Senior Hayes Farwell is from Fredonia, a town about two hours southwest of Baldwin City, but judging from all of the San Francisco 49ers apparel he owns, one would think he was born and raised in the Golden Gate City.
Farwell has been a 49ers fan since preschool when his older cousin gave him a Jerry Rice jersey.
“If my mom let me pick what I wore, I would just wear a Jerry Rice jersey or a Steve Young jersey,” Farwell said.
Farwell is traveling to New Orleans with his friend and roommate Parker Johnson to watch the 49ers take on the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII, but is not buying tickets to see it in person. He and Johnson will arrive Saturday afternoon and then watch the game somewhere on Bourbon Street.
“I’m just a poor college kid,” Farwell said. “I can’t afford $6,000 to see the game, and not even as well as I could on a TV.”
The 49ers’ road to the Super Bowl was not a typical one. Starting quarterback Alex Smith, who was third in the NFL in passer rating and had led the 49ers to a 6-2 record, was knocked out of a game against the St. Louis Rams due to a concussion.
Replacing Smith was second year backup Colin Kaepernick. After finishing the St. Louis game in a tie, Kaepernick got his second chance to prove himself. On a Monday Night stage, Kaepernick threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns in a 32-7 win over the Chicago Bears.
“I immediately pulled for Kaepernick,” Farwell said. “He’s extremely accurate, he has a cannon (for an arm), and he can run like a gazelle. I’ve been watching Alex Smith for eight years, and he’s just a game manager.”
Kaepernick seemed to provide a spark for the San Francisco offense that Smith could not, resulting in head coach Jim Harbaugh making the controversial decision to start the second-year player out of the University of Nevada ahead of 2005 No. 1 overall draft pick for the rest of the season.
This resulted in an 11-4-1 record and playoff victories against the Green Bay Packers, a game in which Kaepernick rushed for a quarterback-record 181 yards, and the Atlanta Falcons.
The Ravens also faced a difficult personnel change. Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron was fired after an overtime loss to the Oakland Raiders that dropped Baltimore to 9-4. Stepping in as play-caller was former Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell.
The offense floundered in Caldwell’s first game at the helm, gaining only 278 yards in a 34-17 loss to the Denver Broncos. The Ravens finished the season at 10-6. Once the playoffs started, however, quarterback Joe Flacco and company caught on fire. Flacco threw for 853 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions in the Ravens’ three victories.
The defense also stepped up, picking off Peyton Manning twice in the AFC divisional round against the Denver Broncos, as well as Tom Brady in the AFC championship game.
Both teams also faced injury concerns. For the Ravens, Five-time Pro Bowler Terrell Suggs tore his Achilles tendon before the season but, as he promised, returned midway through the season. Fellow veteran linebacker Ray Lewis tore his triceps, missing the last 10 games of the regular season, but returned for the playoffs.
But the 49ers had a more recent scare when All-Pro defensive end Justin Smith tore his triceps in a game against the New England Patriots.
“When Justin Smith is healthy, their front seven is unstoppable,” Farwell said. “I’m not too afraid of the Ravens. If the Chargers could have stopped that ‘Hey Diddle Diddle, Ray Rice up the Middle’ play on 4th and 29, the Ravens wouldn’t have even made it to the playoffs.”
While Johnson will be making the trip with Farwell, he believes that his roommates’ beloved team will not be victorious.
“The Ravens are the team of destiny,” Johnson said, referring to Ray Lewis’ comments after the AFC championship game.
Farwell was quick to counter Johnson’s argument, though.
“That ‘team of destiny’ stuff is overrated.” Farwell said. “And so is Ray Lewis. He’s overrated.”
Farwell concluded by predicting a 31-23 victory for San Francisco.
Freshman Jarrod Kaup, on the other hand, said the Ravens defense is too much for the 49ers offense to handle.
“I like the Ravens,” freshman Jarrod Kaup said. “I just think they’re a lot better than the 49ers.”
Sharing Kaup’s sentiment was freshman Broc Bennett.
“The Ravens already took out two elite teams this postseason,” Bennett said. “Why not a third? I have the Ravens 21-17.”
