Frank Gore can't wait to get in the game, even if it is a preseason one

Mike Singletary wants to see what the 49ers offense can do with Pro Bowl running back Frank Gore on the field.
So does Gore.

"I'm itching to get at it," Gore said early Tuesday evening after the 49ers returned to practice after an off day Monday. "I want to get out there and play with my team. I'm ready to hit."

The 49ers have held out their star halfback in preseason victories over Indianapolis and Minnesota. But Gore may finally get some action in Sunday's exhibition at Oakland, along with some of San Francisco's other top offensive performers who have yet to play in the preseason.
With rookie first-round draft picks Mike Iupati and Anthony Davis working as starters along the offensive line, the 49ers need to get some work for Gore behind them before the regular season begins Sept. 12.

"We know what Frank can do, so you want to be careful," said Singletary, the 49ers' coach. "At the same time, you don't want to limit him too much. With our offensive line not really having had the opportunity to feel the timing of Frank, to really feel his quickness and the way he makes cuts and things like that in a live situation. ... We'd like to give our line a chance to see it."

Even with Gore, Pro Bowl tight end Vernon Davis and starting receiver Michael Crabtree watching from the sidelines, Singletary said the highlight of Saturday's 15-10 victory over Minnesota was the play of San Francisco's first-team offense.

That unit sputtered during the team's preseason opener at Indianapolis, but it was crisp behind quarterback Alex Smith on a game-opening touchdown drive that paved the way to victory over the Vikings and a 2-0 start to the preseason.

"The execution of the offense in that first series, that's the No. 1 thing that jumps out from the game," Singletary said. "I think everything was clicking. The execution was at a premium."

Gore, coming off his team-record fourth consecutive 1,000-yard rushing season, said he has been excited working behind those two youngsters in practice and now wants to do it in a game.

"It takes a lot of practice to get everyone on the same page," Gore said. "It doesn't start in games, it starts in practice. But practice is not like the game. So I'm gonna play this week, and I want to go out there and do what we do. And that's move the ball and put points on the board."

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(ap.com)