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1B Sports Weekend Dec. 14-15, 2013 49ers find their groove, face surging Bucs TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers have won three straight games and are beginning to play like a team capable of making another run to the Super Bowl. That also makes the defending NFC champions the type of team the improving Buccaneers need to knock off to prove their secondhalf turnaround isn't a fluke. Not that star cornerback Darrelle Revis and his teammates necessarily believe the Bucs (4-9), who've won four of five following an 0-8 start, need a signature win to validate their progress. ''It would be special if we win because they're one of the top teams in the NFL. But at the same time, a win is a win,'' the threetime All-Pro said. The streaking 49ers (9-4) are coming off an emotional 19-17 victory over Seattle, a win that stopped the Seahawks from clinching the NFC West title. Three teams Tampa Bay has beaten had losing records at the time. The fourth, Detroit, leads its division but has been reeling lately and is 7-6. Linebacker Patrick Willis is not concerned about a Niners letdown. ''We understand every game is important to us. We understand that last week was a very big game, a rivalry game, but this week is just as important,'' Willis said. ''Our guys are professionals, they know what's at stake,'' 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said. ''This game is the biggest game on the schedule. This is a mustwin game ... by any means necessary. The first thing is the preparation. You've got to put yourself in a position to earn that. And, our guys will be committed and professional about doing that.'' Five things to watch as the 49ers seek their fourth straight win and the Bucs try to build on their recent success: DEFENDING DAVIS: While Anquan Boldin is drawing plenty of attention in the 49ers' passing game, Vernon Davis is showing each week why he is such a factor in San Francisco's success. The Bucs might want to watch out for Davis' high-hurdling move, too. San Francisco's speedy tight end has a touchdown catch in each of the past four games, the third time in his career he's done so. Davis has 11 TD receptions on the season. With Boldin — he has at least five catches in each of the past four games — and Michael Crabtree forcing defenders to stay with them, Davis might not see many double-teams. Crabtree has played two games since returning from six months recovering from a torn right Achilles tendon. ''That's a valid point,'' Harbaugh said. ''There's been times throughout the year where Anquan's gotten doubled and Vernon's gotten doubled on the same play. Michael's presence out there and everything he's done and everything he's shown he can do since coming back, that's another guy, high-level guy, that's got to be accounted for.'' GLENNON'S PROGRESS: Bucs rookie quarterback Mike Glennon has struggled his past two starts, throwing three interceptions and losing a fumble. Last week, Tampa Bay forced five turnovers during a rout of Buffalo, but the sputtering Bucs offense produced only two field goals off the miscues. STOPPING GORE: Tampa Bay's first priority is to stop the run. The 49ers are sixth in the NFL in rushing, and Frank Gore is within 69 yards of reaching 1,000 for the seventh time. ''I'll openly say it: Frank Gore is our focal point,'' McCoy said. ''If you can slow that guy down then we can start worrying about everything else.'' FAST STARTERS/SLOW FINISHERS: The 49ers have outscored opponents 181-93 in the first half. The Bucs, who hold a 174-145 edge in the opening half, have been outscored 146-70 after halftime. FRIENDS OR FOES? 49ers right tackle Anthony Davis doesn't sound like he will go out of his way to offer a pregame greeting to his former Rutgers coach, now Bucs head coach Greg Schiano. ''I don't know,'' Davis said. ''If we make eye contact, I'll acknowledge him out of respect.'' They had their moments during his college playing days, when Davis was disciplined more than once for team rules infractions by the intense, fiery coach. In fact, Davis referenced a quote from Schiano after receiving a five-year extension in April