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Cousins, Vikings defense upend 49ers in 22-17 win on Monday Night Football

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San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffery looks to run past the Minnesota Vikings defense at U.S. Bank Stadium on Monday OCT 23, 2023. (San Francisco 49ers)

by Marko Ukalovic

It was a reversal of fortune when it came to preserving the game at the end.

Kirk Cousins had a great game and the Minnesota Vikings defense closed out the game with two defensive takeaways en route to a 22-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football at U.S. Bank Stadium.

San Francisco has lost two games in a row for the first time since Weeks 6 and 7 of last season. Minnesota has won two games in a row and three out of its last four games after starting out the season 0-3.

“We got to find ways to win the grimy games,” 49ers lineback Fred Warner said.

Both teams turned the ball over on their opening possessions. Cousins was intercepted by Charvarius Ward, who wrestled the ball away from wide receiver Jordan Addison at the Minnesota 48 yard-line. Then five plays later, Christian McCaffery fumbled the ball at the 12-yard that was recovered by Dean Lowry.

Minnesota (3-4) cashed in the turnover when Cousins led a 10-play drive that went 89 yards that was finished off with a 20-yard touchdown reception by Addison. It was the rookie wide receiver’s fifth touchdown of the season. Running back Mattison aided the drive with runs of 16 and 13 yards.

San Francisco (5-2) was able to score on its final drive of the first half. Brock Purdy led a 12-play 75-yard drive down the field with McCaffery running the ball in for a three-yard touchdown. McCaffery has scored a touchdown in 16 consecutive games, making him number two in the NFL for consecutive games scoring a touchdown.

The Vikings answered back in just 54 seconds to end the half with its second touchdown. On a third and 16, Cousins threw a 50-50 ball that Addison was able to win the battle this time against Ward as ripped the ball away from him and cruised into the endzone for a 60-yard touchdown reception, his second of the game. Greg Joesph missed the extra point.

San Francisco’s defense held Minnesota to a 22-yard field goal by Joesph after having first and goal at the one-yard after a passing inference penalty by so and so on their first possession of the second half.

Purdy connected with McCaffery on a pass out to the flat and “Run CMC” took it to the house for a 35-yard touchdown reception that completed a quick three play 75-yard drive.

Jake Moody cut the lead to five points when he kicked a 55-yard field goal with 13:21 left in the fourth quarter. Moody had missed a 40-yarder earlier in the first half but made all two of his extra points.

Despite the 49ers defense tightening up in the fourth quarter, after allowing 270 yards offense in the first half to Minnesota, it was the Vikings defense that sealed the deal with two interceptions late in the game.

Camryn Bynum made his first interception of the game when Purdy overthrew a deep ball down the middle where Bynum, playing center field on the play, dove down to come up with the ball.

Minnesota wasn’t able to close out the game on offense as head coach Kevin O’Connell elected to try a 50-yard field goal instead of punting the ball with San Francisco out of timeouts with 1:16 remaining. Joesph’s attempt sailed wide right setting up the 49ers at their own 40-yard line.

However, Purdy, who had a good first half, forced a ball down the middle of the field while throwing off his back foot into the hands of Bynum for his second interception to seal the game for the Vikings with 26 seconds left.

“We got beat. We’ve got take it like a man…We’ve got 5 1/2 days to figure out a way to beat the Bengals and make sure we go into the bye week 6-2 and not 5-3,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said.

Cousins, who was not sacked during the game, finished the game 35 of 45 for 378 yards to go along with his two touchdowns and one interception. Addison led all receivers with seven catches for 123 yards to go along with his two scores. Alexander Mattison chipped in 39 yards on eight carries.

Purdy went 21 of 30 for 272 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. McCaffery, who was a game time decision due to an oblique injury he was dealing with throughout the week, had 45 rushing yards on 15 carries while chipping in three receptions for 51 yards. Tight end George Kittle led the 49ers in receiving with five catches for 78 yards.

GAME NOTES: San Francisco finished 5-for-9 on third down conversions. Minnesota went 8-for-13.

San Francisco fell to 0-36 under Shanahan when trailing by 8+ points in 4th quarter in regular season or playoffs. Niners have lost 37 straight in all in that scenario. Only the Carolina Panthers have a longer streak at 45 straight losses.

UP NEXT: San Francisco hosts the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday 10/29 at 1:25pm at Levi’s Stadium.

Silver Knights comeback from 2-goal deficit to beat Barracuda 4-3 in OT

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Barracuda forward Oscar Lindblom battles it out with Silver Knight forward Byron Froese at the Dollar Loan Center on Saturday OCT 21, 2023. (San Jose Barracuda photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

Grigori Denisenko scored the game winning goal at the 1:53 mark of overtime to bring home a Henderson Silver Knights 4-3 come from behind victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Saturday afternoon at Dollar Loan Center.

