49ers vs. Broncos snap count: How much did the starters and backups play?

The 49ers wrapped up their first preseason game, and thanks to the good folks at NFLGSIS.com, we have a game book with snap counts (PDF). We ran through snap count data last season, and while the regular season information is interesting, the preseason snap counts are where the real value stands.

The 49ers got most of their roster on the field last night. The only players who did not play were Kyle Williams, Quinton Patton, Frank Gore, Chris Culliver, Parick Willis, Jonathan Goodwin and Justin Smith. The beat writers were able to report on all of those guys not playing by the start of the game, so none were a surprise.

Jewel Hampton is listed in the game book as having gotten into the game, but he does not appear in the snap count. My guess is maybe he got in when there was a penalty, but I'm not quite sure. It was a bit of a surprise that we did not see him on the field. LaMichael James got the start, D.J. Harper got his share of snaps, but it was mostly the Anthony Dixon show.

Dixon had 38 offensive snaps and five special teams snaps. He rushed seven times for 27 yards, and caught three passes for 18 yards. He looked strong on special teams, and a bit inconsistent in the rushing game. He had two big runs called back on holds, but he also had some dancing issues. I feel like he has cut down on his dancing behind the line, but we still see it from time to time.

On defense, Lawrence Okoye made his NFL debut, getting six defensive snaps and one special teams snap. We'll be breaking down his performance in more detail a little later today.

To provide some context on the snap counts, there were 66 total offensive plays, 67 defensive plays and 23 special teams plays.