1 Tevin Coleman: Running back fast becoming a force in the backfield.
After Tevin Coleman ripped off a 48yard touchdown run in the second quarter Sunday, he emphatically spiked the ball.
It bounced up and nailed teammate George Kittle in the face mask.
That was about the only thing that went awry during Coleman’s stirring performance in the 49ers’ 5113 victory over Carolina.
The running back had 118 yards from scrimmage and a careerbest four touchdowns, joining Jerry Rice (1990 and 1993) and Billy Kilmer (1961) as the only players in franchise history to accomplish the feat. Rice holds the team record, having scored five touchdowns against Atlanta in 1990.
“Him taking the edge and getting vertical is one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen, and he does it with zero regard for his body,” Kittle said. “I love watching him play.”
Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan, rungame coordinator Mike McDaniel and passinggame coordinator Mike LaFleur were with Atlanta when the Falcons drafted Coleman No. 73 overall in 2015.
It might have seemed like an overindulgence when the 49ers signed Coleman to a twoyear, $10 million contract in March to join a backfield already loaded with Jerick McKinnon, Matt Breida and Raheem Mostert, but with McKinnon struggling to return from ACL surgery and Breida leaving Sunday’s game with a balky ankle, Coleman has become more than an insurance policy.
Shanahan said Coleman has long had the skill set of a feature back, and his maturity has increased since he scored 11 touchdowns in the coach’s system in 2016.
“Tevin could play in any offense, so it really doesn’t matter,” Shanahan said. “We had some good looks today, and when Tevin has a good look, he can usually get it into the end zone.”
Coleman has had an interesting season, enduring an ankle injury in the opener that caused him to miss Weeks 23. Even though his touches increased each of the past three weeks from 16 to 20 carries, he came into Sunday with just 227 rushing yards on 60 carries.
His entire skill set was in the spotlight against Carolina. On his first touchdown, he made a hard cut before dashing 19 yards. His second score featured nice vision as he caught a screen pass and darted 10 yards between defenders.
His fourth was sheer power, busting through the defensive line from a yard out. But it was the third touchdown that might have been the most impressive.
A trap play had Coleman oneonone with Carolina safety Tre Boston, who had the angle. It didn’t matter. Coleman breezed past him for the 48yard score that put the 49ers ahead 273 with two minutes to play in the first half.
“He can fly, man,” 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo said. “He did everything today. Tev was awesome.”
Coleman, who has had just three other 100yard rushing games in his career, ran 11 times for 105 yards. His average was basically a first down per carry: 9.5 yards.
During his postgame news conference, Coleman stopped in the middle of one of his answers as the door opened and fans’ cheers for Nick Bosa filled the auditorium. Once the noise subsided, Coleman got right back to his answer.
That was about the only time he slowed down all day.