Monday, November 26, 2012

Dolphins find long-lost rushing game vs. Seahawks

BY SEAN DONOVAN

A Miami Dolphins rushing attack that was dominant at the start of the season has been all but a distant memory since.

But Miami delivered an emphatic reminder in its 24-21 last-second victory over the Seattle Seahawks Sunday.

The Dolphins accrued 189 yards rushing on the afternoon, their highest total since the second game of the season. In fact, Miami had not crossed the 100 yard mark on the ground since it's Week 3 game against the New York Jets.

That production paid dividends right away, as Ryan Tannehill and the passing attack found space downfield all afternoon.

"We want to be able to run the ball well,” tailback Reggie Bush said, according to the Miami Herald. “We want to have that balanced attack in games.”

Bush rushed for 87 yards on 14 carries  and opened the day's scoring with an impressive 21-yard touchdown scamper in the second quarter.

Second-year back Daniel Thomas added a touchdown of his own, along with 60 yards on nine carries. Both backs averaged better than 6 yards per carry.

The Dolphins were able to then use play-action and the threat of the run to find open spots downfield for the passing game, en route to the team's first 400 total yard output in six weeks. As was seen earlier in the season, a strong running game helps the rest of the offense be productive.

“It’s going to help [Tannehill] out a lot and it’s going to help the receivers out a lot," Bush said.

Even Tannehill, who was expected to be a mobile quarterback coming out of the draft, finally found his legs and gained 33 yards on four scrambles. That total is more than he had gained on the ground in all of his first 10 games.

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