San Jose were swept out of the desert but earned a point in the two-game series. Henderson remained undefeated after its first four games.

The Barracuda (1-2-1-0) drew first blood early in the first period fresh off a penalty kill. Ryan Carpenter threaded a pass through a ton of traffic that was intended for Danil Gushchin. Brandon Coe ended up getting it on his stick before firing a shot past Silver Knights goalie Jesper Vikman for his third goal of the season at the 3:25 mark.

Henderson (4-0-0-0) answered back at the 8:42 mark of the opening 20 minutes with an even strength goal. Jakub Brabenec found Mason Morelli on the left wing and Morelli beat ‘Cuda goalie Magnus Chrona top shelf with a wrist shot for his second goal in as many games against San Jose.

San Jose regained the lead early in the second period. Nathan Todd cleaned up his own rebound to score his first goal of the season at the 3:29 mark.

Ethan Cardwell took advantage of a turnover by the Silver Knights inside their own zone. Cardwell skated in on a breakaway and beat Vikman with a wrist shot for his second goal of the season at the 11:20 mark.

Henderson scored two goals in a 11-second span late in the third period to even the game. First, Lukas Cormier sent a rink wide pass over to Gage Quinney who buried home a one-timer past Chrona for his first goal of the season.

Then after a faceoff win Dysin Mayo sent a seeing eye puck through traffic from the point to score his second goal of the season.

Quinney set up Denisenko’s heroics when he sent a pass over to a wide open Denisenko who lasered in a wrist shot past Chrona for his second goal of the season.

Vikman (1-0) stopped 20 of the 23 shots he faced to earn his first win of the season. Chrona (1-1) made 33 saves on 37 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: Both teams went 0-for-6 on the power play.

UP NEXT: San Jose hosts Henderson on Wednesday 10/25 at 7:00pm at Tech CU Arena.

Silver Knights edge Barracuda 5-4 with late power play goal to stay undefeated

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San Jose Barracuda forward Ryan Carpenter battles for the puck against Henderson Silver Knight defenseman Dysin Mayo at the Dollar Loan Center on Friday OCT 20, 2023. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

Sheldon Rempal scored a power play goal with 3:44 remaining in the third period for the game winning goal in the Henderson Silver Knights’ 5-4 victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Friday evening at the Dollar Loan Center.

Defenseman Nikita Okhotiuk made his debut for the Barracuda. Okhotiuk is on loan from the San Jose Sharks for a conditioning assignment with the ‘Cuda as he was paired with Valterri Pulli as the third pair on head coach John McCarthy’s blueline.

Another defenseman also made his debut for San Jose as Henry Thrun was sent down to the ‘Cuda after playing two games with the Sharks as he made their opening day roster.

San Jose (1-2-0-0) drew first blood with a power play goal just past the halfway mark of the first period. Ryan Carpenter sent a rink wide pass over to Danil Gushchin who quickly sent a touch pass toward the net and Justin Bailey tapped home the puck just inside the right post for his first goal of the season at the 11:44 mark.

Silver Knights goalie Jiri Patera made some big saves during the first period that kept Henderson from falling into a deeper hole.

Henderson (3-0-0-0) scored the equalizer late in the opening 20 minutes. Gage Quinney’s initial shot was saved by ‘Cuda goalie Eetu Makiniemi but Brendan Brisson cleaned up the rebound for his second goal of the season at the 16:47 mark.

The Silver Knights gained it first lead 17 seconds into the second period on the man advantage. Rempal led a rush into the ‘Cuda zone. He fed a pass over to Mason Morelli who buried a wrist shot to the far side for his second goal of the year.

Then 32 seconds later Morelli found Jakub Brabenec open along the wing and he beat Makiniemi with a wrist shot for his first goal of the season to give Henderson a 3-1 lead.

Henderson scored its fourth unanswered goal while killing a penalty. A loose puck inside the ‘Cuda zone was picked up by Dysin Mayo who blasted a slap shot past Makiniemi to the far side of the net for his first goal of the season at the 4:13 mark.

San Jose cut Henderson’s lead in half with an even strength goal. After a clean face off win, Shakir Mukhamadullin fed Leon Gawanke along the right slot and the rookie defenseman beat Patera with a hard wrist shot for his first goal of the season at the 7:59 mark.

Carpenter made it a 4-3 game when he cleaned up a point-blank rebound after a shot by Brandon Coe was initially stopped by Patera for his team-leading third goal of the season at the 13:48 mark. Anthony Vincent was credited with the secondary assist.

The Barracuda scored its third unanswered goal on the power play. A wrist shot from Gawanke went off the mask of Patera and Coe buried home the rebound from the crease for his second goal of the season at the 13:40 mark. Mukhamadullin picked up his second assist on the equalizer.

