Strong starts from backups set the tone
C.J. Beathard did the near-impossible Thursday night during what is annually the NFL’s most forgettable contest: He provided a run to remember.
With fans and starters taking the preseason finale off, the 49ers’ rookie quarterback took off on an improbable 62-yard touchdown run in the second quarter of a 23-13 win over the San Diego Chargers.
Beathard, to be polite, doesn’t possess a sprinter’s speed, but he had enough to sail past secondstringers after dropping back to pass on 2nd-
and-8. Beathard scrambled out of the pocket to his left, weaved toward the middle of the field and finished by collapsing, exhausted, in the back right corner of the end zone.
“That was exactly how I drew it up,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said, smiling. “I probably yelled to ‘get down’ seven times during the play, but it kept going. It was awkward to watch, but it was a cool play to see.”
After he was helped to his feet by three teammates, Beathard jogged slowly back to the sideline, where he refused an oxygen mask offered by left tackle Joe Staley.
“I was kind of surprised,” Beathard said. “It was like, ‘I can’t believe I just scored.’ I was tired.”
The light moment capped what was a seriously good preseason from Beathard, a thirdround pick who has likely cemented the backup job behind Brian Hoyer.
Beathard completed 26 of 45 passes for 401 yards with four touchdowns and one interception in the preseason. On Thursday, he added 80 yards on three carries.
Beathard played the first half and was replaced by undrafted rookie Nick Mullens, a candidate for the practice squad who didn’t play in the first three preseason games. The 49ers didn’t play Matt Barkley, who will be cut if they keep just two quarterbacks when they pare their roster to 53 players Saturday.
“There was nothing Matt could have done in that game to change our feeling on him,” Shanahan said. “I need to see more of C.J. And I also wanted to see Nick. We haven’t given Nick a chance to play.”
Barkley didn’t dazzle during the offseason, a recurring theme during his four-year career. Of the 63 quarterbacks who have thrown 250 passes since 2013, Barkley’s passer rating (63.7) ranks last, and his completion percentage (59.8) is 41st.
The backup quarterback situation appears to be gaining clarity, but undrafted rookie Victor Bolden might have muddled the situation at wide receiver.
In the second quarter, Bolden whizzed 92 yards on a punt return for his second specialteams touchdown of the preseason. Bolden had a 104-yard kickoff return in the second preseason game against Denver. Bolden, 5-foot-8 and 178 pounds, is one of several diminutive slot receivers on the roster. Fifth-round pick Trent Taylor, who had a 40-yard punt return Thursday, is assured of a spot.
“Returning two (kicks) isn’t enough,” Shanahan said when asked about Bolden’s chances of making the team. “It’s got to be everything else that you do. I know those were two real good plays. It has to do with everything else, also. How much can he help us at receiver? Is he the punt returner? Is he the kick returner?”
Meanwhile, Asa Jackson continued his bid to become the backup slot cornerback behind K’Waun Williams. Jackson had two interceptions Thursday before jogging gingerly off the field with an apparent knee injury in the fourth quarter.
The 49ers didn’t play any starters, with the exception of outside linebacker Eli Harold, and they also rested many of their key backups.
They didn’t play Raheem Mostert, 25, who has been battling Tim Hightower for a potential spot as the fourth running back. Hightower, 31, had 21 yards on eight carries and a 1-yard touchdown run.