NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The first time Jordan Mason touched the ball Saturday night, the 49ers running back carried a handful of Tennessee Titans defenders with him for a hard-fought 13-yard gain.
His night ended when he plowed forward and received a nice shove in the back from right guard Dominick Puni at the goal line to punch it in on a 4-yard touchdown run.
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Mason finished with 34 yards and the touchdown on six carries while playing all 11 snaps on the 49ers’ first drive of the game in a 17-13 loss at Nissan Stadium.
“Since I got here last year, I’ve noticed how hard he runs, and his vision is really good,” 49ers quarterback Brandon Allen said of Mason. “Any time you have that kind of combo, where you run extremely physical and have good vision, those two things go really well for a running back.”
But, afterward, Mason expressed something less than satisfaction with his overall performance.
“I missed a catch out there that I didn’t want to miss, and a protection,” Mason said. “I ran good, but there are some things I didn’t like.
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“I guess the media can say I had a good day. To me, I didn't really have a good day. … I mean, I know I can run. I'm trying to make my game complete.”
On the 49ers’ fourth offensive play, Allen threw a high pass toward the left sideline for Mason. It was a difficult opportunity, but Mason believes he should have made the play. He said improving his reliability as a pass-catcher is a big emphasis for him this season, to help him round into an every-down back.
Mason bought a $3,000 JUGS machine, and his father regularly fed football into the spinning wheels to blast out passes as part of his training regimen.
The young running back enters his third year in the NFL with a legitimate shot to be the 49ers’ No. 2 running back behind All-Pro Christian McCaffrey.
Elijah Mitchell has missed significant practice time this summer with a hamstring injury. He has struggled to avoid injuries through his first three NFL seasons.
Mason signed with the 49ers in 2022 as an undrafted rookie out of Georgia Tech. He has appeared in 33 games in his first two NFL seasons with 464 yards and four TDs on 83 carries, but he has just three receptions for 31 yards.