Patera (3-0) finished the game stopping 31 of the 35 shots he faced to earn his third win of the season. Makiniemi (1-1) made 18 shots on 23 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 2-for-3 on the power play. Henderson went 2-for-3.

Defenseman Radim Simek was assigned to the Barracuda after being placed on waivers by the San Jose Sharks on Thursday.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Rempal 2) Brabenec 3) Morelli.

UP NEXT: San Jose and Henderson conclude their two-game series on Saturday at 1:00pm at Dollar Loan Center.

49ers suffer first loss of the season in ugly 19-17 display with Browns

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San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Kelvin Givens makes a tackle on Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford at FirstEnergy Stadium on Sunday OCT 15, 2023. (Kym Fortino-San Francisco 49ers)

by Marko Ukalovic

In a game that was marred with penalties, turnovers, and missed opportunities, the San Francisco 49ers suffered its first regular season defeat in over a season in a 19-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday afternoon at First Energy Stadium

San Francisco played their worst game in the past 16 games as they amassed 12 penalties for 105 yards, two of them which continued the eventual game winning field goal drive by Cleveland.

“We just made too many mistakes,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said.

The 49ers suffered more than its first regular season loss since October 23, 2022, against the Kansas City Chiefs. Star players Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffery did not finish the game as they suffered shoulder and oblique injuries respectively. Also, all-pro tackle Trent Williams played with an injured leg when it was rolled up on in the second half.

The Browns defense made 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy look human as they and the rainy weather made life hell for 2022’s Mr. Irrelevant throughout the ballgame. Purdy threw his first interception of the season that was a direct result of the Browns pass rush. He also had trouble gripping the ball as he fumbled trying to the throw the ball but was able to recover it for a loss.

“As an offense, we played into their hands a bit too much to get the win,” Trent Williams said.

The game start for the 49ers could have not been better. Purdy led a five play 84-yard scoring drive when he connected with McCaffery for a 13-yard touchdown reception to give an early 7-0 lead. Then on Cleveland’s opening possession Fred Warner intercepted quarterback PJ Walker, who was starting for injured Deshaun Watson, and returned it 32 yards to the Browns 26-yard line.

“We definitely didn’t underestimate them, but they played better than us,” Nick Bosa said.

San Francisco wasn’t able to capitalize as rookie kicker Jake Moody missed a 54-yard field goal, in what was a foreshadow for the end of the game.

After a Moody 25-yard field goal, Cleveland marched down the field 83 yards in just five plays that was finished off with a Kareem Hunt direct snap 16-yard rushing touchdown.

The Browns shutout the 49ers in the third quarter while getting two field goals from kicker Dustin Hopkins to gain its first lead of the game 13-10.

The 49ers defense took back control of the game early in the fourth quarter when Deommodore Lenior intercepted Walker and returned the ball 28 yards to the Browns 8-yard line. The ensuing next play Jordan Mason cashed in the turnover with an eight-yard rushing touchdown.

Cleveland kept chipping away as Hopkins kicked two more fields in the fourth quarter. His fourth from 29-yards out with 1:40 left in the game gave the Browns a 19-17 lead.

Purdy then led the 49ers down the field that included a 25-yard reception by wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and a Jauan Jennings nine-yard reception to convert a third down conversion. However, Moody’s 41-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right with :06 left to seal the Niners fate.

Walker finished 18-of-24 for 192 yards with no touchdowns to go along with his two interceptions. Wide receiver Amari Cooper, who was the offensive catalyst for Cleveland with clutch catches in the fourth quarter, led all receivers with four catches for 108 yards. Jerome Ford chipped in 84 yards on 17 carries.

Purdy, who had his worst game of his pro career, went 12-of-27 for just 125 yards with one touchdown and an interception. Aiuyk led the 49ers in receiving with four catches for 76 yards. McCaffery, despite not playing in the fourth quarter, led San Francisco in rushing with 43 yards on 11 carries.

Newly acquired defensive end Randy Gregory had a sack and three tackles in the game.

GAME NOTES: San Francisco finished 3-for-12 on third down conversion. Cleveland went 3-for-13.

San Francisco had its 8th-consecutive regular season game where they have scored on the opening drive of a game, dating back to Week 16 of 2022 [at LV (1/1/23)], which is the team’s longest streak in at least 45 seasons, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

The 49ers has scored 38 points on opening drives this season (5 TDs & 1 FG). 

McCaffrey’s 15-consecutive games with a TD tie HOF RB John Riggins and HOF RB O.J. Simpson for the 2nd-most consecutive games (postseason included) with a TD in NFL history. 

