Bolts come back again, down Niners
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Saturday, Aug 30, 2008
By Casey Pearce, Chargers.com
The throw that was perhaps Charlie Whitehurst’s best of the night led to the catch of the night and gave the Chargers a 20-17 comeback win in their preseason finale at San Francisco Friday night.
With the Bolts trailing 17-13 and facing 4th-and-goal from the two yard line, Whitehurst found the perfect touch and running back Eldra Buckley reached out with one arm to haul in the game winner with 29 seconds remaining in the game.
“You’ve got to put it in a spot where only he can get it,” Whitehurst said. “Eldra made a great catch. That one wasn’t easy.”
The last-second victory allowed the Chargers to finish the preseason 3-1 for the second consecutive year. All three of the Bolts’ victories have been come-from-behind wins, the last two in the final seconds of the game.
Whitehurst played a little more than three quarters and finished the night 15-of-32 for 144 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions.
“I like the way Charlie played,” Turner said. “It wasn’t scripted or smooth. He’s in there with a bunch of young guys. He had some pressure. He had to handle it. I thought he threw the ball away when he had to.”
Whitehurst’s favorite target was Malcom Floyd, who capped off his strong summer by leading all receivers with six catches and 68 yards. Rookie Marcus Thomas was the Chargers’ leading rusher with 57 yards on 15 carries.
The Chargers’ first-team offensive line were the only starters who were on the field for their first possession but the Bolts still took a quick lead. Running back Jacob Hester was in the starting lineup and carried six times for 23 yards on the opening drive while quarterback Billy Volek was a perfect 6-for-6 passing for 55 yards.
Volek connected with fullback Mike Tolbert three times on the drive, the third a six-yard scoring strike that gave the Chargers an early 7-0 lead.
“I liked the efficiency of the first drive,” Head Coach Norv Turner said. “Billy Volek has had an outstanding preseason and he’s gotten better in each game. You go out and 6-for-6 and spread the ball around. On that drive Mike Tolbert was impressive.”
San Diego native Alex Smith started under center for San Francisco and hit a pair of long throws early to put the 49ers deep in Chargers’ territory. Linebacker Shaun Phillips sacked Smith to help halt the drive and force San Francisco to settle for a 52-yard Joe Nedney field goal.
Volek and the first-team offensive line called it a night after the opening drive, leaving Charlie Whitehurst to run the show the rest of the way. Whitehurst’s first series ended when he was sacked Parys Haralson and lost the handle. San Francisco recovered and took over at the Bolts’ 33 yard line.
Despite coming on the field with their backs against the wall for a second time, the Chargers’ defense held strong. A tackle for loss by Marques Harris preceded a pass breakup by Steve Gregory in the end zone. San Francisco went for it on fourth down but came away empty when DeJuan Tribble batted down Smith’s pass.
The Chargers extended their lead to 10-3 with a 49-yard Nate Kaeding field goal, but it was a short-lived lead. Niners tight end Delanie Walker returned the ensuing kickoff 101 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 10-10.
“I was disappointed,” Turner said. “We’ve been playing very aggressively and they took advantage of something we were doing. That might help us in the opener.”
Kaeding connected on a 35-yard field goal late in the half to put San Diego back on top at 13-10. Kaeding finished the preseason 6-of-7 on field goals.
San Francisco regained the lead on their opening drive of the second half when Smith led the offense 90 yards in 11 plays, the highlight of which was a 22-yard touchdown pass to Billy Bejema to make it a 17-13 contest.
The score remained that way until the Chargers got a break late in the fourth quarter. Former San Diego State Aztec Robert Ortiz, who spent training camp with the Chargers two summers ago, was unable to cleanly field a Mike Scifres punt, and Bolts linebacker Antwan Applewhite scooped up the loose ball.
The Chargers took over deep inside 49ers territory, and after a fourth-down catch by Scott Chandler kept the drive alive, Whitehurst delivered with the throw to Buckley.
“That was a nice way to end it,” Whitehurst said. “The guys fought back and it’s always fun to win no matter what the circumstances.”
Greg Trott, Getty Images North America
Malcom Floyd's six-catch performance helped the Bolts to a victory Friday.
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Highlights: Chargers 20, 49ers 17Watch highlights from the Chargers 20-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. |
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Gameday: Player of the GameCB Cletis Gordon had two interceptions in Fridays 20-17 preseason win over the 49ers and is chosen as this weeks Chargers.com Player of the Game. |
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Gameday: Norv TurnerNorv Turners post game press conference following Fridays 20-17 preseason win over the 49ers. |
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