49er Rally Takes a Load Off Cofer’s Mind

Were it not for John Taylor’s broken-field running, half of the San Francisco offensive linemen and kicker Mike Cofer would be kicking themselves this morning.

Taylor turned two mid-range passes into 90-plus-yard touchdowns, and the 49ers pulled out a 30-27 victory Monday night in Anaheim Stadium, removing gorilla-sized monkeys from backs of the 49er trio.

The Rams had a 17-10 lead when San Francisco took over the ball at its own 37-yard line with 1:24 left in the first half. But 49er fans everywhere had to be smiling knowingly: Ah, Montana Time.

And sure enough, the 49er quarterback began to pick apart the Rams’ zone defense.

The drive started innocently enough and in typical 49er style. Montana threw left. Montana threw right. Montana threw over the middle.

He completed a pass to flanker Jerry Rice for 13 yards. He connected with tight end Brent Jones for six. He hooked up with split end Taylor for 14. He even tossed one to running back Roger Craig in the flat for a seven-yard gain.

Then he went back to Rice for 12 more yards and, after a unnecessary roughness call on Vince Newsome, the 49ers had a first down on the Ram five-yard line.

It had taken just one minute, seven seconds and five Montana passes. And Ram fans everywhere were grimacing and saying, “You knew this would happen.”

But, suddenly, things began to happen that weren’t part of the 49er script:

--On first down with 17 seconds remaining, Montana missed Jones and his pass fell incomplete.

--On second down with 15 seconds left, Montana dropped back, pump faked and held the ball a second too long as the Rams’ Kevin Greene engulfed him for a sack and a 12-yard loss.

--On third and 17 with 10 seconds left, right guard Terry Tausch was called for a false start.

--On third and 22, Montana fired a strike to Roger Craig in the back of the end zone and the 49ers began to celebrate--until they saw the flag. Right tackle Steve Wallace had been called for holding.

--On third and 32 with just four seconds left, the 49ers went for the field goal. Cofer drilled the 49-yarder, and the 49ers celebrated again--until they spotted that dreaded little yellow cloth again. Referee Gordon McCarter announced that the 49ers were guilty of another false start. But this time--maybe out of mercy--he didn’t name any names.

Now it was the Rams turn to jump for joy as they left the field for the locker room. However, a false start--by its nature--has to happen before the snap, so there still had to be four seconds left in the half.

The Rams were summoned back onto the field and Cofer, whose longest career field goal is 52 yards, lined up for a 54-yarder. He had the distance, but the ball faded left and hit the left upright, glancing off. No good.

“We went out, made the first one and they called a penalty,” Cofer said. “I heard the referee say, ‘The half ends there.’ I was running off the field when everyone started yelling for us to come back.

“I didn’t hit the next one too good. I pushed it left a little. It was a little weird. We just had the ball at the five-yard line and then I’m looking up at a 54-yarder.”

San Francisco Coach George Seifert was feeling more sick than weird. But he kept his mind on his team’s ability to come back.

“One thing about this club, over the past 10 years, they have had great comebacks,” he said. “That’s what was going through my mind. So, to keep yourself going, you just have to keep reminding yourself of that. We know we have the type of club that can do it.”

A quarter and a half later, Cofer was having trouble thinking good thoughts. Taylor had just sprinted 95 yards through the Ram secondary to score a touchdown that would have pulled the 49ers to within a field goal of the Rams.

But Cofer shanked the extra-point attempt and the 49ers trailed by 27-23.

“I just spaced out,” Cofer said. “I seem to do that two-three times a year. But with the people we’ve got, they just go out and score another TD.

“If you’re going to miss an extra point, you might as well win the game.”

Seifert’s sentiments exactly. And Tausch’s. And Wallace’s, too.