UP NEXT: San Francisco concludes its two-game road trip with a Monday Night Football matchup with the Minnesota Vikings on 10/23 at 5:20pm at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Icehogs take advantage of controversial call in 7-2 route of Barracuda in season opener

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The Rockford IceHogs celebrate one of their seven goals in the 7-2 win over the San Jose Barracuda at Teach CU Arena on Friday OCT 13, 2023. (San Jose Barrcuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

The Rockford IceHogs took advantage of a five-minute power play scoring two goals in what turned a close game into a laugher during a 7-2 victory over the San Jose Barracuda in the season opener for both teams on Friday evening at Tech CU Arena.

The opening 20 minutes featured a physical battle with both team throwing hits to get themselves acquainted with one another. ‘Cuda starting goalie Magnus Chrona stoned Josh Healey on a short-handed breakaway opportunity at the 9:46 mark.

Rockford (1-0-0-0) drew first blood with the power play goal just halfway past the first period. The IceHogs only needed eight second to convert when Joey Anderson fed a rink wide pass through the crease and Anders Bjork buried a one-timer past Chrona for his goal of the season at the 10:47 mark.

The IceHogs doubled its lead with an even strength goal at the 14:05 mark. Joey Anderson found Mike Hardman with a backdoor pass and Hardman tapped in an easy one for his first goal of the season. Bjork received the secondary assist on the play.

San Jose (0-1-0-0) responded less than two minutes later with an even strength goal. Ethan Cardwell whipped a no-look backhand pass through the crease and Brandon Coe beat IceHogs goalie Drew Commesso with a one-timer for his first goal of the season at the 15:58 mark.

The game changing moment came at the 3:12 mark of the second period when Ozzy Wiesblatt was given a five-minute major penalty for a high hit on Kale Howarth, who was injured on the play and did not return to the game. The officiating crew ruled the hit to be a check to the head and Wiesblatt’s night was over on a questionable call that looked to have been a clean hit delivered by Wiesblatt.

“Not really,” said ‘Cuda head coach John McCarthy when asked if he received any explanation from the officials. “That’s what they saw. They said it was contact to the head. We gotta deal with it. It set us on our heels on the scoreboard, but also momentum wise.”

Rockford took full advantage as they scored twice during the five-minute penalty. Michal Telply cleaned up a rebound off a blocked shot from the point to score his first goal of the season at the 5:16 mark to regain a two-goal lead for the IceHogs. David Gust made it 4-1 29 seconds later when he drove in a point-blank shot through the five-hole of Chrona for his first goal of the season.

Cole Cassels had a chance to cut the IceHogs lead in half when he was awarded a penalty shot after being tripped up by Louis Crevier on a breakaway attempt at the 15:51 mark. However, Cassels’ shot rung off the far post.

Gust scored his second goal of the game after he finished a two-on-one odd man rush with Brett Seney. Gust received the cross-ice pass and made a move around Chrona before tapping home the puck inside the net at the 12:05 mark of the third period.

Ryder Rolston scored his first goal of the season for Rockford after slamming home a puck into an open net after receiving a pass from Jalen Luypen at the 14:06 mark.

Bryce Kindopp closed out the scoring for Rockford with an unassisted empty net goal at the 15:58 mark.

‘Cuda defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin scored his goal of the season with San Jose on a 5-on-3 advantage. Danil Guhschin found him at the right point and Mukhamadullin fired a wrist shot past Commesso at the 16:51 mark.

Commeesso finished then night stopping 34 of the 36 shots to earn his first victory of the season. Chrona made 27 saves on 33 shots in the losing effort.

“We left him (Chrona) (hung) out to dry. We didn’t give up a ton of chances, but the quality of the chances we gave up was high. Bad reads, bad reads in the offensive zone. (We) put ourselves in a bad spot there. It wasn’t on him,” McCarthy said.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 1-for-4 on the power play. Rockford went 3-for-5.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Gust 2) Coe 3) Bjork.

UP NEXT:San Jose and Rockford conclude their two-games series on Saturday 10/14 at 2:00pm at Tech CU Arena.

Kittle’s career night lead undefeated 49ers to 42-10 beat down of Cowboys

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San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle celebrates one of his three touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday OCT 8, 2023. (San Francisco 49ers)

by Marko Ukalovic

It was only a matter of time before George Kittle had his own breakout game.

Kittle scored his first three touchdowns of the season, a career high, in the San Francisco 49ers 42-10 route of the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football at Levi’s Stadium.

The 49ers all-pro tight end had three catches, all for touchdowns, with 67 yards as he tied a San Francisco franchise record for most touchdowns by a tight end in a single game.

San Francisco has started the season 5-0 for the first time since starting 7-0 back in 2019. Dallas dropped to 3-2 on the season as both losses have been to NFC West opponents.

“We have a really good team, we’re healthy and we’re clicking right now,” Kittle said.

