"Jay Gruden had seen glimpses of Bernard Scott in a couple of weeks of practice. The Bengals' offensive coordinator had watched Scott play on film, but until Thursday night's preseason game against Carolina he had never seen Scott in live action.

"He's a fun guy to watch," Gruden said following the Bengals' 24-13 win against the Panthers in Thursday's preseason game at Paul Brown Stadium in which Scott produced 63 yards and one touchdown on just six carries.

It was part of a dominant first-half performance by an offense that gained 139 of its 269 yards on the ground. Starting running back Cedric Benson picked up 68 yards on 16 carries in two drives.

Whereas Benson describes himself as having "explosive power," a healthy Bernard Scott offers a different style of running.

"Ced's a power back who can still get to the edge when he needs to, but I feel I bring a different pace to the game when I'm in," Scott said. "I think this could be a real good year for me and the team. Because of the way this offense is based, it's good for a back like me when we've got a 1-2 punch."

Scott, 5 feet 10, 198 pounds, was a sixth-round draft pick in 2009 out of Abilene Christian, where he had won the Harlan Hill Award, the NCAA Division II equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. He rushed for more than 2,100 yards in consecutive seasons at Abilene Christian and scored 73 touchdowns, 63 on the ground."