Game 1: With the Rams scoreless in the 1st Q, and trailing the Seahawks 7-0, Austin opens the 2nd Q with a 16 yard TD run for the Rams' first score of the game and of the year. TA takes a run designed to go up the middle, sidesteps a defender in the backfield, cuts left and then just makes 3 Seahawk defenders look silly with his superior speed and maneuverability as he easily glides through them and into the endzone. Crowd goes wild and the Rams are back in it after a shaky start. Later in the game, 4:40 to go in the 3rd, Rams leading only by 4, Tavon receives a punt, follows two blockers left, then a fake to the middle that freezes the Seahawk defenders, cuts back left and following blocks, tightropes down the sideline for a 75 yard TD. In a game that went to OT, TA's electrifying touchdowns were a winning factor.
Game 4: At the Cardinals, another big divisional rival game, and Austin again opens the scoring for the Rams with a nice cut and catch across the middle for a 12 yard TD. This puts the Rams up 7-0, and with the defense denying the Cardinals the endzone, it provided a nice cushion of confidence for the Rams, who never trailed in this pivotal road game. But with only 3:41 left in the 4th Q, the Rams were clinging to a 17-15 lead when Foles pump fakes and then hits a laid out flat Austin just as he sails across the goal line. A beautiful catch for 12 yards and the winning TD. The Cards scored again late, but it wasn't enough thanks to Austin's heroics.
Game 5: At GB, Tavon Austin scores the Rams' only TD of the day, despite Gurley's yards on the ground, in a frustrating loss.
Game 7: Rams win 27-6 over the 49ers. An easy laugher, right? Not when it was a defensive struggle at 13-6 late in the 2nd Q. Tavon takes an end around left to right and uses pure speed to race past two unblocked 49ers and stretches just enough for the pylon to get his first TD of the game. More offensive struggles ensue in the 2nd half until Tavon gathers in a short screen pass, squirts through 2 defenders and turns it into a 66 yard TD. Austin gets the Rams' only score of the half, the last two of the game, and nails the 9er coffin shut.
Game 11: A bad day for the Rams, with TA's 5 yard rushing TD the only score they could manage. It's the same end around he ran against SF, and Cincinnati knew it was coming, but his speed to the corner was just too much for them on that play.
Game 14: Once again, TA opens the scoring for the Rams and for the game, taking a screen down the middle of the field through befuddled Buccaneers for a TD and a quick 7-0 start. The Bucs would never recover. In the 2nd half he added another 21 yard rushing TD, taking an end around to the right and cutting through multiple defenders to the end zone. This was another of those plays that few players besides Austin could have finished.
What do we see here? Austin gets the Rams going when the offense is stalled. They're able to get TD's out of him in close quarters or long, due to his speed and his elusiveness even when the redzone is crowded.
TA had double TD's in 4 games, and the Rams won all of those games. That's 4 of their 7 wins, 3 of them against division rivals.
When the Rams get the ball into Austin's hands, he can produce points that lead to wins.
Others have already mentioned his decoy value, but I'd like to point out that on more than one occasion he made great downfield blocks for Gurley as well.
More touches, Jeff! More touches!
No bad language problems with this vid, but I can't embed it. Enjoy.
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/26/2016 04:16PM by Saguaro.