Tank Bigsby played three years of football for Auburn before the Jacksonville Jaguars selected him in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. In the Jaguars’ latest Week 5 win, Bigsby delivered the best performance of his career.
The former Tiger ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries and caught his first pass of the season for 28 yards. Bigsby notched single-game career-highs in rushing yards, receiving yards, and touchdowns to help lead the Jags past the Indianapolis Colts for a much-needed first win of the season.
“Today, yes, I played very well, played well today,” Bigsby said in his locker room interview after the win (h/t Jacksonville Jaguars On SI). "There’s always more out there as a player, but first I just want to start by thanking God for this opportunity and thanking my teammates for being together, playing together. The sky’s the limit when you keep God first, and you live the right way. Looking forward to London and seeing how everything goes.”
Tank Bigsby could challenge Travis Etienne for starting spot
Given Travis Etienne’s reputation and long-standing chemistry with Trevor Lawrence, it is hard to imagine Bigsby will suddenly take over as the Jags’ lead running back. However, the young talent will certainly eat into more of Etienne’s workload if he maintains his red-hot form.
Bigsby is leading the league with a whopping 8.0 yards per carry, and he ranks first in rush yards over expectation per attempt. Simply put, Bigsby is breaking tackles like it’s going out of style. In his breakout performance, he recorded 11 missed tackles – the most by any player in a game this season.
Unlike Etienne, Bigsby displayed ridiculous speed and strength against the Colts. His 65-yard touchdown was a sight to behold as the second-year back reached a career-best speed of 20.93 miles per hour on the play. He also outsnapped Etienne for the first time in his career.
After the game, Jags head coach Doug Pederson made it clear that Etienne was still the starter. While this may be true for now, Auburn fans should see their guy take over as Jacksonville’s RB1 sooner or later.
