TAMPA, Fla. – Since starting fullback Justin Griffith was lost for the season Oct. 26, Michael Bush has been adamant – he's not a fullback.
Nevertheless, Bush's size (6-foot-1, 245 pounds) and two players ahead of him at tailback meant Bush would eventually be asked to become a blocking back.
When injuries sidelined Justin Fargas and Darren McFadden on Sunday, Bush got his wish to be the primary tailback.
The result was 177 rushing yards, the seventh-highest total in team history, and two touchdowns as the Raiders defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-24 at Raymond James Stadium.
His rushing yards, carries (27) and touchdowns were all career-highs.
Bush's total was also a season high for the Raiders, topping the 160 yards by McFadden on Sept. 14 in Kansas City. It was also the most yards since Fargas ran for 179 on Sept. 30, 2007, at Miami.
Bush hopes his second big day in relief (he ran for 90 yards after injuries to Bush and McFadden on Week 2) will be enough to convince whomever coaches the Raiders next season that he's too good of a runner to be used only to block.
But apparently, interim head coach Tom Cable's pressure to play fullback got into Bush's head.
"I got drafted as a fullback, I mean running back," Bush said. "Excuse me, don't ever say that. And hopefully I continue to stay a running back."
Cable said he never doubted Bush could be effective and that using him as a blocker was the best way to get him on the field.
Bush spent 2007 on the physically unable to perform list, recovering from a broken leg suffered in the 2006 college season opener with Louisville.
But Bush wasn't carrying the ball much before Sunday's season finale. He had only four carries for four yards in his previous six games.
If Cable remains coach, he's ready for Bush to remind him of how good of a running back he is next summer.
"But we knew that," Cable said. "It's just a matter of we have a lot of talent at that spot, so that's always something you're going to wrestle with as a coach. We'll make it work."
Bush ran with power and showed off his speed on a 67-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
"I thought to myself, 'I can't just let them bring me down with an arm tackle,' " Bush said. " So I picked up my legs and tried to take off and hope nobody would catch me. They didn't, so it was a touchdown."
Bush piled up most of his yards late after wearing down the defense. He had 13 rushes for 129 yards in the fourth quarter.
"He turned his shoulders downhill to the defense," Cable said. "He really went after it. He just ran so, so violently. And that's what you need."
Read Jason Jones' Raiders blog at www.sacbee.com/raidersblog.
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