The NFL preseason is a time for players to try to make a mark, and safe to say Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Nathan Rourke did that during their 28-23 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
The third-string QB made a highlight reel throw to Qadree Ollison as he was being tackled for a 21-yard touchdown pass.
The impressive play started with Rourke ducking to escape a pair of tacklers who looked as though they would gobble him up in the backfield.
Then he momentarily escaped danger before another Cowboys defender wrapped him up, but Rourke managed to get the pass off anyway as he was falling to the ground.
“It’s a bit of a blur,” Rourke told the Jaguars team website. “I just knew I needed to have a little bit of time, to buy some time. It was a longer route. We had to buy some time to able to get a completion and then had to buy some time in the pocket.
“Qadree did a really good job with the scramble rules and I just tried to give him a chance. I’m glad it worked out.”
Rourke completed nine of his 17 passes in Saturday’s preseason game for Jacksonville and ended the night with 153 passing yards. He also had 20 yards on the ground and a touchdown.
The 25-year-old is making the jump from the Canadian Football League, where he spent two seasons with BC Lions.
Rourke, who was born in Victoria, British Columbia, signed a three-year deal with the Jaguars in January after fielding interest from “more than a dozen” NFL teams, according to the Toronto Sun.
Rourke also played his college football at Ohio University.
The effort during the preseason opener made an impression on Jags’ starting quarterback Trever Lawrence.
“Nate had some unbelievable plays,” Lawrence told the Florida Times-Union. “That was really cool to see him play well. That’s what it takes in these preseason games … end of the game, you get a lot of different guys in there. You’ve got to have some plays like that. He won the game for us.”
The Jaguars have two more games left on the preseason calendar, with games against the Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins on the horizon.