SANTA CLARA – Carlos Hyde, the 49ers’ No. 1 running back, has gained just 26 yards on 10 carries in the first two exhibition games.
But aside from a play Saturday night against the Denver Broncos when he did not gain as many yards as coach Kyle Shanahan thought he should, the 49ers appear satisfied with what they’ve seen from Hyde.
“It takes 11 guys to execute a play,” Shanahan said on Wednesday. “Usually, the guy with the ball in his hands is the one who’s rewarded or blamed. But I’ve been happy with Carlos’ reps during the preseason.
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“I definitely want to do better. I want to score every time we call a play, so I’m usually disappointed if it doesn’t end in a touchdown. But he’s done a good job for us.”
That does not mean that Hyde has been perfect. Shanahan recounted a play on Saturday in which Hyde did not read the blocking correctly and gained fewer yards than his coach expected.
“There was one run in particular I thought the O-line blocked it for about a 4-yard gain and he got 1 yard,” Shanahan said. “(He was) trying to do too much on one play, which happens a lot with running backs. So there was one play he left about 3 yards on the field.”
Hyde finished the first half with gains of 6, 2, 7 and 7 on a series that ended with a lost fumble from backup running back Tim Hightower.
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“We blocked well and he got to the right hole and when contact hit him at 5 yards, he fell for 2 more,” Shanahan said of Hyde. “So I thought he got exactly what we blocked for and a little more after that.”