Jacksonville Jaguars: Leonard Fournette breaks out in rout of Steelers

The Jacksonville Jaguars crushed the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-9. Leonard Fournette broke a long 90 yard touchdown gallop

The Jacksonville Jaguars know that Leonard Fournette is a special talent. After the game in New York, there was much discussion concerning Fournette and his snap counts. Were the Jaguars correct in using the running back by committee approach? Fournette is 6-0 and weighs 240 pounds. He has rushed for 285 yards on 81 carries with three touchdowns. He has caught 12 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. Everyone wondered when he would have his big breakout game.

At LSU, Fournette had three long touchdown runs against Ole Miss in 2016. One of those touchdown runs was 59 yards. The other two were of 76 and 78 yards. The Jaguars fans knew that he would be able to have long distant gallops, but wondered when he would get loose.

His longest run through the first four games had gone for just 17 yards. He rushed for 100 yards in Week 1 at Houston, had 99 total rushing yards combined in Weeks 2 and 3, and ran for 86 yards in Week 4.

The stage was set for his showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive front seven. The Steelers were giving up an average of 113 rushing yards per game entering the contest. Fournette showed promise early as he played a big role in Jacksonville’s first scoring drive. After falling behind 3-0, Jacksonville pounded the Steelers defense with perfectly executed run plays to the Pittsburgh 2-yard line. On second-and-goal, Fournette launched himself over the goal-line for the score.

Fournette, on the next drive, had a 13-yard run on second-and-9. He followed with an 11-yard run. Next came a 12-yard jog, all to set up a Jason Myers field goal. The offensive line was pushing the Steelers defense off the line of scrimmage. As integral as Fournette was for the offense early on, though, he finally gave fans what they’d been waiting for to punctuate a victory.

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With the ball at the Jaguars 10-yard line, Fournette took the handoff and veered around the left end. 90 yards later, he had his longest touchdown run as a Jacksonville Jaguar. He finished the game with 28 carries for 181 yards and two touchdowns. Fournette has had his breakout run, leading to his breakout game. Expect more from this very talented rookie. The Jaguars have found Fred Taylor 2.0.