Only one defense in the NFL did not allow a 100-yard rusher last regular season: the 49ers. So much for a repeat. The 49ers won Sunday’s season opener despite allowing 118 rushing yards to the Dallas Cowboys’ DeMarco Murray. That rare breach of the 100-yard mark has the 49ers looking to shore up their run defense for Sunday’s home opener against the Chicago Bears and Matt Forte. “Forte, he’s one of the best all-purpose backs there is in the NFL,” linebacker Patrick Willis said. “We have to make sure we know where he is at all times. Forte was the NFL’s second-leading rusher last season (1,339 yards) behind the Philadelphia Eagles’ LeSean McCoy (1,607 yards). Forte started off this season with 17 carries for 82 yards in the Bears’ 23-20 overtime loss at home to the Buffalo Bills. On the imminent horizon are two of the NFL’s other top rushers from last season: the Philadelphia Eagles’ LeSean McCoy (Week 4) and the Kansas City Chiefs’ Jamaal Charles (Week 5). The Cowboys’ Murray had 95 yards by halftime of the 49ers’ eventual 28-17 win Sunday, and although the defense seemingly staged a second-half stand, Murray only had six carries as the Cowboys tried catching up through the air. “It wasn’t good last week,” defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. “We did not have a good game up front, vs. the run and rushing the passer, particularly in the first half. “We’re going to need to play the run a whole lot better in this game than we did last game.” Denying 100-yard rushers has been a calling card of the 49ers defense throughout the past three seasons. So Murray’s total is a red flag to the 49ers. “In the end, he did run for over 100 yards and had big plays, and we need to eliminate those,” linebacker Michael Wilhoite. That opener marked Wilhoite’s third career start and his first in place of NaVorro Bowman, who’s on the physically-unable-to-perform list through at least six games. Wilhoite’s total tackles astronomically rose from four in the official game book to 14 upon coaches’ film review. Meanwhile, Willis and safety Antoine Bethea saw their team-high totals climb from six tackles to seven. “No excuses, but that was like the first time all of us being out their live in an all-out game,” Willis said. “Because during the preseason, we played a little bit but you have injuries here and there, then you don’t play as much. That was kind of a warm-up game in a sense of it being our first live action.” The 49ers run defense allowed the league’s fourth-fewest yards each of the past two seasons, after tying for top honors in 2011 at 77.2 yards per game. Forte is expecting a typically staunch defense from the 49ers, against who he gained only 63 yards on 21 carries in the Bears’ 2012 loss at Candlestick. “If they had a lot of rushing yards on them one week, they’re going to try to stop it the next week,” Forte said on a media conference call. “It doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy to run against them or anything.” Forte does more than run the ball. He produced a team-high 87 yards on eight receptions Sunday, and he could be summoned for more receiving work against the 49ers. Bears wide receivers Brandon Marshall (ankle), Alshon Jeffrey (hamstring) and Joshua Morgan (groin) have missed practice this week. “They’re banged up a little as well, San Fran is, and that hopefully will help us out,” Bears quarterback Jay Cutler told Chicago-area reporters in his Thursday press conference. Willis isn’t sure what help to expect from the Levi’s Stadium crowd noise. “One thing I can say is cheer loud, man. Cheer loud. Especially when they’re on offense, just let it go.”

Offensive coordinator Greg Roman said Thursday that rookie wide receiver Bruce Ellington could fill in as the emergency, No. 3 running back Sunday if neeeded behind Frank Gore and Carlos Hyde. "He’d definitely be able to fulfill that role," Roman said. "(Fullback) Bruce Miller’s another guy that can tote the rock. "We’ve been known to hand the ball to a lot of different people. So you never know, be alert for (left tackle Joe) Staley on the reverse.” Staley has as many official career carries as Ellington -- none. But Ellington did have a 5-yard run in the 49ers' third exhibition game, doing so on a fly sweep that the 49ers used often in past years with Ted Ginn Jr. "He’s definitely a guy you can do some of that stuff with," Roman said. "We don’t want to put too much on his plate at once. But he’s a football player. He gets things. It makes sense to him. I’m excited to see how he evolves with what we’re doing." Ellington, a fourth-round draft pick out of South Carolina, also has entrenched himself as the 49ers' punt returner. In that role, he beat out LaMichael James, who got released Monday. Roman also likes what he's seen out of another rookie, running back Carlos Hyde, who had seven carries for 50 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's opener. “He learns by doing," Roman said (inadvertently quoting my alma mater Cal Poly's motto). "When something happens, if he doesn’t hit the hole or tries to make too much and bounce it, he’ll come back next time and hit it. That’s my sense of him. "He’s a big guy. When he gets behind his pads, he can get us a lot of hidden yards.” Roman praised what he saw from Colin Kaepernick, especially in terms of going through his reads and finding the open receiver when others were double covered. "He was marvelous, just cool as a cucumber," Roman said. "He did everything he should have done and then some. He just played the quarterback position really, really well. We’ve moved on from that game and he had a really good practice yesterday."  

