Former Clemson star Travis Etienne enjoyed a huge day to kick off his 2025 season with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Etienne shined while helping lead the Jaguars to a 26-10 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville.
In the first game under new Jaguars head coach Liam Coen, Etienne ran 16 times for 143 yards, averaging 8.9 yards per rush. He also chipped in three catches for 13 yards on three targets.
The 5-foot-10, 215-pounder broke off a monster 71-yard run to set up a Jaguars touchdown late in the second quarter.
Etienne’s 143 yards against Carolina marked the second-most rushing yards of his career in his first game with Coen calling plays. His career high is 156 vs. Denver in 2022.
Etienne is now in the final year of his rookie contract after being selected by the Jaguars in the first round (25th overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft. He came into this season having rushed for 2,691 yards and 18 touchdowns on 637 carries, while catching 132 passes for 1,046 yards and another score, over the first three seasons of his pro career.
Etienne played in 15 games last season, when he had 150 carries for 558 yards and two touchdowns. Prior to the 2024 campaign, he rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of his first two NFL seasons in 2022 and 2023, after missing his entire 2021 rookie campaign due to a season-ending Lisfranc injury he suffered in that preseason.
Meanwhile, former Clemson star Trevor Lawrence went 19-of-31 passing for 178 yards with one touchdown pass and one interception for the Jags in Sunday’s game. The 2021 No. 1 overall pick hit tight end Hunter Long for a 6-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.
–Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images