Anton Watson scored 20 points and Drew Timme had 17 to help No. 9 Gonzaga beat pesky San Francisco 84-73 and advance to yet another West Coast Conference championship game.
The Eagles are soaring into the Super Bowl, after forcing both of San Francisco’s quarterbacks out of the game with injuries and beating the 49ers 31-7 in the NFC championship game.
Christian McCaffrey capped that drive with a go-ahead 2-yard run and the defense buckled down from there, sealing a 19-12 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
This will be the ninth time these franchises have met in the postseason, tied for the most of any matchup in the Super Bowl era with San Francisco against Green Bay and Dallas against the Rams.
At his core Pete Carroll is still a defensive coach, a tug that at times perhaps pulls harder than being the one that oversees the entire Seattle Seahawks operation.
Rasir Bolton scored on a put-back with 7 seconds left to give No. 9 Gonzaga its first lead since the opening minutes and the Bulldogs beat San Francisco 77-75.
Shanahan and the 49ers can repeat what they accomplished in 2019 and wrap up another NFC West title on Thursday night in Seattle against the Seahawks, but with far less stress this time.