The 49ers scored on its opening possession. Quarterback Brock Purdy hooked up with Kittle on his first touchdown of the game, a 19-yarder, to finish off a seven play 75-yard drive.

It was not a good start for Dallas as they started with back-to-back three and outs as San Francisco’s defense led by Fred Warner, who played like a man possessed with eight tackles, a sack and an interception, kept the Cowboys from establishing any kind of a rhythm.

“Being the competitor that I am, I wanted us to be the top defense and I think we did that tonight,” Warner said.

Both teams exchanged fumbles. Warned punched the ball out of running back Tony Polard’s hands at their own nine-yard line, which was recovered by Kevin Givens at the 16-yard line. Then two plays later running back Christian McCaffery fumbled at the Dallas 2-yard line that was recovered by Jourdan Lewis.

The 49ers defense disrupted Prescott all game long as they intercepted him three times and sacked him three times. San Francisco won the turnover battle four to one.

Purdy connected with Kittle for their second touchdown of the game, a 38-yard touchdown reception after a reverse flee-flicker from McCaffery to Deebo Samuel who pitched it back to Purdy who then threw to a wide-open Kittle down the right sideline as he cruised into the end zone with 13:16 left in the second quarter.

“That play was a great a draw up,” said Purdy regarding the trick play. “We were excited we finally got to call it (in a game).”

The Cowboys cut the lead in half with a 11 play 78-yard drive when Prescott connected with KaVontae Turpin for a 26-yard touchdown reception with 7:45 remaining in the first half.

The 49ers closed out the first half with a 21-7 lead when McCaffery rushed for his seventh touchdown of the season as he powered his way up the middle for a one-yard touchdown with 2:36 left in the second quarter. The all-pro running back has now scored a touchdown in a 49ers uniform in 14 consecutive games.

The Purdy-Kittle connection hooked up for a third touchdown of the night when Kittle got underneath the defense inside the endzone for a 10-yard touchdown reception on its first possession of the second half.

“Being able to see (Ex 49ers tight end) Vernon (Davis)pre-game. He told me to score three to tie his record. I was like (sigh) fine all right Vernon (Davis) I’ll do it, I’ll tell Brock…It was fun being able to get in the endzone,” Kittle said.

Purdy, who finished 17-for-24 for 252 yards with no interceptions, threw for his fourth touchdown of the game when he found fullback Kyle Juszczyk out in the flat for a one-yard touchdown reception with 14:19 left in the fourth quarter.

San Francisco scored its final touchdown after Prescott’s second interception. Backup running back Jordan Mason went untouched for a 26-yard rushing touchdown 20 seconds later.

It was a forgettable evening for Prescott as he finished 14-for-24 for 153 yards with one touchdown to go along with his three interceptions and quarterback rating of just 51.6. CeeDee Lamb led the Cowboys in receiving with four catches for 49 yards.

Mason led the 49ers in rushing with 69 yards on 10 carries and McCaffery had a modest night with 51 yards on 19 carries. Brandon Aiyuk chipped in four catches for 58 yards. Pollard had a quiet game with only 29 yards on eight carries.

GAME NOTES: San Francisco finished 6-for-11 on third down conversions. Dallas went 4-for-10.

San Francisco now leads the all-time series against Dallas 20-19-1.

Purdy remains undefeated in the regular season (10-0) and is 12-1 in his career with San Francisco.

The 49ers lead the NFL in first drive points with 31.

UP NEXT: San Francisco travels out to Cleveland to take on the Browns on Sunday 10/15 at 10:00am at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Oregon State Walks Out Of Berkeley Victorious After 52-40 win against Cal

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Cal Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) runs before throwing the football against the Oregon Beavers in the second quarter at Cal Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Sat Oct 7, 2023 (AP News photo)

Saturday, October 7th, 2023

By Troy Ewers

Berkeley, CA – On homecoming night at University of Cal, it’s the Cal Bears against the Oregon State University Beavers and the Bears are coming off a great win against Arizona State University, but the Beavers are coming off an equally great win against a ranked Utah squad. Cal walks into this game with a clear swagger and a win for either team would propel them up the ranks in the Pac-12.

Unfortunately Cal lost at home in a highly offensive game of scoring and fell short to Oregon State 52-40. Cal drops to .500 at 3-3.

Cal starts with the ball to open the game and the drive goes nowhere for the Bears and Oregon State takes over on possession and immediately starts pushing down field. In the red zone the Beavers score with ease as DJ Uiagalelei throws a dime to tight end Jack Velling and after an easy extra point, the Beavers take the early lead 7-0.

Cal’s attempt to even the score began as Cal utilized their lead running back Jaydn Ott, but was still forced to punt when even those attempts were foiled by OSU’s defense. The Beavers start out in their own red zone and being pinned there causes the Beavers to have to pass out of the jam, but to no success as they were forced to punt.

