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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- George Seifert's knack for winning in San
Francisco hasn't deserted him now that he's coaching the Carolina
Panthers.
Carolina scored 24 second-quarter points and hung on to beat the
49ers 31-29 Sunday, stopping San Francisco's club-record 19-game
home winning streak and giving Seifert the victory in his first
meeting against the team that unceremoniously dumped him 2½ years
ago.
|  | | Carolina's Eric Metcalf pulls in a pass as 49ers cornerback R.W. McQuarters defends. |
"It was an important, exciting win for Carolina," Seifert
said. "I've got close ties with players and coaches and I've won
and lost with guys over there. But with the way this game goes, you
can be on another planet and not realize where you are. I'm about
as spent as I've ever been."
Steve Beuerlein threw for four touchdowns, including 7- and
33-yard strikes to Patrick Jeffers. Wesley Walls caught a 25-yard
touchdown, Muhsin Muhammad had a 22-yard scoring catch and John
Kasay kicked a 19-yard field goal.
"We have a way of making it interesting. I hope it gets us over
the hump," Beuerlein said.
The Panthers withstood two 49ers' defensive scores, including
Mark McMillian's 41-yard return off Tshimanga Biakabutuka's
fourth-quarter fumble, and foiled the potential tying two-point
conversion by pressuring Jeff Garcia into an incompletion after he
threw an 11-yard TD pass to Jerry Rice with 1:28 left.
"It's always strange when you see a coach like George Seifert
on the other sideline, but somehow you try to stay focused," Rice
said. "After the game, I wanted to go congratulate him because we
had some great times together and I wish him the best."
It was San Francisco's first loss at home in 18 games under
Steve Mariucci, who was brought in as Seifert's replacement before
the 1997 season even though Seifert won two Super Bowls in eight
years as 49ers coach.
"I don't care what you say. It was not just another game,"
said Walls, who played for Seifert in San Francisco and now
Carolina. "These things have to be special, I'm sure for him, too.
There is a special feeling in this locker room and part of it is
that we beat the 49ers."
Seifert's 100th regular season victory came in San Francisco's
first home loss since the Seifert-coached 49ers lost 30-24 to the
Panthers on Dec. 8, 1996.
"We have had a lot of barnburners during this streak and this
was another. It just went the other way," Mariucci said.
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GAME NOTES |
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Carolina's 24 points in the second quarter was a club
record for most points in a quarter.
George Seifert, who improved his career record to 110-38, retains the highest winning percentage in NFL history.
San Francisco was defeated for the first time in eight games after losses under Steve Mariucci. It was his first loss in five games against Carolina.
The 49ers' final touchdown drive was aided by a roughing-the-passer call and a replay review by the booth official on the spot of the ball, giving an extra yard and a first down at the 11 to San Francisco.
Jerry Rice played in his 212th game for San Francisco, matching Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson's team record. |
The 49ers (3-3) played their third straight game without Steve
Young, still bothered by the aftereffects of his fourth concussion
in three years. There is no telling when or if the two-time NFL MVP
will be cleared to play again.
"I don't know what the situation is with Steve and how that's
going to turn out. Right now, Jeff is the man and we have to make
plays for him," Rice said.
But Garcia, in his third career start, didn't always give them
that chance and couldn't prevent San Francisco's first back-to-back
losses since midway through the 1995 season. He led drives
resulting in three field goals by Wade Richey but also overthrew
Rice twice and Fred Beasley once while they were open in the end
zone.
Said Mariucci: "It would have been nice if they could have
played catch there."
Carolina (2-3) was trailing 9-3 when Beuerlein, who finished
23-of-36 for 300 yards with three interceptions, gave Carolina its
first lead, hitting Jeffers on a crossing pattern for a 7-yard
score miway through the second period.
Darnell Walker, beaten for three touchdowns in St. Louis last
week and demoted from the starting lineup in favor of R.W.
McQuarters, stepped in front of Eric Metcalf to intercept Beuerlein
and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown and a 16-10 49ers lead.
But the Panthers then overtook San Francisco and pulled away,
aided by San Francisco mistakes.
Michael Bates broke free on a 72-yard kickoff return and
Beuerlein then hooked up with Muhammad for the score.
San Francisco resorted to some trickery to try to get back in
the game but got burned instead. Sean Gilbert and Dean Wells foiled
a halfback option play by sacking Charlie Garner and forcing a
fumble that the Panthers recovered, leading to Walls' scoring
catch.
Jeffers' second TD catch came after a third-quarter Carolina
punt bounced and hit San Francisco's Reggie Givens. The muff was
recovered by the Panthers' Donta Jones, and Beuerlein again teamed
up again with Jeffers for a score.
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