worth more than $37 million, with $17 million AP photo Colin Kapernick (7) of the San Francisco 49ers in action during the third quarter of an NFL game against the Seattle Seahawks at Candlestick Park in San Francisco on Sunday. guaranteed. The O-lineman posted: ''You will be a 1 contract and done kinda guy in the NFL. - Greg Schiano. Lol'' Schiano credits Davis for continued improvements and hopes he pushed the right buttons to help Davis succeed. ''I had coached in the NFL and I told him stories about guys that can either go be long-term NFL players and get their second and third contract, or they can be fiz- zle-out guys,'' Schiano said. ''And I just wanted to make sure Anthony — you know, he was talented enough to get second, third and fourth contracts, really. He's that good an athlete. And he's well on his way now.'' Tehama Tracker Chiefs look to clinch against Raiders Saturday's schedule BOYS BASKETBALL Red Bluff at AIBT in Arcata Corning at Live Oak Tournament Mercy at Trinity Tournament GIRLS BASKETBALL Red Bluff at Oakridge Tournament Corning at Oroville Tournament Mercy at Westwood Tournament WRESTLING Red Bluff Holiday Classic Tournament, 9 a.m. NHL HOCKEY San Jose at Predators, 5 p.m., CSNC Sunday's schedule NBA BASKETBALL Houston at Sacramento, 3 p.m., CSN Golden State at Phoenix, 5 p.m., CSNB Monday's schedule BOYS SOCCER Corning at Pleasant Valley, 3:15 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Corning at Pleasant Valley, 3:15 p.m. 11 a.m. ESPN2 — Tennessee at Wichita St. (INTRUST Bank Arena) Noon FS1 — IUPUI at Marquette NBCSN — N. Illinois at UMass 12:15 p.m. ESPN — Notre Dame vs. Indiana, at Indianapolis 1 p.m. ESPN2 — Michigan St. vs. Oakland, at Auburn Hills, Mich. 2 p.m. FSN — Tulsa at Oklahoma 2:15 p.m. ESPN — Kentucky at North Carolina 4 p.m. ESPN2 — New Mexico vs. Kansas, at Kansas City, Mo. 5 p.m. FS1 — Cincinnati vs. Xavier, at Cincinnati (U.S. Bank Arena) 6 p.m. ESPN2 — Illinois vs. Oregon, at Portland, Ore. MIXED MARTIAL ARTS 5 p.m. FOX — UFC, champion Demetrious Johnson (18-2-1) vs. Joseph Benavidez (19-3-0), for flyweight title, at Sacramento, Calif. SOCCER 4:40 a.m. NBCSN — Premier League, Arsenal at Manchester City 6:55 a.m. NBCSN — Premier League, Crystal Palace at Chelsea 9:25 a.m. NBCSN — Premier League, Stoke City at Hull City Sunday Sports on TV Saturday BOXING 5 p.m. NBCSN — Light heavyweights, Ryan Coyne (21-1-0) vs. Lionell Thompson (14-2-0); heavyweights, Amir Mansour (19-0-0) vs. Kelvin Price (14-1-0), at Atlantic City, N.J. COLLEGE FOOTBALL 9 a.m. ESPN — NCAA, FCS, playoffs, quarterfinals, Coastal Carolina at North Dakota State Noon CBS — National coverage, Army vs. Navy, at Philadelphia 5 p.m. ESPN — Heisman Trophy Presentation, at New York EXTREME SPORTS 9 a.m. NBC — Dew Tour, Mountain Championships, at Breckenridge, Colo. (same-day tape) 10 p.m. NBCSN — Dew Tour, Mountain Championships, at Breckenridge, Colo. (delayed tape) GOLF 10 a.m. TGC — PGA Tour, Franklin Templeton Shootout, second round, at Naples, Fla. 11 p.m. NBC — PGA Tour, Franklin Templeton Shootout, second round, at Naples, Fla. 1 p.m. NBC — Father-Son Challenge, first round, at Orlando, Fla. (same-day tape) 8:30 p.m. TGC — Asian Tour, Thailand Championship, final round, at Bangkok MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 9 a.m. CBS — National coverage, Arizona at Michigan ESPN2 — W. Kentucky at Louisville FSN — St. Peter's at Seton Hall EXTREME SPORTS 9 a.m. NBC — Dew Tour, Mountain Championships, at Breckenridge, Colo. (same-day tape) Noon NBCSN — Dew Tour, Mountain Championships, at Breckenridge, Colo. GOLF 2:30 a.m. TGC — European PGA Tour, The Nelson Mandela Championship, final round, at Mount Edgecombe, South Africa 10 a.m. TGC — PGA Tour, Franklin Templeton Shootout, final round, at Naples, Fla. 11 a.m. NBC — PGA Tour, Franklin Templeton Shootout, final round, at Naples, Fla. 1 p.m. NBC — Father-Son Challenge, final round, at Orlando, Fla. (same-day tape) MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 9 a.m. FS1 — Syracuse at St. John's 11:30 a.m. FS1 — La Salle at Villanova 1:30 p.m. FS1 — Chicago St. at DePaul 3 p.m. FSN — Troy at Kansas St. NFL FOOTBALL 10 a.m. CBS — Regional