Former Hoosier RB Tevin Coleman Helps Lead the 49ers to the Conference Title Game

Written by Evan McShane (@very_reasonable)

Former Indiana Hoosiers star running back Tevin Coleman had a monster game when it mattered most. The San Francisco 49ers were heavy favorites heading into their divisional playoff matchup against the Minnesota Vikings at home, and they did not disappoint. With the game tied midway through the second quarter, Tevin Coleman found the end zone on a one-yard run. The Niners took a comfortable 14-10 lead into halftime, but Coleman wasn’t finished.

The former Hoosier running back is just lucky to be here. Coleman’s parents weren’t sure Tevin would make it when he was born several months early. “I was born three months early,” Coleman said. “I was premature. I had a 20 percent chance of living. So, I was just a fighter. I fought through it, and I’m here now, so I’m real blessed by God to be here, to be playing football, to be doing what I do.”

Coleman would go on to eclipse 100 yards rushing in a playoff game for the first time in his career. With a 17-10 lead late in the third quarter, Coleman again found the end zone on a short yardage run at the goal line. Coleman finished the day with 22 carries for 105 total yards and two touchdowns.

San Francisco knew they had to run the ball effectively to defeat Minnesota’s vaunted defense. “They are a very good run defense, and they stay in their gaps and they play laterally a lot,” Coleman explained. “We just had to stick with the run and keep hitting it, getting 4 yards, 5 yards, 7 [yards]. It was just one of those games where we had to keep running the ball to break those big runs.” Eventually, San Francisco’s ground game wore the Vikings down.

The 49ers look like the best team remaining in the playoffs and Tevin Coleman is a big reason why. Now just one win away from the Super Bowl, Coleman may need to have another stellar performance for San Francisco to advance. One thing is for certain, Coleman will be ready. “I woke up with the mindset we got to go. Win or we go home. We practiced hard, and we went out there and we did our jobs.”