Niners Nation
The 49ers running back had a big game against the Cowboys on Sunday.
The San Francisco 49ers pulled off a much-needed win heading into their bye week on Sunday night, defeating the Dallas Cowboys 30-24 to be at 4-4 going to the break.
It was an event-filled night, as the 49ers started slow, with Dallas going up 10-6 at halftime. However, a 21-point third quarter led the way, as San Francisco staved off a last-ditch comeback for the win.
But, on the way to earning the hard-fought victory, the 49ers faced adversity once again, dealing with some injury issues, as running back Jordan Mason wasn't available after some early-game rush attempts.
Mason, who was dealing with a shoulder injury heading into the week, didn't play for the entire second half, prompting fourth-round rookie Isaac Guerendo into a lead back role in a major situation.
Guerendo started the year off slow, dealing with multiple injuries, and hadn't really seen major volume until San Francisco’s Week 6 outing against the Seattle Seahawks, when he iced the game with a 76-yard rush.
But, on Sunday, Guerendo saw his biggest role yet, rushing for 85 yards and a touchdown on 14 attempts, taking over in the second half as San Francisco went on a major scoring spree.
How did the rookie rise to the occasion for the 49ers?
“I thought he did a great job,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said of Guerendo. “He came in, he was ready to go. JP got banged up, JP tried to come back and maybe could have, but Isaac was rolling and did a good job.”
“I think he’s learned from each run he’s gotten. There are a couple runs earlier in the year that he did alright on, but we grade him pretty hard, everybody pretty hard. And he had a couple, like four-yard runs we thought he could have got seven yards on. We go pretty hard on him. And then you watch how he takes that to practice and everything we’ve really kind of been pushing him with, he’s been real coachable, he’s not a sensitive guy, he’s real detailed and he’s very poised for a rookie. Things aren’t too big for him and didn’t get a lot of preseason, but once he got healthy there and throughout this year, I feel he’s gotten better each week.”
Even following the win, the running back was focused on the areas to improve, which has resonated with the coaching staff.
“There’s always room for improvement,” Guerendo said. “Being able to re-watch this and fix those small things – all those small details. We have a great [running back] room. Being able to ask any of those guys questions has been a very big thing for me obviously being the rookie in the room. I’m grateful for them, grateful for my coach and I appreciate all of them.”
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