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Jaguars' Travis Etienne working through Dolphins' fumble, 'ebbs and flows' of NFL season
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- Jaguars' Travis Etienne working through Dolphins' fumble, 'ebbs and flows' of NFL season
He thought he was going to score. He would've at least moved his team into position for a goal line touchdown.
But thanks to a teach-tape punch out from Miami Dolphins safety Jevon Holland , Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne fumbled the ball just short of the goal line.
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The play resulted in Miami's resurgence into the 20-17 defeat against the Dolphins , ultimately flipping the game on its head and halting a lot of good progress from the Jaguars for three of the four quarters of the game.
"It's unfortunate that that happened. I hate that it happened," Etienne said from the locker room of the Miller Electric Center earlier this week. "But on the bright side, I got it out the way. And just don't let it beat you again."
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Etienne rushed for 44 yards on 12 attempts for a touchdown against the Dolphins. Meanwhile, second-year back Tank Bigsby galloped to a career-high 76 yards.
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It's a formula the team has preached throughout the offseason, having two backs that can rotate in and be effective runners. And it was almost successful.
"My teammates are counting on me to be the best player that I can be. The team is counting on me to come out there and play my ass off," Etienne continued. "They not worried about that. They have the utmost belief in me and I just gotta believe in myself."
That statement was proven true by longtime teammate Trevor Lawrence , explaining why he has faith in Etienne to respond on Wednesday.
"We've played together for, this is year seven, I guess? Year seven together," Lawrence said, calling back to their time at Clemson before joining the Jaguars. "We've seen each other both have some plays that we want back. I think we both have a lot of confidence in one another to bounce back and you know what you're going to get out of him."
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) runs onto the field with teammates. The Jaguars led 20 to 10 at the end of the first half. The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the Kansas City Chiefs in the Jaguars first preseason game of the season Saturday, August10, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union]
Etienne has been down this road before. After having to effectively redshirt his rookie season due to a Lisfranc injury, he had what he described as an "up and down" season in 2022.
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He fumbled five times, losing three of them, as he tried to find his footing as a professional. But once he found it, he was one of the best running backs in the NFL. He recorded a career-high 1,125 yards and established himself as Jacksonville's lead back.
"Everything is up and down, ebbs and flows, and I can't let that change the way that I approach the game," he said.
As Etienne and the team prepare for the Cleveland Browns in the home opener on Sunday, don't expect to see a drop in his usage.
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) scores a touchdown during the first quarter of a preseason NFL football game Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
For the Jaguars to succeed the way they want to, they'll need him to be the player who they—and Etienne—expects him to be.
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"He and I spoke even during the game Sunday and then afterwards, and I just reassured him that we're going to continue to give him the football," head coach Doug Pederson said. "I think that's the next-best thing is to get him right back on that horse, as they say. Keep feeding him the ball.
"I don't want him to be tentative, cautious. I still want him to attack, be aggressive and just learn from it."
Juston Lewis is a Jacksonville Jaguars beat reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on the website formerly known as Twitter at @JustonLewis_ .
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars' Travis Etienne on Dolphins' fumble: 'I hate that it happened'
