TAMPA, Fla. -- When Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Jacquizz Rodgers takes the field Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, he’s expected to get his fifth start this season. It will mark the end of what’s proven to be a breakthrough season, which started with the disappointment of getting cut by the Chicago Bears in the preseason, then was threatened by a foot injury. But the 26-year-old running back came through for a team that, like him, found itself in a dire situation.

The Bucs lost two of their top two running backs, Doug Martin and Charles Sims, twice this season. The first time came in Week 5 against Carolina on Monday Night Football, which is how Rodgers earned his first start with the Bucs. He rushed for 101 yards in that game, the first time in his six-year NFL career that he broke the 100-yard barrier. The Bucs won that game 17-14, largely because of his efforts.

And now, with Sims on injured reserve with a pectoral injury and Martin's stunning announcement that he's taking time away from the team to enter a drug treatment program, Rodgers is expected to get a heavy workload again Sunday. With the slimmest chance that the Bucs could reach the playoffs after Sunday's game and Rodgers due to become a free agent after the season, you could say it's his final audition, his final chance to assert his value to this team.

He's never been one to back away from a challenge.

'My brother will probably shake you'

Rodgers' brother James, who is 14 months older, can still remember the first time Jacquizz set foot on Oregon State's campus. He tried to warn the upperclassmen what they were in for. Before the team's first intrasquad scrimmage, he told one of the cornerbacks: "My brother will probably shake you. He'll probably juke you."

The cornerback responded, "He's not juking me ... no he won't."

Jacquizz stood 5 feet, 6 inches, several inches shorter than the top college running backs at the time -- Matt Forte, Darren McFadden, Jamaal Charles and Chris Johnson. Even the top smaller backs -- Jonathan Stewart, Ray Rice and Justin Forsett -- stood taller.

Jacquizz juked the corner, took off and scored a touchdown.

"And everybody said, 'Man, I thought you were lying about your brother," Jameis said. "I was like, 'Yeah, I tried to tell y'all.'"

Running backs coach Reggie Davis, who now holds the same title at Nebraska, wasn't so sure.

"I wanted to quickly test him to see how tough he was. We did some pass-protection drills and it was really, really obvious that he was our best pass protector. I was amazed at how fast he picked up the offense."

He quickly secured the starting job.

"He was hitting guys in the chin," Davis said. "Sometimes guys that are shorter, they'll try to cut guys at the knees. But he stayed high and he hit guys high and was a tough guy. He was smart. He had everything you wanted."

"It was almost unfair"

You could see the makings of that toughness on the Lamar Hornets little league team when Rodgers was growing up near Houston, his thick legs likely developed from all the times James sat on the bike and made Jacquizz pedal for both of them. The brothers played on the same team until they were nine.

"It was almost unfair because he was just running over kids," James recalled. "Every time he touched the ball, he would score a touchdown. The same thing happened when we got to high school. ... He was putting up at least 150-plus a night and scoring every time he touched the ball."

The same thing happened in college, too, when he rushed for 186 yards and two touchdowns in a stunning upset over USC in 2008 and Rodgers earned Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year honors.

Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter even joked about that USC game after the Bucs beat the San Francisco 49ers 34-17. Rodgers rushed for a career-high 154 yards and a reporter asked, "How long did you know he was this good?"

"Google up Oregon State vs. USC from 1947 or whatever year it was, you’ll see," Koetter said, cautioning him about using the word "scrap" to describe Rodgers' predicament after being cut by the Bears.

"You go tell him about the scrap," Koetter said. "You should probably use those words, too, and then duck real fast before he punches you right in the teeth [laughter].”

Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy said after that game, "Man, I don't know what he's listed at but he walks around like he's 250. He's a load and not easy to deal with."

"It was just a fire lit"

Being among the Bears' final cuts in the preseason wasn't easy to deal with, either. When Rodgers got the call from Tampa in Week 2, he didn't really have time to pack his belongings or find a new place to live. He's been living in a hotel all season.

"I think it was just a fire lit," James Rodgers said. "We all need a little something. You might be going through stuff and everybody needs a little fuel to add to the fire. I think that's probably what it did for him."

The Bucs are 22nd in the league in rushing after ranking fifth last year, but Rodgers has provided a spark they've needed in key moments. In addition to his efforts in victories over Carolina and San Francisco, Rodgers produced a stellar fourth quarter against the San Diego Chargers in Week 13, with a 21-yard catch-and-run to set up a game-winning touchdown with 9:06 left.

“He’s just what you call a 'competitor that is going to take advantage of his opportunities,'" Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston said. "He isn’t going to say much, is going to sit in the shadows, but when it’s his turn, he’s going to be the brightest star out there on the field and I thank him for his selflessness and just being ready at any given time. ... We owe a lot to Jacquizz Rodgers.”

Rodgers is equally grateful for the opportunity he's gotten this season in Tampa.

"This is what I worked for," Rodgers said. "I finally got my opportunity this year. It kinda paid off. I had a chance to start a couple of games and I've just tried to take full advantage of it."

Koetter was asked if he thought Rodgers' performance this year warranted a new contract. Although he deferred that question to general manager Jason Licht, he responded with, "Sure, I would think so."

Would a performance similar to the one he had against Carolina in Week 5, or the one he had against USC that had Koetter gushing, turn that into a more affirmative response? Does Rodgers want to be back next year?

Right now, he's only focused on this final game.

"I'm just glad that I got a chance," Rodgers said. "With the things that happened around here and Dirk bringing me in, I was grateful for the opportunity. This is all I wish for."