Frank Gore has said he wants to beat the odds.
Though running backs traditionally start heading downhill once they hit their 30th birthday, the 49ers’ standout running back -- coming off two straight seasons of rushing for more than 1,200 yards -- has said he’s going to be different.
And, if his performance Friday night is any indication, perhaps Gore has another good season -- or two or three -- ahead of him.
In a 15-13 exhibition-game victory over the Chiefs in Kansas City, Gore was in the game for just a few plays, carrying just two times. But on one of those carries Gore broke away for a 52-yard gain.
Though Gore is entering his eighth NFL season, he has no plans to slow down, saying during this training camp that he “is hungrier than ever.”
Gore has trained hard this off season -- as he always has -- and hopes to continue to stay among the league’s elite backs on a team loaded with offensive talent.
His personal trainer recently told the Bay Area News Group that Gore is relentless in his training, approaching every drill as if it were “the last play of the Super Bowl.”
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Friday, Gore certainly didn’t seem as if he’s lost a step.
On the very first 49ers play from scrimmage, Gore took a hand off from quarterback Colin Kaepernick and burst off tackle and into the Kansas City secondary.
The gain took the Niners down to the K.C. 23-yard line and set up Phil Dawson’s 42-yard field goal.
If Gore again can be a key component for the 49ers this season, the offense should have a deep stable of running backs, led by Gore, returning veteran Kendall Hunter (back from injury) and second-year man LaMichael James. In addition, Jewel Hampton (who rushed for 33 yards vs. the Chiefs) and Anthony Dixon are in the mix, with Dixon having proved himself as a valuable short-yardage runner and special teams player.
Dawson added two more field goals for the 49ers, both from 55 yards, and San Francisco pulled out its first exhibition victory of the summer when quarterback B.J. Daniels connected to Chuck Jacobs on a 14-yard scoring pass in the fourth quarter.