Cal’s next drive was more effective as they got down field with a variety of passes and rushes. The quarter ends with the ball still in Cal’s hands in the red zone with a chance to even out the game. 

On the fourth down the Bears decide to settle for the field goal and we start the second quarter 7-3. A major kickoff return for Oregon State goes 59 yards and they start this drive with amazing field position. Again in the red zone, Oregon State had the ball and on four plays Aiden Chiles hit Silas Bolden in the end zone and the Beavers put a gap in the score 14-0, but there was still a lot of ball game left and Cal started their next drive in the red zone after an onside recovery that they took back 26 yards.

Cal gets their first touchdown after Isaiah Ifanse got a nine yard pass from Fernando Mendoza and now it was a 14-10 ball game. On OSU’s drive, they made a big mistake when Cal forced a fumble and recovered it.

This is Cal’s seventh fumble recovery of the season and they are some of the best in the NCAA when it comes to forcing turnovers. Following that big recovery, the Bears offense pushed down the field using Ott and Ifanse and that strategy was effective when Ifanse walked in the end zone for an easy rushing touchdown and after an extra point, Cal had its first lead 17-14 with eight minutes left in the first half.

A trick play by OSU gets them downfield and back in the red zone, but while in the red zone, Cal was fighting in the trenches and forced a fourth and 1 for the Beavers, but a QB run for a yard kept the drive alive.

The Cal defense forced another fourth down attempt for the Beavers, but this time with 3 yards away from the end zone and they converted after Jack Velling caught his second touchdown catch, now the score being 21-17 Beavers up.

In the final minute of the game, Cal’s goal was to go in the locker room with some energy, but were forced to punt before the last eight seconds of the half and OSU took a knee which is how the first half closes. 

The second half started with a big return from the Beavers, 50 yards and a chance to take over early in the half. Cal has outscored their opponents this season in the second half, especially the third quarter, but that didn’t matter as Oregon State capitalized on the great field position when DJ Uiagalelei got a touchdown pass to Jesiah Irish and the Beavers made it 28-17.

Cal wasted no time on their following drive just moving the chains in such an efficient fashion that if you blinked you would’ve missed how far they traveled down field. This pursuit down the field was capitalized on as Ifanse powered through the Beavers O-Line and got another touchdown making it 28-24 and at this point Ifanse had all the touchdowns for the Bears.

The Beavers answered right back with a touchdown of their own with another TD catch from Velling making it 35-24 and the Bears had to respond. That response came after a big drive and the exclamation point was a 30 yard TD pass from Mendoza to Jack Endries and when the Bears converted on the two point attempt and the Cal fans went crazy! 35-32! The third quarter ended with OSU in the red zone on third down and the pendulum could swing any way at this moment. 

Oregon State got the TD to start the fourth as Damien Martinez powered his way into the endzone and they took the lead again 42-32. Cal started their drive with a force of energy, but fumbled the ball and the Beavers recovered the ball and now a chance to put this game away was in their hands.

The nail in the coffin for Oregon State was when Uiagalelei threw a pass to eligible receiver and DT Isaac Hodgins and now it was 49-32 Oregon State as Cal fans started to beat the traffic and head out the stadium.

The downfall wasn’t over for Cal as Mendoza attempted a throw, but was picked off by Jermod McCoy and at this point the game seemed over even though there were still ten minutes left on the clock. Oregon State even with a decisive lead was still pushing down the field just eating the clock down.

The Beavers walked away with a field goal and with two and a half minutes left, the Bears were fighting for pride as the clock ticked and ticked. Cal scored and executed on the two point conversion, but with a minute left, the game was in the bag. 

When the clock hit zero, the Bears fought, but the Beavers fought harder and the game ended with a 52-40 score and Oregon State walked away with a win. Cal shouldn’t be discouraged by this loss, because it showed them as a balanced team who can compete, just need some more elite players to match up against the big dogs.

Cal’s next game will be against Utah at Utah and the hopes for the Bears are a W.

Earthquakes fight FC Dallas to 1-1 draw stay 8th in the West

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San Jose Earthquakes forward Cade Cowell battles for the ball against FC Dallas midfielder Facundo Quignon at Toyota Stadium on Saturday OCT 7, 2023. (MLS)

by Marko Ukalovic

It’s going to take Decision Day 2023 to determine the two final playoff spots in the Western Conference.

The San Jose Earthquakes battled FC Dallas to a 1-1 draw on the second to last game of the season on Saturday evening at Toyota Stadium.

With the draw, San Jose stayed one point ahead of FC Dallas for the eighth spot in the Western Conference with 43 points. Two points separates five teams from eight to 11th place with Portland and San Jose tied with 43, FC Dallas with 42 and Sporting KC and Minnesota United both with 41 points.

