By Kevin Kelly
The Cincinnati Enquirer

PHOTO GALLERY

Photos of Sunday's game

Upon hearing the announcement that Rudi Johnson was going to be available in the Bengals interview room, Willie Anderson stopped in mid-sentence.

"That's cool," the offensive tackle remarked. "Rudi's got an interview in the interview room. That is big. That is huge right there."

Though small in stature - he's generously listed at 5-10 - what Johnson did during Sunday's 27-24 win against the Seahawks on Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium was sizeable.

The 24-year-old filled in for starting running back Corey Dillon, who was inactive, and had a career day.

In just his second NFL start, Johnson rushed 27 times for 101 yards and one touchdown.

"Dillon was inactive and sometimes everyone takes a big, deep breath and goes, 'Oh, good, he's not playing,' " Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said. "Then all of a sudden you got a guy in there that's pretty good."

Johnson's showing marked the first time since Sept. 21, 1997 - when Ki-Jana Carter rushed for 104 yards at Denver - that a Bengal other than Dillon eclipsed the century mark for rushing yards.

"I'm just going in and doing what (the coaches) ask me to do," Johnson said. "Whenever coach asks, I'll be ready."

The Bengals running game, which hasn't had a completely healthy Dillon since Sept. 21, averaged an anemic 73.8 yards per game before Sunday. Cincinnati totaled 180 against Seattle.

"Rudi sometimes gets overlooked a little bit," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. "He just kept plugging and made some big runs (Sunday) and did a good job."

Johnson tied the game at seven when he scored on an 18-yard run with 5:33 remaining in the first quarter. The run featured a nifty move at the 10-yard line that faked out Seahawks strong safety Reggie Tongue.

"The offensive linemen did a great job of firing off the ball, giving me a little bit of room to work with, and I just made the cut back," Johnson said. "There was a great block on the backside by (tight end) Reggie Kelly and I was able to make the safety miss and get to the end zone."

The third-year back out of Auburn, who had never gained more than 69 yards in a professional game before Sunday, did most of his damage running behind the cover of the 6-5, 340-pound Anderson on the right side.

"That's an advantage for me, getting behind those big guys, because I'm so short and built low to the ground," he said. "I use it to my advantage. When I get behind those big guys and just move, it's hard for the defense to see me like that."

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