In his first NFL start, Trent Green completed 14 of 25 passes for 201 yards. (Reuters)

By Mark Maske
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 15, 1998; Page D1

The Washington Redskins began their home opener full of excitement and vigor, but their evening unraveled thanks to a few mistakes and the relentless offense of the San Francisco 49ers. The Redskins could stay with Steve Young and the 49ers for only a half, and San Francisco ran away for a 45-10 victory last night at Jack Kent Cooke Stadium.

Most of the crowd of 76,798 had headed to the exits long before the end of the Redskins' most lopsided loss at home since 1948. The 49ers (2-0) brought the competitive portion of the night to a close early in the fourth quarter. In this playoffs-or-bust season, the Redskins are 0-2 for the first time in Coach Norv Turner's five-year tenure, and they'll play at Seattle and at home against the Denver Broncos in the next two weeks.

"Every team is tested as it goes through an NFL season," said Turner, who suffered his worst loss as Redskins coach. "We've got to respond. Our character is going to be tested. Our ability to respond is going to be tested, our ability to compete, our ability to coach. It's going to be a real challenge."

Redskins quarterback Trent Green had his moments in his first NFL start, completing 14 of his 25 passes for 201 yards with one interception and a fumble. But he couldn't match Young, who hit 21 of 32 for 303 yards without an interception. Young threw for three touchdowns and ran for another, and San Francisco running back Garrison Hearst rushed 22 times for 138 yards and a touchdown. The 49ers piled up 504 yards of offense.

"They pounded us," said defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield, who left the 49ers as a free agent after last season. "It's as simple as that."

For a second week in a row, the Redskins hurt themselves with ill-timed blunders. Green connected with wide receiver Leslie Shepherd for one first-half touchdown and would have had another except for a face mask penalty against wide receiver Michael Westbrook. The 49ers scored touchdowns after a first-half fumble by running back Terry Allen and a second-half interception by Green, and Redskins place kicker Scott Blanton missed a pair of field goals in the second quarter. The Redskins trailed 21-10 at halftime, then offered little resistance during a second half in which they were outscored 24-0.

"We've turned the ball over the last two weeks," Turner said. "We've had a lot of penalties the last two weeks. And we're not the type of team right now that can overcome those."

Green said: "Offensively, we were productive in the first half and gave ourselves a lot of opportunities, but we missed a lot of opportunities. We had 10 points, and I thought we could have had 20. ... The second half, we just couldn't get anything going."

The crowd was energized at the outset, and the Redskins began the game full of intensity. Young found wide receiver Jerry Rice on a slant pattern for 13 yards on the second play from scrimmage, and hit fullback Marc Edwards for 13 yards on San Francisco's fourth play. But the Redskins toughened to force a punt, with defensive tackle Dan Wilkinson slamming Young to the ground for a third-down sack, and Green took the Redskins 86 yards with their first possession for a 7-0 advantage.

Green completed all four of his passes on the opening drive. He connected with Westbrook for 31 yards after the Redskins were backed up to their own 9-yard line. Running back Brian Mitchell went 19 yards after taking a pitchout from Green on third and four, and Westbrook demonstrated the Redskins' emotion with a fist-pumping celebration.

Green made an on-target throw to Shepherd on the sideline for a 19-yard gain to the San Francisco 9, then teamed with Shepherd again for the touchdown. Green faked a handoff to Allen, then rolled out to the right and completed a pass to Shepherd along the sideline at the 5.

But the 49ers went 83 yards to tie the game late in the first quarter. Wide receiver Terrell Owens beat the Redskins' No. 3 cornerback, Darryl Pounds, for a 17-yard gain on third and five. Young found Edwards for 14 yards to get the ball to the Redskins 20, and Young and Owens did the rest, beating Redskins cornerback Cris Dishman on a post pattern.

Hanks and linebacker Ken Norton jarred the ball loose from Allen on the Redskins' next possession, and Hanks recovered to put San Francisco in business at the Redskins 40. On second and goal, Young spotted a gap in the middle of the Redskins defense and followed center Chris Dalman into the end zone for a three-yard touchdown on the keeper.

The Redskins didn't wilt, getting a field goal from Blanton to get to 14-10. The Redskins' drive stayed alive when, after a third-down incompletion, cornerback Antonio Langham was called for a 15-yard face-mask penalty against Westbrook.

The 49ers took over at their 26 with 5½ minutes remaining in the half, and needed only two minutes to stretch their lead to 21-10. Young's 57-yard completion to Rice set up the score. On third and nine, Rice got inside Dishman with just enough separation to allow Young to drop in a perfectly thrown lob. Cornerback Darrell Green ran down Rice at the Redskins 16, but Young got the touchdown on the next play. Tight end Irv Smith beat safety Jesse Campbell to the corner of the end zone, and Young's throw was where it needed to be.

Again, the Redskins responded. Westbrook beat Langham on a slant and took Green's pass for a 38-yard gain. Westbrook beat Langham again and drew a pass interference penalty to put the ball at the San Francisco 5, and Green connected with Shepherd for an apparent three-yard touchdown.

But Westbrook and Langham got entangled again as Westbrook tried to fight his way off the line, and Westbrook who was called for 15-yard face mask penalty. It wasn't a penalty of emotion, like Westbrook's costly gaffe last season against the New York Giants when he yanked off his helmet arguing a call. But it certainly hurt the Redskins. Green was sacked to push the ball back to the 22, and Blanton's 34-yard field goal attempt clanked off the left upright.

"That's something you can't let happen," Shepherd said. "... When you get that close to the goal line and don't get anything, it's going to hurt you."

The Redskins got the ball right back, and Green got them back into field goal range in the final moments of the half. But Blanton's 47-yard try struck the crossbar and bounced away, and the 49ers had an 11-point lead at the intermission.

Green's high throw to tight end James Jenkins resulted in a tipped-ball interception by 49ers linebacker Winfred Tubbs six minutes into the third quarter. San Francisco marched 65 yards to make it a 28-10 game, with Young passing to Edwards for a two-yard touchdown. Hearst's five-yard touchdown run made it 35-10 less than a minute into the fourth quarter, and Green's fumble – as he was drilled by 49ers defensive tackle Bryant Young – set up Wade Richey's 22-yard field goal.

"Everyone's frustrated," Green said. "But what everyone has to understand is ... there are 14 games left. It's a long season. We have to remember that and not go in the tank."