49ers Make Certain Nothing Goes Right for the Raiders, 37-7

Oh, it’s a long, long time since the Raiders even gave the San Francisco 49ers a good game in an exhibition, but Saturday night’s shambles was men versus boys.

Joe Montana was supposed to work the first half but retired mercifully after four possessions--and three touchdowns.

The 49ers had 300 yards before the halftime’s two-minute warning.

They led, 37-0, until the Raiders scored on the last play of the third period--after a penalty erased a 49er interception.

The Raiders were booed leaving the field at the half and coming back for the third quarter. They lost, 37-7. Their new offensive line turned Vance Mueller loose for 1.5 yards a carry, and their new defensive coordinator’s scheme didn’t stop anyone. They’d better impound the game film, or Marcus Allen’s price is going up and Oakland’s bid is going down.

Not surprisingly, amid the uncertainty about the franchise’s destination, the Raiders also set an exhibition record for fewest tickets sold here--36,739. Only 31,135 actually attended. About 1,135 stayed in the Coliseum to the end.

“You can make a million and one excuses,” Raider quarterback Jay Schroeder said. “We’re not here to make excuses. Hey, we didn’t come here ready to play tonight. That was obvious. We’ve got too much talent in this room to play like that.

“I walked up to Mike at halftime and said, ‘I’m sorry. I put in all that time in the off-season to play this bad.’ I just didn’t throw the ball well.”

The 49ers had won the last three exhibition meetings by scores of 24-10, 42-16 and 32-0. Any notion that Saturday was going to be different faded on the first 49er series, when on third and 17, Montana tiptoed out of Howie Long’s clutches and, while falling, shoveled a pass ahead to fullback Tom Rathman, who then rumbled 20 yards up the middle of the field.

On the next series, on third and eight, Montana hit Jerry Rice for eight yards.

This was obviously duck soup. The drive ended when Rice was left unattended in the end zone to receive a soft four-yard pass. Coming over (very) late was the newly signed safety, David Greenwood.

After that, it was rout city. Schroeder threw the first of his two interceptions, this one to Chet Brooks, who ran it back 47 yards to the Raider seven, setting up a one-play drive for a 14-0 lead.

If the 49er defense didn’t turn the ball over in the shadow of the Raider goal posts, the offense just strolled the length of the field: 59 yards on Montana’s last possession; 69 in Steve Young’s first (scoring the touchdown when Zeph Lee left Harry Sydney in the end zone to pursue the rolling Young); 87 for a field goal late in the first half.

The second half got off to a bang when Terrence Flagler danced 37 yards around the right side of the oft-skirted Raider defense to make it 37-0. For the night, Flagler, a reserve halfback, gained 116 yards in 15 carries. The 49ers got 251 yards on the ground, averaging 6.0 a rush.

To keep the ignominy down to a manageable level, Steve Beuerlein quarterbacked a 78-yard drive late in the third quarter for the Raider touchdown. Fullback Kerry Porter, starting because of injuries to Steve Smith and Steve Strachan, dived the last yard, and the crowd got to cheer, if derisively.

“As a team, we didn’t play well, Shanahan said. “That’s an understatement.”

For what it’s worth, the Raiders entered the game with manifold disadvantages. The 49ers had already played a game. The Raiders have sustained so many injuries in camp, they hadn’t even scrimmaged anyone. They were rocked last week by the death of Stacey Toran.

They got their wakeup call Saturday night.

Raider Notes

Wide receiver Mervyn Fernandez suffered a separated left shoulder, and it may be serious. “They’re going to wait to see if it cools out,” he said, his arm in a sling. “If it doesn’t, they’re going to have to operate. It could be six to eight weeks, or it could be a two-week thing.” . . . Raider owner Al Davis: “We just sit there and let them hit us.”