FC Dallas has a game in hand as their game on Wednesday against the Colorado Rapids was postponed due to rain and has been rescheduled for October 14th at Toyota Stadium.

“The point is important. The point allows us to still have an edge. Now it’s very clear, we’re disappointed. We were winning and we didn’t close that out in a way to qualify tonight. So that’s disappointing. I thought we had a fantastic first half, getting pressure on the ball, attacking sequences, and defensive organization. The point is still going to give us some type of advantage with those other teams,” ‘Quakes head coach Luchi Gonzalez said.

The Earthquakes will advance to the playoffs with a win in two weeks on Decision Day against Austin FC, who were eliminated from playoff contention earlier in the day. A draw or loss might move them out of the eight-ninth play-in game to determine the eighth and final seed of the Western Conference Playoffs.

“Look, I’ve been around long enough to know that Decision Day is crazy. We can still finish seventh or maybe even higher. Games in hand have to be won, they’re not automatic three points. We will see how the other teams do and be ready to push for the highest position possible on the last day,” ‘Quakes forward Jeremy Ebobisse said.

San Jose (10-10-13) drew first blood in the third minute. Cristian Espinoza found captain Jackson Yueill along the right wing. Yueill centered a pass into the middle where Ebobisse slid feet first to punch the ball past FC Dallas goalkeeper Maarten Paes for his 10th goal of the season.

Ebobisse became third ‘Quakes to score 10 plus goals in back-to-back seasons joining Chris Wondolowski and Ronald Cerritos.

“When we came into the game from the beginning, we wanted to go for three [points]. We wanted to clinch playoffs tonight. We started off quite well in that. I think that [FC Dallas] were naturally going to get some chances and build some momentum at home as any home team would. We did a pretty good job of repelling those with guys making some plays. Ultimately that dam broke a little bit. You have to manage each situation. The point is still very valuable,” Ebobisse said.

FC Dallas (10-10-12) scored the equalizer in the 57th minute. Jesus Ferreira glided a pass up the middle of the pitch. Jader Obrian raced out and got in front of Tanner Beason before depositing the ball over ‘Quakes goalkeeper Daniel for his fifth goal of the season.

Daniel finished four saves on five shots on target. Paes made two saves on three shots on target from San Jose to earn the draw.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished with two corner kicks. FC Dallas had three.

The Quakes now hold a 29-21-22 record against FC Dallas, including a 12-13-10 record on the road. They have only lost once to Dallas in their last 13 MLS regular season matches (4-1-8)

Yueill’s fifth assist of the season was also his 17th of his MLS career.

Espinoza tallied his 13th assist of the season, furthering his own all-time club assist record to 57.

UP NEXT: San Jose concludes the regular season when they host Austin FC on Saturday 10/21 at 6:00pm at Pay Pal Park.

McCaffery’s 4 touchdown day paces the 49ers in 35-16 rout of Cardinals

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San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffery leaps off an Arizona Cardinals defender on his to way a touchdown at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday OCT 1, 2023. (San Francisco 49ers)

by Marko Ukalovic

Christian McCaffery set a franchise record on Sunday.

McCaffery scored four touchdowns for the San Francisco 49ers who dominated from start to finish in a 35-16 blowout victory over the Arizona Cardinals in an NFC West divisional showdown on Sunday afternoon at Levi’s Stadium.

The All-Pro running back set a new 49ers record for scoring a touchdown in 13 consecutive games, breaking the old mark of 12 set by Jerry Rice, when he scored his first rushing touchdown with 9:07 left in the first quarter on a one-yard scamper that completed an eight play 62-yard opening drive.

San Francisco has started the season 4-0 for the first time since 2019. Arizona dropped to 1-3 on the season.

McCaffery and the 49ers offense had its way with Arizona as they dominated the line of scrimmage that allowed for a fun day on the field. San Francisco went up 14-0 early in the second quarter when quarterback Brock Purdy pitched the ball back to McCaffery who rushed 18 yards for his second rushing touchdown.

After a Matt Prater 38-yard field goal, the 49ers marched back down the field on a five play 75-yard drive that concluded with Purdy connecting with McCaffery on a six-yard touchdown reception to give San Francisco a comfortable 21-3 lead.

“Yeah, it would’ve been nice”, said McCaffery with a laugh when asked if had campaigned to get a fifth touchdown late in the game. “He’s (49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan) obviously got a lot going on in-game. That’s the last of anyone’s worries to do that. So as long as we scored, I was happy.”

Arizona ended the first half when quarterback Josh Dobbs hooked up with rookie wide receiver Michael Wilson on a 16-yard touchdown reception with 23 seconds left in the second quarter.

The Cardinals forced a three and out on the 49ers first possession of the second half. San Francisco punter Matt Wishnowsky pinned Arizona at their own 1-yard line.

