Jacksonville Jaguars

Jaguars rookie Yeldon doubles his workload in win over Miami

Published Sep. 21, 2015 12:06 a.m. ET

foxsports

A week after carrying the ball 12 times for 51 yards in his regular-season debut, Jacksonville Jaguars rookie running back T.J. Yeldon saw his workload more than double in the team's Week 2 win over the Miami Dolphins.

Yeldon, Jacksonville's second-round pick this year, ran 25 times for 70 yards in Sunday's 23-20 win.

The increased workload was made necessary by injuries to Jacksonville's top two backups. The Jaguars were without third-down back Toby Gerhart entering the game due to an abdominal injury, and fellow reserve Denard Robinson suffered a knee injury on his first carry Sunday.

The rookie from Alabama averaged just 2.8 yards per carry and lost two yards on a first-and-goal carry at the Miami one in the first quarter, but did manage a run of 12 yards later in the game.

Yeldon says he wasn't surprised by the number of times he ended up carrying the ball.

“In the offseason, we put a lot of emphasis on running the football,’’ Yeldon said, per Vito Stellino of the Florida Times-Union.

His play caught the attention of Miami star defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who spoke with Yeldon after the game.

"He told me to keep balling and doing my thing,’’ Yeldon said.

As the team gets ready to face the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots on the road next Sunday, Yeldon said he's prepared to once again handle the bulk of the carries, if need be.

“If I have to, I feel like I can do it,’’ Yeldon said.

(h/t Florida Times-Union)