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Smith, Gore lead 49ers over Seahawks with late surge

Dec 15, 2006 - 5:09 AM SEATTLE (Ticker) -- Alex Smith and Frank Gore woke up just in time to send the San Francisco 49ers to an impressive win.

Smith threw two touchdowns and ran for another score - all in the final quarter - and Gore ran for 144 yards and had a TD catch as the 49ers posted a 24-14 victory and their second win over the division-leading Seattle Seahawks this season.

In a game played in heavy rain and whipping winds, Arnaz Battle had five catches for 97 yards for the 49ers (6-8), who snapped a three-game skid to keep their remote playoff hopes alive.

"At 6-8, we're not where we wanted to be, but certainly after a win like that over a team like Seattle, it's pleasing," San Francisco coach Mike Nolan said. "It's most pleasing because we stayed the course in the things that it takes to win."

Just three minutes into the fourth quarter, Smith threw a go-ahead TD pass to rookie Vernon Davis to make it 10-7, capping an 11-play, 90-yard drive. On the ensuing possession, Seattle fullback Mack Strong was stopped on 4th-and-1 at the 49ers 26 to give the ball back to San Francisco.

"That (4th-and-1) was a turning point in the game," Nolan said. "We called a typical defense that we call in that spot, but the guys on the field tweaked it a little bit. They knew what (Seattle) likes to do in that situation and made a change. Our tackles got right in there and the linebackers were able to run up to the line and make a huge stop."

Seattle coach Mike Holmgren defended his decision not to kick a field goal on fourth down.

"On that one, there were times when the wind kind of kicked around a little bit, and I was trying to be aggressive," Holmgren said. "I always think we can get that. Normally, we convert those."

Smith marched San Francisco down the field and, on a wild play, shook off blitzing Seahawks cornerback Kelly Herndon and threw a 20-yard TD pass to Gore down the left sideline to make it 17-7 with 4:01 remaining. Smith was 14-for-25 for 162 yards.

"I knew that they were bringing pressure so I was trying to ge the ball out as quick as I could," Smith said. "I saw Herndon obviously on me and tried to keep my feet. I broke out of it, luckily, and I was actually thinking about running it just to pick up the first down. Frank did a great job of breaking free for the end zone and made a great catch.

"I've never had a game like that. There has never been a game where I've come out cold like that. I really kind of struggled in the first half and came back in the second half and built confidence to win a game that way."

Entering Thursday's contest, Gore was the NFC's leading rusher with 1,347 yards, but he struggled through the first three quarters. He gained only 53 yards on 21 carries before breaking out in the final period.

"We stuck in there, and guys started catching the ball," Davis said. "Gore was running the ball well. Alex was doing a good job. We just did what we had to." Led by backup quarterback Seneca Wallace, who filled in for injured starter Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle lost 20-14 at San Francisco on November 19. Gore ran for a franchise-record 212 yards on 24 carries for the 49ers.

On Thursday, Hasselbeck was 20-for-37 for 220 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions for the Seahawks (6-8), who had a chance to clinch their third straight NFC West title with a win.

Seattle now is two games ahead of the 49ers and 2 1/2 ahead of 5-8 St. Louis.

"Well, it was a very disappointing evening," Holmgren said. "We realized what was at stake, but we didn't play very well. Right now, we're not playing very well. That's just the way it is."

"This was a game we expected to play well in, because we are at home, and for a lot of reasons we expected to play well," Hasselbeck said. "We have to get our swagger back as a team. That doesn't come from talking about it or pretending, it comes from being confident in your assignments, being confident in what you're supposed to do."