SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Garrison Hearst recorded his first 100-yard game in nearly three years Sunday and Jeff Garcia tied a career high with four touchdown passes, including a pair to Terrell Owens, to lead the San Francisco 49ers to a 28-27 victory over the New Orleans Saints.
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The win kept the 49ers (6-2) within one game of first-place St. Louis and moved them two games ahead of the Saints (4-4) in the NFC West.
'We've been finding a way to win most of the time and we have to be happy with the first half of our season,' 49ers coach Steve Mariucci said.
After undergoing four operations for a left ankle injury that resulted in circulation problems, Hearst missed the last two seasons and was a candidate to be cut for salary cap purposes.
But after losing Charlie Garner as a free agent, the 49ers opted to keep Hearst in the hopes he could recover from the career-threatening surgeries.
Hearst showed signs he was rounding into form and rushed for 433 yards in San Francisco's first seven games. On Sunday, he produced his first 100-yard game since Dec. 20, 1998, rushing for 145 yards on 17 carries, including 119 in the second half.
'Every week I feel better. I feel like I run better,' Hearst said. 'One thing I try to do is pick something that I don't do well the week before and try to imnprove on it. I felt like I didn't play hard enough last week so I wanted to play even harder this week.'
Garcia, who eclipsed Steve Young's club record with 4,278 passing yards last season, completed 21 of 33 for 252 yards and four scores, including the go-ahead, 10-yarder to rookie Eric Johnson 3:54 into the fourth quarter.
'It's way too early to evaluate our team as a playoff team, but we have done a lot of good things in the first half of the season,' Garcia said. 'We're in a great position because we are 6-2 and we have one of the best records in the league.'
Owens, again the subject of controversy in San Francisco after he accused 49ers coach Steve Mariucci of intentionally curbing the team's fast-paced offense in a loss at Chicago two weeks ago, had eight catches for 102 yards. He had touchdown receptions of 25 and five yards.
New Orleans had a chance to take the lead in the fourth quarter, but running back Rickey Williams dropped a pass in the end zone on a third-down play. John Carney then kicked a 36-yard field goal to pull the Saints within 28-27 with eight minutes left.
'I had to make an adjustment on it (the pass),' Williams said. 'I had to turn my body and wasn't concentrating enough to make the catch. He (Brooks) did make a good throw. No excuse. I am supposed to be the guy who makes the plays.'
'I thought he should have had that one,' Saints coach Jim Haslett said of Williams' end-zone drop. 'That could have won the game for us, but I don't know if that's the reason we lost. We didn't tackle well. Our linebackers missed a bunch of tackles.'
Williams rushed for 121 yards on 24 carries and caught three passes for 52 yards, but committed a costly fumble which led to San Francisco's go-ahead score along with the dropped pass in the end zone.
Aaron Brooks passed for 347 yards and two touchdowns, utilizing receivers Willie Jackson and Joe Horn.
'We played a good team and they made plays when they had to,' said Brooks, who completed 22 of 37. 'You can't make excuses. They played well enough to win.'
Jackson caught 11 passes for 167 yards and Horn had six receptions for 99 yards, including a pair of touchdowns for New Orleans, which suffered its second straight loss.
'I think we're better than their offense,' Horn said. 'Maybe their offense proved to be better today, but I don't feel they have a better offense than us.'
The Saints held a 24-21 lead early in the fourth quarter when Williams fumbled after being hit by defensive end Chike Okeafor and cornerback Ahmed Plummer recovered for the Niners at the New Orleans 30.
After an offensive holding penalty, Hearst rushed twice for 29 yards. Two plays later, Garcia evaded a pass rush and threw a 10-yard touchdown to Johnson, giving San Francisco a 28-24 advantage.
A 63-yard pass from Brooks to Jackson to the San Francisco 10 set up Carney's 36-yard field goal with 7:56 left. But the Saints could have had more if Williams had not dropped a pass in the end zone.
After the teams exchanged possessions, the 49ers consumed the final 3:39, thanks to Hearst, who picked up 58 yards on four carries. Owens kept the drive alive with a 14-yard catch on third and 13.
'The most disappointing thing was our defense on the last possession,' Haslett said. 'We couldn't give our offense a chance to get back on the field.'
Owens caught his scoring passes in the first half to stake the 49ers to a 14-3 lead.
New Orleans opened the game with an 11-play, 42-yard drive which resulted in a 43-yard field goal by Carney.
Owens' 25-yard touchdown reception capped an eight-play, 78-yard drive with 2:37 left in the first quarter. Owens preceded his score with a 12-yard run on an end around.
Garcia rolled right and threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Owens with 7:25 left in the second quarter. Owens had a 26-yard reception to highlight the eight-play, 68-yard drive.
New Orleans needed just three plays to respond. After a six-yard run by Williams, Brooks rolled right and lofted a 44-yard pass to Horn to the San Francisco 22. On the next play, Horn caught a 22-yard touchdown and Brooks connected with Willie Jackson on the two-point conversion, pulling the Saints within 14-11 with 6:13 remaining.
Rookie Kevan Barlow turned a short pass into a 61-yard touchdown 1:27 later for San Francisco.
Carney kicked a 42-yard field goal for New Orleans with eight seconds left in the half.
A 32-yard punt return by Wane McGarity and a 17-yard pass from Brooks to Jackson set up Carney's third field goal of the game -- a 35-yarder with 9:56 left in the third quarter which pulled the Saints within 21-17.
New Orleans took the lead when Brooks hit Horn with a six-yard touchdown with 3:07 remaining in the quarter, capping a 10-play, 89-yard drive.