Dobbs then led an 11 play 99-yard scoring drive down the field that chewed up 4:12 off the clock. Dobbs connected once again with Wilson for their second straight touchdown reception, an eight yarder to cut San Francisco’s lead to 21-16. They failed on the two-point conversion.

McCaffery put the game away for the 49ers early in the fourth quarter when he run for his third touchdown of the game and fourth overall with a two-yard run. McCaffery finished the game with 177 all-purpose yards with 106 on the ground on 20 carries and 71 through the air on seven catches.

“He’s a freak. He does everything for us. He can run the ball, run routes out of the back field, line up a receiver (and) run routes. So, we’re thankful for him. All you gotta do is get the ball to him and he does the rest,” Purdy said.

Purdy completed with the scoring with 1:59 left in the game when his one-yard quarterback sneak up the middle for his second rushing touchdown of the season. Purdy finished 20 of 21 for 283 yards to go along with his one passing touchdown and no interceptions. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk led all receivers with six catches for 148 yards.

Dobbs finished 28 of 41 for 265 yards and two touchdowns. Marquise “Hollywood” Brown led the Cardinals in receiving with seven catches for 96 yards. Running back James Connor chipped in with 52 yards on 11 carries.

GAME NOTES: San Francisco finished 3-for-5 on third down conversions. Arizona went 8-for-15.

San Francisco has won 14 consecutive regular season games, their second longest streak in franchise history.

Purdy set the 49ers’ single-game record for completion percentage (20 of 21) at 95.2 percent. Previous record (20+ attempts) was Steve Young, 1991 vs. Detroit (18 of 20) 90 percent.

UP NEXT: San Francisco hosts the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football 10/8 at 5:20pm at Levi’s Stadium.

Earthquakes late goal in second half salvages 1-1 draw with Minnesota FC

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San Jose Earthquakes defender Rodriguez battles for a loose ball with Minnesota FC midfielder Franco Fragapane at Allianz Field on Saturday SEP 30, 2023. (Minnesota FC)

by Marko Ukalovic

The San Jose Earthquakes needed some late match comeback magic to earn a critical point.

Paul Marie scored the equalizer in the 82nd minute as the Quakes settled for a 1-1 draw with Minnesota FC on Saturday evening at Allianz Field.

San Jose stayed in eight place in the Western Conference with the tie to stay one point ahead (42) of FC Dallas (41) who earned a point with a 0-0 draw with the Houston Dynamo. Minnesota is on the outside looking in as they are tied for 11th place in the conference with Sporting Kansas City with 38 points.

Minnesota FC (9-11-11-38 points) controlled the first 15 minutes of the match as they generated scoring chances from Emanuel Reynoso and Bongokuhle Hlongwane only to have both players miss their targets.

San Jose (10-10-12-42 points) generated two scoring chances late in the opening 45 minutes when shots from Cristian Espinoza and Matthew Hoppe were off target against Minnesota goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair.

Minnesota FC broke the seal in the 56th minute on a counterattack. Bongokuhle tried to dribble through two ‘Quakes defenders inside the box when the ball deflected off Carlos Akapo. Teemu Pukki cleaned up the loose ball and buried a shot past ‘Quakes goalkeeper Daniel for his sixth goal of the season.

“In the first half, I thought we did have some moments of possession, but not enough. I thought we could have connected more and been a little more patient in our build up. I thought it was a pretty fair and even game. We started the second half quite well, but they hurt us in transition. We were down 1-0, and we responded with some aggressive subs with guys who could give us some verticality and speed and take the game to another gear,” Earthquakes head coach Luchi Gonzlez said.

Espinoza, who has been the catalyst for San Jose’s offense all season, set up the late match heroics when he made a move around Franco Fragapane just outside the box before depositing a cross to the left side where an unmarked Marie one-timed the ball with an arial volley into the upper right corner of net for his third goal of the season.

“Starting or not, (Marie) has been in rotation and involved. He’s important. I think he’s a starting caliber fullback/wingback, not just for us but for the league. I am proud of his mentality, being ready no matter what, starting or not. Knowing the game will have a role for him, and he came in showed that. I am very proud of him, and that shows what kind of a teammate he is to this group,” Gonzalez said.

Both goalies had one save on two shots on target to each the draw.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished with seven corner kicks. Minnesota FC has four.

The Quakes now hold a 5-4-4 record against Minnesota United FC, including a 2-2-2 record on the road.

Espinoza tallied his 11th assist of the season and 56th of his MLS career. Akapo tallied his fourth assist of the season and of his MLS career.

UP NEXT: San Jose finishes its regular season road schedule against FC Dallas in a battle for 8th place in the West on Saturday 10/7 at 5:30pm at Toyota Stadium.