NINERS UNDEFEATED IN PRESEASON AFTER WIN AT DALLAS

The Dallas Cowboys used their running game to take a 10-3 halftime lead, but the San Francisco 49ers’ reserves made the most of their opportunity in the second half.  San Francisco outscored Dallas 17-3 after the break to win the NFL preseason contest by a 20-13 final score.  The victory improved the Niners’ NFL preseason mark to a perfect 3-0, while Dallas dropped to 1-2 in their exhibition games.

San Francisco won outright as +6 road underdogs—oddly, it was their first pointspread cover of the NFL preseason despite their undefeated straight up record.  Dallas’ ATS mark at 1-2 is identical to their straight up record.  The 33 combined points dipped UNDER the posted total of 38.  It was the Cowboys’ first UNDER of the preseason, while the Niners have failed to eclipse the total twice in their three exhibition contests.

Despite the setback, Dallas was excited about the play of their one-two combination at running back.  Felix Jones and Marion Barber carried most of the load during the Cowboys’ 94 yard touchdown drive in the first half.  After the game, Cowboys’ offensive coordinator Jason Garrett expressed his pleasure at the performance of his running back tandem:

"They're a great combination. You don't want to pigeonhole one as being this kind of back and the other guy being this kind of back. We just like to get them out there and let them play and they both have proven they can run both inside and outside and they can catch the ball, and they can block and do all those things. It's just fun to see them get their opportunities."

Dallas starting QB Tony Romo moved the team well, but failed to convert on two of his three trips into scoring position.  For that reason, he gave a reserved assessment of his offense after the game:

"We're continuing to grow as an offense and I think there is a lot of room for improvement.”

Niners’ QB Shaun Hill had a lot of reservations about his team’s performance despite the outright victory:
"I would have liked for it to have gone a bit smoother than it did. You can't tell a whole lot right now. I just wish we could have put a few more points on the board. ... There's just certain plays out there that we need to make, but we didn't. They were stopping those drives. Obviously, we have a lot of work yet to be done.”

The 49ers will conclude their NFL preseason schedule on Friday night as they travel south to play the San Diego Chargers.  Dallas will play the Vikings at Minnesota in their final preseason contest.  San Francisco will get the 2009 NFL regular season underway against the Arizona Cardinals at Tempe, Arizona on Sunday, September 13.  The Cowboys will face the Tampa Bay Bucs on the road to begin their regular season docket.