Anquan Boldin and Vernon Davis accounted for 12 of Colin Kaepernick's 16 completions in Sunday's opening win. A year ago, Boldin and Davis grabbed 20 of Kaepernick's 21 touchdown passes. So what happened to all those other weapons that were promised for this season? How did Michael Crabtree, Stevie Johnson, Brandon Lloyd, Bruce Ellington and Vance McDonald cope with their unselfish, supporting roles? “They were happy about the win," Kaepernick replied. "That’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to win games regardless of who gets the touches.” Because the 49ers jumped out to a 21-3 lead in the first 11 minutes, they didn't have to expose their playbook, and thus they kept a lot of their offensive secrets under wraps heading into Sunday's home opener against the Chicago Bears. Do the 49ers indeed still hold an element of surprise over opposing defenses in terms of their potential play-makers? Kaepernick answered that he thinks defenses know the 49ers' vast capabilities, but that they don't know everyone's "role in our offense yet." Crabtree and Johnson each had two receptions to account for Kaepernick's other completions Sunday. LaMichael James is no longer an option, having been released Monday. But rookie running back Carlos Hyde has entrenched himself as a bona fide complement to Frank Gore.   Here is the transcript from Kaepernick's media session Wednesday inside the locker room: On opening up home opener: "Very much so." On first start vs. Bears serving as a benchmark? "2-0 benchmark is what we’re looking for." How long did it take to click with Carlos on read option. "Not very long. He ran it in college. He was very familiar with it and has very good instincts." Any adjustments for him between Ohio State’s version and yours? "Not too much." Any surprise a guy his size, 234 pounds, can run it? “We had a running back in college similar to him. Not quite as fast or agile, but he’s a good fit for it.” On so many wide receivers, Christmas in September? “Very much so. Makes it easier on me, easier on the coaches.” On how those guys reacted after the first game were Anquan and Vernon got most production? “They were happy about the win. That’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to win games regardless of who gets the touches.” Do you feel a mystery remains for teams who may not know what those other wideouts can bring to the offense? “I think they know what they’re capable of. I don’t think they know their role in our offense yet.” Did anything surprise you in Dallas in terms of assets you have? “No, I was confident in all the players we have on this team. We have a lot of great ones and they’ve shown they can make plays.” Do you enter games with an idea which receiver you’ll target most or is that dictated after the snap? “It’s dictated by the defense. That’ll determine where we’re going.” Is that what happened with Anquan, especially out of the slot? “Yeah. That’s what the defense was giving us so we’re going to take it.” Your coach said Anquan was a ‘stalwart.’ What word would you use for him? “Great.” Chicago poses a threat off the side. What do you see off their defensive line? “Very physical. Very fast. Do a lot of things well.” Have they changed things up defensively compared to last year? “Personnel is different. Scheme is the same for the most part. We’re going to have to bring our ‘A’ game.” What do you like about this stadium compared to Candlestick, so far? “It’s newer.” Do you go look at the field’s condition? “I’ll play on whatever field we’ll step on.” Is it more nerve-wracking since you are christening this new field? “No, not at all. To me, football is football. It doesn’t matter where you play.” Is the distraction element taken out since you’ve played a couple preseason games here? “Everyone is focused on Chicago. I don’t think we’re worried about having our first game here. We’re worried about trying to get this win.” What does he bring? “Confidence is the biggest thing. That’s why they were able to put him out there and he was able to make plays. He’s confidence in what he’s doing and he trusts himself.” Do you see growth in him? “Yeah he picks up on things quickly and he reacts to the ball. Ultimately he’s just a football player.” What was your reaction when you heard LaMichael James requested his release Monday? “I don’t get into those things. I let people upstairs handle it.” You were told the night before the 2012 Bears game you would start? “Yes.” What was your sleep pattern before the game? “Sleep has never been problem for me.” More nervous about it? “Nah.” How did you grade yourself last Sunday? “I thought I could have done a few things better, made a few different reads. Ultimately we got the win.” You liked your decisions on when you took off and stayed? “Yep.”

The term "hot hand" ushered out Alex Smith's stay as the 49ers starting quarterback. Might the same happen with Frank Gore, a fellow member of the 2005 draft class? Gore, the 49ers' all-time leading rusher, enters his 10th season still looking like an every-down, workhorse. Some of his workload, however, is expected to get outsourced to hot rookie prospect Carlos Hyde and former Oregon standout LaMichael James. "If somebody’s hot, we’ve got to stay with the hot hand and try to have a plan ahead of time, though, to where we can utilize each player in a specific manner,” offensive coordinator Greg Roman said Thursday. "Things change in the course of a game, so we’ll see how that goes." The first game comes Sunday, when the 49ers visit the Dallas Cowboys, whose defense allowed an NFL-high 415.3 yards per game last season. Dallas yielded the 27th-most rushing yards (128.5 per game). Gore, 31, doesn't want this to be his final season, even if it's his final one under a contract he signed in 2011. He leads all active NFL running backs with a streak of 44 consecutive games played. The only start he missed the past three seasons was an Oct. 2, 2011 win at Philadelphia, when he overcame an ankle injury and rushed for 127 yards and a touchdown. The next-longest streak is 32 games by Washington’s Alfred Morris. Gore is 33 yards shy of becoming the 29^th player to reach the 10,000-yard career mark. His 9,967 yards rank third among active rushers, trailing the Falcons’ Steven Jackson (10,681) and the Vikings’ Adrian Peterson (10,115). Gore's passion to play is unwavering, as Roman is well aware. “Frank doesn’t want to come off the field," Roman said, with a hearty laugh. "He’s a team guy and he’s been on a really good plan this summer. We’ll just see how it goes because once the game starts, we’re going to do whatever it takes to win the game. "At the same time, you don’t want to wear out a particular player. We just got to work together on that." Roman then invoked the "hot hand" phrase, one seemingly last used in 2012 when coach Jim Harbaugh said it after Colin Kaepernick's successful starting debut against the Chicago Bears. Smith sat that game out with a concussion, and Kaepernick threw for 246 yards and two touchdowns. Harbaugh responded by saying his philosophy was to "usually tend to go with the guy with the hot hand, and we've got two quarterbacks that have a hot hand."