Rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall scored his first career touchdown on Sunday, giving the 49ers a 7-0 lead over the Buccaneers.
The touchdown catch came 71 days after Pearsall was shot in a robbery attempt in San Francisco’s Union Square.
Pearsall ran a deep in-breaking route on second-and-5 from the Tampa Bay 46-yard line and hauled in a pass from Brock Purdy at the 30 between two Bucs defenders. Pearsall turned upfield and raced Antoine Winfield Jr. down the sideline, stiff-arming the Tampa Bay safety and fighting off his tackle to reach the end zone just before being hauled out of bounds.
Tight end Eric Saubert gave Pearsall a bear hug to celebrate, then wide receiver Jauan Jennings joined in on his touchdown dance.
WATCH: Pearsall’s touchdown catch to give 49ers a 7-0 lead
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1855678453850296586
Pearsall was on injured reserve for the first six weeks of the season, making his regular-season debut in the 49ers’ loss three weeks ago to the Kansas City Chiefs, less than two months after he was shot.
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Entering Sunday, he had nine receptions for 54 yards between that game against the Chiefs and the next week’s win over the Cowboys.
After the shooting, Pearsall spent a night in the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and was back at the 49ers’ facility within days of being released.
The 49ers drafted Pearsall No. 31 overall in April’s NFL Draft out of Florida.