Michael Bush made the most of his first game of any kind in nearly two
years.
Bush scored on a 5-yard touchdown run in his first game since breaking
his leg in college more than 23 months ago, leading the Oakland Raiders
to an 18-6 exhibition victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Friday night.
While Bush was the offensive star for the Raiders, the 49ers didn't get
much from any of their three quarterbacks competing for the starting job
in the exhibition opener.
J.T. O'Sullivan, who got the start, turned the ball over twice in four
drives. Alex Smith, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft, led the
Niners to a field goal late in then first half but was unable to
generate a first down on his other two drives. Shaun Hill threw an
interception on his first drive.
Oakland quarterback JaMarcus Russell also struggled in his first
exhibition game after missing the entire preseason as a rookie in a
contract dispute. Russell, who played in just four games as a rookie,
was not sharp, finishing 2-for-5 for 15 yards in two drives.
The Raiders had much more success running the ball, gaining 248 yards on
the ground. Rookie Darren McFadden, the fourth overall pick in the
draft, ran for 48 yards on 12 attempts in his debut.
Bush ran for 27 yards and added 29 yards receiving in his first game
since before breaking his leg on Sept. 3, 2006, while at Louisville. He
missed the rest of that season and went from a possible first-round pick
to a fourth-rounder. The rehabilitation then took longer than
anticipated and Bush missed all of his rookie season as well.
With 1,000-yard rusher Justin Fargas and McFadden ahead of him on the
depth chart, Bush needs to show off his skills in short yardage and
receiving to find a role on the team. He did just that, converting four
of his five short-yardage attempts for first downs and going 23 yards on
a screen from Andrew Walter.
Bush's touchdown came when he bulled his way through the middle on a
fourth-and-1 play midway through the third quarter.
Niners coach Mike Nolan picked O'Sullivan to start to get the chance to
see his newest quarterback play after having already coached Smith and
Hill. Nolan couldn't have liked what he saw.
O'Sullivan, who has never started a game in the NFL, struggled to move
the ball on two drives against Oakland's starting defense. His third
drive ended on an ill-advised throw downfield that was intercepted by
Stanford Routt. O'Sullivan then fumbled while scrambling on the next
drive. He finished 5-for-8 for 71 yards.
Smith was forced to compete for the starting job after a difficult 2007
season in which he struggled early, then injured his shoulder, and
finally had a public blowout with Nolan. He threw incompletions on his
first three attempts before leading the Niners to a 22-yard field goal
by Joe Nedney at the end of the half. Smith finished 5-for-9 for 51 yards.
Johnnie Lee Higgins, who averaged only 5.2 yards per punt return as a
rookie last year, opened the scoring with a 53-yard punt return late in
the first half for Oakland.
Notes:@ Frank Gore played only one series for the Niners, gaining 6
yards on two carries. ... Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski missed the
game with an undisclosed injury. Oakland signed Aaron Elling to take his
place for the game. ... WRs Isaac Bruce, Bryant Johnson and Ashley Lelie
missed the game for the Niners.
