Football

Jaguars RB Tank Bigsby turns in career-best performance as he strives to 'keep God first'

By Kevin Mercer Oct 7, 2024
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough)

Winless no more.

In Jacksonville’s thrilling 37-34 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, the team’s first win of the season, Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby delivered one of the top performances in Week 5 of the NFL season.

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Bigsby rushed for 101 yards on 13 carries on a day that included his first two touchdowns of the season. The first came on a 19-yard rush up the middle in the third quarter, powering through the Colts’ defensive secondary to put the Jags up 10.

Bigsby’s second score came on a 65-yard scamper with 5:09 remaining in the game to give Jacksonville a seemingly insurmountable 34-20 lead.

Incredibly, the Colts the rallied to tie the contest before Jaguars kicker Cam Little’s game-winning 49-yard field goal in the final minute.

Bigsby’s big day on the ground gave him a new career high in rushing yards (his previous best was 90, set just one week ago against the Houston Texans), and he is now Jacksonville’s leading rusher in 2024 despite 19 fewer carries than starter Travis Etienne.

The second-year man out of Auburn knows his performance on Sunday, and so far this fall, has ultimately been a gift from the Lord.

“First I just want to start by thanking God for this opportunity,” the 23-year-old second-year pro said during his postgame media availability, while wearing a necklace with multiple crosses. “And thank my teammates for being together — playing together. The sky is the limit when you keep God first and you live the right way.”

He continued later: “I’m very blessed to be here and blessed for this opportunity.”

When asked about his improvement from his rookie season, Bigsby again credited God.

“I feel like I’m playing with a lot of confidence, and that starts with my faith,” he said. “It starts with faith. I got a lot of faith in God and my ability in working. I feel like if I put the work in, He’ll handle the rest. And I just lay it in His hands. So I have a lot of faith and a lot of confidence.”

 

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Bigsby struggled at times in his rookie season, averaging 2.6 yards per carry and fumbling twice in 50 attempts a year ago. Both aspects have improved in 2024. Through five games, Bigsby has gained an average of 8.03 yards per attempt (the highest in the NFL for a player with more than 23 attempts) and he recovered his only fumble (which came in the end zone on his first TD run Sunday).

“I learned from last year,” Bigsby said in August, according to the Florida Times-Union. “I just thank God for being here and giving me this opportunity of a lifetime.”

Due to a number of other unfortunate bounces of the ball as a rookie, jokes about Bigsby’s inability to hang onto the ball began to swirl on social media last season. Bigsby heard the noise, but he found his refuge and strength in God.

“Last year was kind of brutal,” he said in August. “You don’t really expect it for doing something you love. I always look to God … always keep my joy and I always keep my smile. I always kept who I was because I know eventually He was going to pull me out of it.”

Bigsby also seeks to share his faith on social media. He writes in his Instagram bio, “Jesus be4 YOU. Walk with faith. THANKFUL.”

 

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Bigsby’s perseverance in faith, even while enduring on-field struggles and off-field criticism a year ago, has him poised to continue his breakout season in 2024. For him, however, he’s focused not on himself but on helping the Jaguars get win No. 2 when they take on the Chicago Bears (3-2) in London on Sunday (9:30 a.m. ET).

“There’s a lot more out there that we’re gonna watch on film,” Bigsby said after Sunday’s game, “and try to go to London and, God willing, get another one.”

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