CLASSIC COMEBACKS
Early in the third quarter the Niners regained the lead as halfback Delvin Williams sped 71 yards off right tackle. 49ers 17, Raiders 14. They then widened their lead to 10 points, capitalizing on a recovered Oakland fumble and a 21-yard touchdown pass from Owen to Terry Beasley. But the Raiders had not climbed to the top in the vicious pro football struggle to be number one by laying down when things got tough. No, indeed. Powerful Marv Hubbard opened the march with a sweep left breaking tackles enroute to an 18-yard gain. A Stabler pass to halfback Charlie Smith picked up 30 more yards. Four plays later reliable veteran Pete Banaszak banged in from the one-yard line and George Blanda added the point after. San Francisco 24, Oakland 21. On the next kickoff a big hit by linebackers Gary Weaver and Monte Johnson forced a fumble that safety George Atkinson picked up and returned to the San Francisco 23-yard line. Stabler passed to wide receiver Cliff Branch for 16 yards and later found tight end Dave Casper wide open in the end zone for a two-yard touchdown. The Raiders had clawed their way back, taking the lead, 28-24 late in the third quarter. A quarterback sack by defensive tackle Art Thoms on the first play of the final period stopped one Niner drive. Then, a pass interception in the end zone by linebacker Dan Conners halted another.
On fourth down, from the Raider 25, Ray Guy skied a punt downfield that Niner returner Ralph McGill fumbled. Raider running back Harold Hart, down quickly on coverage, scooped up the free ball on the San Francisco 40 and sped untouched for the touchdown. Raiders 35, 49ers 24. “I got held up and stumbled trying to get downfield to cover the punt,” recalled Hart. “Just as I got there, there was the football in the air. It was like ‘Hey, look what I found.’ It was bobbling around, and the 49ers had it, and I took it away from him and just took off. An interception by Raiders cornerback Nemiah Wilson thwarted the next San Francisco attempt to catch up. Then, Bubba Smith recovered a Tom Owen fumble to curtail possession. The game ended with the Raiders a winner, 35-24. These Raiders had again proven that no lead is secure when the Silver and Black begin a classic comeback. Whether it’s cross-country or just across San Francisco Bay, the Raiders go to war when they go on the road. They travel to win, regardless of injuries, challenges, rivalries or the like. This organization in the decade of the ‘70s, then later in the ‘80s and ‘90s, has earned its lofty position as professional sports’ winningest team.
RAIDERS STARTING LINEUPS
OFFENSE WR
DEFENSE DE
21
Cliff Branch
77 60 80 82
Bubba Smith Otis Sistrunk
LT LG
78 63 00 64 75 88 25
Art Shell
DT DT DE
Gene Upshaw
Art Thoms
C
Jim Otto
Horace Jones Phil Villapiano Dan Conners Gerald Irons Skip Thomas Willie Brown
RG RT TE WR QB
George Buehler
OLB MLB OLB
41
John Vella Bob Moore
55 86 26 24 43 32
Fred Biletnikoff
CB CB SS FS
12
Ken Stabler
RB RB
44 23
Marv Hubbard Charlie Smith
George Atkinson
Jack Tatum
Las Vegas Raiders 2022
147
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