coverage FOX — Regional coverage, doubleheader 1 p.m. CBS — Regional coverage 1:25 p.m. FOX — Regional coverage, doubleheader game 5 p.m. NBC — Cincinnati at Pittsburgh SOCCER 5:25 a.m. NBCSN — Premier League, Manchester United at Aston Villa 7:55 a.m. NBCSN — Premier League, Liverpool at Tottenham Monday NFL FOOTBALL 5:25 p.m. ESPN — Baltimore at Detroit OAKLAND (AP) — All it took to get the Kansas City Chiefs back on the winning track was a game against the struggling Washington Redskins. A win this week against another last-place team will put the Chiefs in the playoffs one year after posting the worst record in the NFL. Kansas City (10-3) can clinch a playoff berth by beating the Oakland Raiders (4-9) on Sunday or with a loss by either Miami or Baltimore. The Chiefs still are in the division race in the AFC West, but will need help over the final three weeks if they want to pass Denver for first place. "We've put ourselves in a great situation," quarterback Alex Smith said. "As far as the division goes, some things outside of our control. But we control our destiny to get in the playoffs and that's still a great place to be." It's a remarkable achievement for a team that went 2-14 a year ago in a season marred by the murder-suicide involving Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher, who shot to death the mother of his infant child before turning the gun on himself. But with Smith and new coach Andy Reid supplementing a talented roster that had six Pro Bowl players last year despite the dismal record, the Chiefs are in position to become the fourth team to make the playoffs a year after losing at least 14 games. "Every year we go into the season, we're trying to get to the playoffs, trying to win the big one, and to have a chance to clinch it before the season is over is going to be great, just because of what we went through last year," linebacker Derrick Johnson said. After starting the season 9-0, the Chiefs lost three straight games before rebounding with a 45-10 win over the Redskins last week. "A loss in the National Football League, it's a week real time but it seems like about a year when you're going through it," Reid said. "We had three of those in a row and it just seemed like forever." QB CHANGES: The first time these two teams played, the Chiefs took advantage of a banged-up line to sack Terrelle Pryor nine times in a 247 victory. Oakland has since switched to Matt McGloin at quarterback and dumped the read-option run game and utilized more quick passes to take pressure off the line. "He's a guy that makes quicker decisions," Johnson said. "He's a guy that doesn't really turn the ball over much. He's a guy that's smart with his decision making." DEFENSIVE DEFICIENCIES: The Raiders are also much different defensively than in the first meeting, and the changes have not been for the better. Oakland started the season playing stout on defense and held the Chiefs to 216 yards in the game. But the Raiders have struggled in recent weeks, especially on third down. They have allowed 31.2 points per game the past six weeks — second worst in the league — and have allowed opponents to convert a league-high 54.5 percent of third downs in the past three games. PREP ROUNDUP BOYS BASKETBALL The Corning High boys basketball team (5-0) defeated Las Plumas on Tuesday, 81-32 and downed Golden Sierra on Thursday, 72-36. The Cardinals finish up the Live Oak Tournament this weekend. The Los Molinos High boys basketball team (5-1) defeated Paradise Adventist, 59-34 on Tuesday, and bested Vacaville Christian, 4841 on Thursday. BOYS SOCCER The Corning High boys soccer team (5-0-1) beat Chico, 1-0 on Monday, downed Gridley, 2-0 on Wednesday and prevailed against Red Bluff, 2-1 on Thursday. Corning's Cristian Loera had 2 goals against the Spartans. The Los Molinos High soccer team (2-0) downed Biggs, 23-0 on Tuesday, and beat Esparto, 2-1 on Thursday. GIRLS SOCCER The Red Bluff High girls soccer team fell to Enterprise, 2-1 on Wednesday and tied U-Prep, 2-2 on Thursday. Courtesy photo by Larry Long Los Molinos High's Jasmine Madera (3) dribbles a ball during a soccer match against Esparto on Thursday. The Bulldogs won 2-1.