after the game.

Russell Westbrook picked up the scoring slack for the Thunder, finishing with a team-high 33 points and eight assists. Serge Ibaka had 12 points, while Andre Roberson finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Six players finished in double figures for Golden State, who converted 32 assists into 48 made field goals (48 of 64) and shot 51 percent from the floor. Golden State shot the lights out from from 3-point range, draining 12 of 31 from behind the arc.

Draymond Green finished with 16 points, nine rebounds, and a career-high nine assists.

Harrison Barnes and Shaun Livingston each scored 12 points, and Marreese Speights had 8 points. Barnes also grabbed seven rebounds.

The Warriors dominated the Thunder in the paint, outscoring Oklahoma City 52-36 and forced 15 Thunder turnovers, while only committing just nine. Golden State rattled off a 35-18 run in the second quarter to pull ahead of Oklahoma City, 49-48, which led to a 65-63 halftime lead for the Warriors who never looked back.

It took a total team effort for Golden State to snap Oklahoma City’s (12-14) seven-game winning streak, after continuing to play without center Andrew Bogut (right knee) and forward David Lee (left hamstring).

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr reaffirmed general manger Bob Myers’ recent comments that Lee could be back on the court Monday for the Warriors’ next home game Monday night against Sacramento

“David Lee will be back next week, probably,” Kerr said.

Bogut is a different story.

Bogut is expected to be out a number of weeks after undergoing platelet-rich plasma therapy on his right knee Wednesday.

 

 

Sharks’ Rookies Help San Jose Fight Back to Defeat Oilers, Keep the Home Streak Going

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By: Joe Lami

The San Jose Sharks had to come from behind twice on Thursday night to beat the struggling Edmonton Oilers 4-3. The win for San Jose marks their eighth straight game in which they earned the victory on home ice. Thursday night was an important one, as the Oilers entered the night 1-16 in the last 17 games played with the lone victory against the Sharks two weeks ago in Alberta.

Boyd Gordon started the scoring for the Oilers, getting the lone goal in the first period. The puck kicked out from the sidewall into an empty slot, as four San Jose defenders were trying to retrieve the puck from the corner. Gordon was able to pick it up and get a quick backhander through San Jose’s Antti Niemi’s five-hole for the 1-0 lead at the 14:43 mark.

The Sharks tied the game in the second period with a James Sheppard goal. Sheppard was set up with a beautiful pass from Barclay Goodrow behind the net to the slot at the 5:51 mark. Sharks’ head coach, Todd McLellan commented on Sheppards play of late “He (Sheppard) is really starting to come into a leadership role. He’s leading that third line”.

It took just 1:37 later for the Sharks to take the lead. This time off of the stick of Logan Couture. Couture received a pass from defenseman, Brendan Dillion, entering the zone and shot a rocket from the left circle beating Oilers’ goalkeeper, Ben Scrivens, top corner stick side. “I surprised Scrivens. He didn’t think I was gonna shoot and it got on him quickly”, commented Couture.

The lead wouldn’t last long for San Jose, as Edmonton had a quick answer. 47 seconds after the Sharks took the lead the Oilers tied it. Steven Pinzzotto notched his second of the season on a scramble out in front of the net. He poked it past Niemi for the 2-2 tie.

The Oilers had the lead going into the third period. Much thanks to Ryan Nuget-Hopkins who notched his ninth goak of the year. Once again, Niemi gave up a bad rebound and the Oilers capitalized. Jordan Eberle picked up the assist, as he shot it towards the net, Niemi gave up the rebound, and Nuget-Hopkins was there on the doorstep for the goal.

San Jose trailed going into the third period. Sharks’ forward, Joe Pavelski, said “It took us too long to get going”. McLellan added “They were beating us in the blue paint all night. It wasn’t even close actually”.

However, the Sharks finally got it going in the third. Once again two quick goals, 34 seconds a part, were enough for San Jose to squeak by. Matt Tennyson scored his first of his NHL career at the 8:29 mark on the power play. Tennyson gained entry after receiving a pass from Tommy Wingles. His shot from the right circle beat Scrivens stick side to tie the game. McLellan commented of the severity of the goal in San Jose Sharks’ history , “When Mr. Gund (the Sharks’ former owner who passed away two seasons ago) created this team, his dream was for a San Jose kid to score a goal. Tonight (Tennyson) achieved his dream”.

Barclay Goodrow, Thursday night’s first star, scored the game winner at 9:03 of the third period. Goodrow received a pass from defenseman, Brent Burns, to get the breakaway. After fighting off Oilers’ defenseman, Justin Schultz, he slipped the backhander past Scrivens for the game winner.

San Jose’s rookies were on fire tonight, accounting for a combined five points, and being part of three of the Sharks four goals. “The rookies are really starting to feel like they belong here, playing at this level”, added McLellan.

The Sharks hope to keep make it a perfect five-for-five home stand, as the host the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.

Follow Joe Lami on Twitter: @joe_lami

Photo Credit: Ivanmakarov at en.wikipedia [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)%5D, from Wikimedia Commons

49ers look to finish season strong

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By: Phillip Torres

SANTA CLARA- The San Francisco 49ers (7-7) will host the San Diego Chargers (8-6) on Saturday night at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. The 49ers will look to play spoiler for the first time since head coach Jim Harbaugh joined the team in 2011. Last week San Francisco was officially eliminated from playoff contention with the loss to Seattle. The 49ers will now just look to finish the season with two consecutive wins to finish the disappointing season at 9-7.

San Diego is looking to make their second consecutive playoff appearance as they are tied for second place in the AFC West. They would need a lot of help to get into the tournament, but they still have postseason hopes. The Chargers are coming off of a 22-10 loss at the hands of the Denver Broncos, and are in the midst of a two game losing streak. Their last victory came on November 30 as they beat the Baltimore Ravens 34-33.

The 49ers are not playing any better currently, as they are skidding and in the middle of a three game losing streak. San Francisco’s last victory came on November 23 against the Washington Redskins. San Francisco finds themselves in an unfamiliar place this week. They will being playing in a game that essentially does not mean anything for them. With the loss to the Seahawks on Sunday, the 49ers were eliminated from playoff contention. The last time the 49ers did not make the playoffs was in 2010.

With what has been a roller coaster season so far, the saga for the 49ers continued on Wednesday. Defensive end Ray McDonald was released after a sexual assault issue was brought up on Wednesday. With the release of McDonald, Tank Carradine is expected to start the remaining tow games. Carradine is excited for the opportunity that is presented as he looks to win a starting job for 2015.

Other drama that is surfacing the 49ers is the fact that the University Michigan has reportedly offered Jim Harbaugh a six year $49 million contract. Michigan is Harbaugh’s alma mater and they have shown significant interest in the 49ers head coach throughout the season. Harbaugh has said all season that his focus is on the season with San Francisco and nothing else. But, with just two games remaining in the 2014 regular season and Harbaugh’s future with the Red and Gold in doubt, the offer from Michigan makes sense.

San Francisco will finish off the season at home. The next two games will be against San Diego on Saturday, and the Arizona Cardinals next Sunday. Arizona has already clinched a playoff spot but will be looking to secure the number one seed. The Cardinals will face Seattle this week. A victory for the 49ers on Saturday will put them back over the .500 mark. at 7-7, this will be the first season that San Francisco will not finish with at least 11 wins under Harbaugh. Kickoff On Saturday will be at 5:30.