Final Game Notes: IND vs JAX

Sep 21, 2014 at 10:42 AM

JAGUARS START THREE ROOKIES; WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES

The Jaguars had three rookies in the starting lineup today with center Luke Bowanko, right guard Brandon Linder and wide receiver Allen Robinson. Eight of the 11 starters on offense have started less than 10 career games. Quarterback Chad Henne was the only offensive player to start today that started in the 2013 season-finale at Indianapolis. Only four players that started on defense today started in the 2013 season-finale against the Colts.

BRANCH ADDS TO SACK TOTAL

Third-year defensive end Andre Branch registered his team-best third sack of the season, taking down Andrew Luck for a five-yard loss in the second quarter. Branch has 10 career sacks with six in the last seven games and eight in the last 10 games dating back to 2013. He had two sacks in the 2014 season-opener at Philadelphia.

ROOKIE ALLEN ROBINSON LEADS RECEIVING CORPS

2014 second-round pick Allen Robinson led the Jaguars with a game-high seven receptions for 79 yards and leads the team through three games with 12 catches for 154 yards. He had receptions of 21, 18 and 15 yards, all from rookie quarterback Blake Bortles. His seven receptions tied for the sixth-most in franchise history by a rookie. He entered the game with only five receptions in the first two games.

BORTLES SEES FIRST REGULAR SEASON ACTION

2014 first-round pick Blake Bortles made his NFL debut after he was inserted into the lineup to start the second half and finished 14 of 24 passing for 223 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for an 82.5 passer rating. Bortles had four completions of 20-plus yards including a 63-yard touchdown pass to fellow rookie Allen Hurns. Bortles also had a 20-yard rush. He engineered the offense to 289 yards in the second half after the club managed only 55 yards in the first half. The Jaguars were 3 of 5 on third down in the second half.

HURNS CONTINUES TO MAKE PLAYS

Rookie wide receiver Allen Hurns was bothered by an ankle injury for the majority of the week but he still managed to make an impact play in limited duty. Hurns hooked up with Blake Bortles for a 63-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, his team-high third touchdown of the season and second reception of 46-plus yards. Hurns is averaging a team-best 26.6-yards per catch (7 catches, 186 yards) and his three receiving touchdowns are tied for the third-most in team history by a rookie.

JAGUARS RUSH FOR A SEASON-HIGH 105 YARDS

The Jaguars produced 105 yards on 20 carries (5.3 avg.) with four runs of 10-plus yards. The Jaguars entered the game with only two rushes of 10-plus yards through the first two games. Second-year running back Denard Robinson led the team with 33 yards on eight carries while Toby Gerhart totaled 32 yards on nine carries with a long of 13. Quarterback Blake Bortles had rushes of 10 and 20 yards.

OFFENSE SHINES IN SECOND HALF

The Jaguars finished with a season-high 344 total yards (105 rushing, 239 passing) with 289 yards coming in the second half. The Jaguars had 16 of 18 first downs in the second half.

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SHORTS MAKES 2014 DEBUT

Wide receiver Cecil Shorts saw action in his first game this season after sitting out the first two games with a hamstring injury. Shorts finished with five catches for 35 yards including a 10-yard touchdown pass from Blake Bortles in the fourth quarter.

TIDBITS

Defensive tackle Sen'Derrick Marks recorded a sack of Andrew Luck in the second quarter. Marks has nine career sacks with six coming with the Jaguars (19 games).
The Jaguars had a season-low two penalties for 15 yards.
The Jaguars scored two touchdowns in the second half, their first touchdowns in the second half in 2014.
Josh Scobee recorded touchbacks on all four kickoffs and added a 41-yard field goal in the third quarter.
Linebacker Paul Posluszny had a game-high 11 tackles (seven solo), the second time in three games he has recorded double-digit tackles.
Running back Toby Gerhart eclipsed 2,000 career yards from scrimmage with 2,042 (1,387 rushing, 655 receiving).
Fullback Will Ta'ufo'ou had a career-long 26-yard reception from Blake Bortles in the third quarter.
Rookie tight end Marcel Jensen made his NFL debut and had a 14-yard catch.
The 44 points scored by the Colts tied for the fourth-most in team history by a Jaguars opponent. The Colts scored 30 points in the first half, the most by a Jaguars opponent in the first half in team history. The Colts scored on their first six possessions.
The Colts registered 525 total yards, the fourth-most in franchise history by a Jaguars opponent.

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