All the 'Gorey' Details
Article by Andy Lopusnak of Bay Area Sports Drive Magazine
Photos by Al Reyes of Bay Area Sports Drive Magazine
September 21, 2009

Frank Gore ran for the record books in San Francisco’s 23-10 win over Seattle. Last week, the former All-Pro running back was held to just 21 yards, but exploded for 207 and two touchdowns against the Seahawks becoming just the second player in NFL history to post two TD runs of 79 or more in the same game. Gore averaged 12.9 yards per rush which ranks as the third highest in the league since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.

On the first play of the second series, the three-time 1,000-yard rusher ran straight up the gut for a then-career long 79-yard TD jaunt to give San Francisco an early 10-0 lead. His new career long was quickly erased. On the first play of the second half, Gore ran right through the heart of the Seahawks defense for an 80-yard scoring run. He was absolutely dominant on first down. Gore gained 180 of his 207 yards on first down, along with both touchdowns averaging an astonishing 22.5 per rush.

By tallying two TD runs of over 79 yards, Gore joins Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders as the only players in league history to do so in the same game. Sanders set the mark in 1997 against Tampa Bay when he blasted the Bucs on runs of 80 and 82 yards.

Gore could have gashed Seattle for even more and established a new single-game career high (also a franchise high), but he sat the final seven minutes of the contest after suffering a mild right ankle sprain. It appears not to be serious and the 49ers will have him ready for next week.

Posting 200-yard games against his neighbors to the north isn’t anything new to San Francisco’s fifth all-time leading rusher, whose other 200-yard contest was against Seattle (career-high 212 on Nov. 19, 2006). He also set a new career standard in yards from scrimmage with 246 (207 rushing. 39 receiving).

Gore has registered two-touchdown performances in back-to-back games for the first time in his career. Two games into the season and he has half as many total touchdowns (four) as he did the entire year last season (eight). The game marked his 16th career 100-yard game (second with at least 200 yards), which is tied with Garrison Hearst for the second most in 49ers annals. Only NFL Hall of Famer Joe Perry has more (20) in a Niners uniform.

Since 2006, Gore has quietly racked up the second most rushing yards in the NFL behind San Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson and tops the league with the best yards per rush average during that timeframe.

Up next for Gore and the 49ers is a trip to Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Vikings in a battle of undefeated times. The game will feature two of the best running backs in the game: Gore and Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson, who leads the NFL in rushing since joining the league in 2007. The 49ers are 8-2 in their last ten regular season games.

San Francisco is 2-0 for the first time since 2007 (that team finished 5-11) and third time since 1998 (team went 12-4 that year losing in the second round of the playoffs).  If the 49ers upset the heavily-favored Vikings, it will mark the eight time since the franchise joined the NFL in 1950 that San Francisco has started 3-0. This includes two Super Bowl wins and five straight playoff appearances. The 49ers haven’t reached the post-season since 2002, when they lost in the divisional round to the eventual Super Bowl champions (Tampa Bay).