Raiders RB Zamir White scores first NFL touchdown on TNF vs Chargers

Former Georgia star running back Zamir White scored the first touchdown of his NFL career for the Raiders on Thursday Night Football vs. the Chargers.

White punched it in on 1st & Goal from the one-yard-line, breaking the opening tie for Las Vegas at home. The Raiders would go on to score on the ensuing drive to jump out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Vegas improved that to 21-0 on its third possession, and look to have no intention of taking their foot off of the gas.

In three seasons with the Bulldogs, White accumulated 2,043 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns which led to him being selected No. 122 overall by the Raiders in the 2022 NFL Draft.

ZAMIR WHITE PUNCHES IT IN!!!#LACvsLV | 📺 @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/xFNGct7R5e

— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) December 15, 2023

Ever since entering the NFL, White has been scarcely used behind star tailback Josh Jacobs. With Jacobs out for the week, White’s name was called and he made the most of it. In two years with the Raiders heading into the TNF matchup — White has totaled 37 carries for 124 yards. Now, he can add a touchdown to his resume.

That had never been the case during his collegiate career, as during his final season in Athens — White played a major role in bringing a championship to Georgia, which helped bring to end a drought that spanned over 40 years when the Bulldogs defeated Alabama in the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Additionally, White scored the first touchdown for Georgia in the aforementioned title victory, leading the Bulldogs in rushing, as well.

A former five-star recruit in the class of 2018, White was the No. 1 running back in the nation per the On3 Industry Rankings, a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services.

More on Josh Jacobs’ injury

Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs was ruled out of Thursday Night Football due to a quad injury, according to Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network. He didn’t practice at all this week and was listed as questionable for his team’s TNF matchup vs. the Chargers, before being officially ruled out on Thursday afternoon. 

Jacobs has enjoyed another very good season with the Raiders, although not quite as good as his 2022 campaign, when he rushed for a league-leading 1,653 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. On the ground, he’s had 805 rushing yards with six touchdowns this season, to go along with 296 yards receiving.