Manning sharp; Young sharper
Veteran outduels rookie as 49ers nip Colts 34-31
Posted: Sunday October 18, 1998 09:25 PM
| |
Ty Detmer (left) hugs Wade Richey's, after the kicker connected on a 24-yard field goal with five seconds remaining to win the game AP |
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Peyton Manning came of age
as a quarterback, only to be outdone by ageless Steve Young.
The 37-year-old Young, throwing and running with the abandon of a
rookie, passed for two touchdowns and scored on fourth-quarter runs of 1
and 23 yards as the San
Francisco 49ers averted the Indianapolis Colts' upset
bid 34-31 Sunday.
Young also led the 50-yard drive ending in Wade Richey's 24-yard field
goal with five seconds remaining, giving the 49ers (5-1) their only lead of
the day.
"Steve played his tail off to get us into position and all I did was
kick pretty much an extra point for the win," Richey said.
Added 49ers coach Steve Mariucci: "It came down to [Young] winning it
for us. ... Peyton Manning is very, very good. They have a bright future.
We were happy to get out of it with a win."
Manning, the top pick in the draft who came in with a league-high 14
interceptions, tied a Colts rookie record with three touchdown passes,
connecting with Marvin
Harrison on scores of 61, 6 and 4 yards. He finished 18 of 30 for 231
yards.
"I see major strides in Peyton," Indianapolis coach Jim Mora said. "He's
a young guy who's going to be something really special."
But Young, who also set an NFL record by throwing for more than 300
yards in a sixth straight game, was not to be denied.
"You fight 'em and fight 'em and fight 'em, and they're always right
there at the end with a chance to win," Mora said. "That's why they're the
best team of the last 15-20 years."
Young finished 33-of-51 for 331 yards for his sixth straight 300-yard
game.
Steve Young (center) set an NFL record by throwing for more than 300 yards in a sixth straight game AP | |
"If it's a record, hey, it's great," Young said. "It's kind of what
we're going for not the records, but the performance."
With San Francisco trailing 31-17, Young led a 91-yard drive, finishing
it with a 1-yard bootleg with 9:58 left. A pass interference call on Jeff Burris set up the
first-and-goal play. A bad snap led to a missed extra point.
In a vintage scramble ending San Francisco's next possession, Young
broke two tackles en route to a 23-yard touchdown run, pulling San
Francisco to 31-29.
"Once you get up a head of steam and put some people on their back at
the goal line, you might as well try to take it in," Young said.
It was Young's 40th career TD rushing, tying Jack Kemp's NFL record for
touchdowns rushing by a quarterback.
Then, Young connected for the 2-point conversion on a pass to Jerry Rice, who earlier
tied Art Monk's career record by catching a pass in his 183rd straight
game.
The drive to the winning field goal was aided by a 27-yard pass
interference on Tyrone
Poole, one of a series of calls that hurt the Colts (1-6).
"We did a lot of things a lot better today. All I wanted to do was give
my team a chance to win," Manning said.
Mora said the Colts, who had 10 penalties in all, were also hurt by bad
calls.
"It was a horrible job, horrible job," Mora said of the officiating.
| |
Marshall Faulk (right) ran for 103 yards on 17 carries, including a 65-yard touchdown AP |
Up 21-17 at halftime, Indianapolis pulled in front 28-17 on Manning's
third touchdown pass to Harrison, a short sideline route he turned into a
score when cornerback Antonio Langham missed the
tackle.
Mike Vanderjagt kicked a 38-yard field goal after Garrison Hearst fumbled,
but San Francisco then launched its comeback.
Indianapolis bolted to a 21-0 lead, starting with its first play from
scrimmage. Marshall
Faulk, who finished with 103 yards on 17 carries, broke free on an
off-tackle run for a 65-yard touchdown.
A freak play during a San Francisco punt led to the Colts' second
touchdown. The kick bounced off Rico Clark's helmet and
caromed forward past the coverage and into the arms of Jason Belser. He returned
it 53 yards to the San Francisco 7, setting up Manning's first touchdown
pass.
Manning also finished an 84-yard drive with a 6-yard scoring pass to
Harrison.
Three calls went against Indianapolis and fueled San Francisco's
17-point second-period rally.
After Richey's 43-yard field goal, the Colts' Burris was flagged for
holding Terrell Owens,
negating Burris' goal-line interception and 70-yard return.
Two plays later, Young hit J.J. Stokes in the back of
the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown. Stokes was pushed out of bounds by
Monty Montgomery as he made the leaping catch. After conferring, officials
ruled he had possession before being shoved, narrowing the deficit to
21-10.
San Francisco pulled to 21-17 when Young passed 10 yards to Owens for a
touchdown with five seconds left in the second quarter. Again, a defensive
holding call on the Colts nullified an interception. Extra
points Six of the Colts' last seven games have been decided by
seven or fewer points. ... San Francisco won its 12th straight regular
season game at home. ... Jim Mora, secondary coach for the 49ers, won
bragging rights in his friendly rivalry with his father, Indianapolis coach
Jim Mora. ... Young has a career record of 86-45 as a starting quarterback,
including an 83-29 mark in in eight years as San Francisco's starter. ...
Faulk's 65-yard run was his longest career rushing touchdown. ...
Vanderjagt was short on a 53-yard field-goal attempt with 1:08 left.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
| 
