Player Roster

2009 HIGHLIGHTS: GENERAL: Fifth-year pro is in his first full Bengals season and has started Games 1-9 … Ranks sixth in NFL with 859 rushing yards, after netting only 22 on seven carries last week at Pittsburgh, before being sidelined with hip strain ... Had ranked second in NFL entering Steelers game .. Leads NFL in carries (205) ... Has posted four 100-yard rushing games, including memorable 189-yard effort Oct. 25 against his former team, Chicago ...  Has a 4.2-yard average, and leads the team with six TDs (all rushing) ... Has led team in yards from scrimmage in all but two games (Games 6 and 9), and his 925 yards from scrimmage ranks fourth in AFC and seventh in NFL ... Has 10 receptions for 66 yards.

GAME-BY-GAME: Had team-high 108 yards from scrimmage Sept. 13 vs. Denver, on 21-for-76 rushing (with a one-yard TD) and four-for-32 receiving ... Rushed 29-for-141 on Sept. 20 at Green Bay  … Rushed 16-for-76 (4.8) on Sept 27 vs. Pittsburgh, including 23-yard TD run for the first of two Bengals fourth-quarter TDs in a comeback win … Rushed 18-for-74 with a 12-yard reception in win Oct. 4 at Cleveland, and had 54 yards from scrimmage in overtime … Had 136 yards from scrimmage, including 27-for-120 rushing, in win Oct. 11 at Baltimore, and was the first 100-yard rusher in 40 games against the Baltimore defense … Also at Baltimore, broke several tackles in backfield and sprinted 28 yards for third-quarter TD that gave Bengals a 10-7 lead … Held to 44 rushing yards on 16 carries, including a 10-yard TD run, Oct. 18 vs. Houston … On Oct. 25 vs. Chicago, his former team, he rushed for a career-high 189 yards on 37 carries, seventh-most rushing yards in a game in Bengals history … Also vs. Chicago, scored a one-yard TD early in the fourth quarter … Gained 117 yards on 34 carries in win Nov. 8 vs. Baltimore, making him the first NFL back to record consecutive 100-yard games against the Ravens since Miami’s Ricky Williams in 2002-03 … Also first division back since Pittsburgh’s Jerome Bettis in 1997 to get 100 vs. Baltimore in both meetings of a season ... Also vs. Baltimore, scored on a one-yard TD run in the first quarter to give Bengals a 14-0 lead … Rushed seven-for-22 Nov. 15 at Pittsburgh before being forced to sit out second half due to a strained hip flexor.

PREVIOUS SEASONS: 2008 - Led team in yards from scrimmage in six games (Games 7-9 and 14-16) ... Tied for team lead in rushing TDs (two) ... His 46-yard rushing gain Dec. 21 at Cleveland was his career long and team’s longest rush of ’08 ... Made Bengals debut Oct. 5 at Dallas, with 10 rushes for 30 yards ... In first Bengals start, Oct. 19 vs. Pittsburgh, rushed 14-for-52 with a 10-yard reception ... In season’s first win, Nov. 2 vs. Jacksonville, rushed 24-for-104 and led team in scrimmage yards (109) for third straight week ... On Dec. 14 vs. Washington, logged 161 yards from scrimmage, going 21-for-73 rushing (3.5) and adding career-high and team-leading 88 yards on three receptions ... On Dec. 21 at Cleveland, posted a career-high 171 rushing yards, team scrimmage high for the season, and his 38 rush attempts tied for third most in franchise history ... Closed season with 25-for-111 rushing performance Dec. 28 vs. Kansas City, including two-yard TD run for 10-0 Bengals lead in second quarter ... Also vs. Chiefs, had 19 yards on three receptions and led team in scrimmage yards (130).

2007 - Started in Games 1-11 for Chicago, but suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Game 11, Nov. 25 vs. Denver ... Placed Nov. 27 on Reserve/Injured list ... His 674 rushing yards led the team for the season ... Rushed for season-high 101 yards on 24 carries in victory Sept. 16 vs. Kansas City ... Had career-long TD run of 43 yards Nov. 18 at Seattle ... Rushed eight-for-47 Nov. 25 vs. Denver before suffering ankle injury in second quarter.

2006 - Played in 15 regular season games and all three postseason games as Bears won NFC North with 13-3 record and advanced to Super Bowl XLI vs. Indianapolis ... Scored career-best six TDs while rushing for 647 yards and 4.1 avg. ... Scored his first two NFL touchdowns in win Oct. 8 vs. Buffalo ... Had his first 100-yard rushing game, gaining 109 on just 13 carries, Dec. 31 vs. Green Bay ... Rushed 38-for-104 in three postseason games, including 24-for-60 with a 12-yard TD in NFC Championship 1-21-07 vs. New Orleans ... Limited to minus-one net yards on two carries in Super Bowl.

2005 - Drafted by Chicago in first round (fourth overall) ... Played in nine games with one start, missing six games with a knee injury ... Rushed 62-for-272 (4.1 avg.) ... Led team with 79 rushing yards on 14 carries Nov. 6 at New Orleans ... Made first start the following week, Nov. 13 vs. San Francisco, and rushed 12-for-50 before suffering a knee injury in second quarter ... Inactive for Games 10-15, and returned to action in season finale on 1-1-06 at Minnesota.

COLLEGE: Four-year starter (2001-04) at Texas, and his 5540 rushing yards ranked sixth in NCAA Division I-A history ... Averaged 5.0 yards per carry ... Was the fifth back in NCAA history to rush for 1000 yards in all four seasons ... Also caught 69 passes for 621 yards (9.0) ... Rushed for 1834 yards and 19 TDs as a senior, winning Doak Walker Award (nation’s top RB) and Cingular/ABC Sports All-America Player of the Year.

BASEBALL, TOO: Benson was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 12th round (370th overall) of the 2001 MLB Draft ... Played summer ball in Dodgers system at Vero Beach, Fla., while attending Texas ... Stopped playing baseball in 2003 to concentrate on football.

PERSONAL: Hometown is Midland, Texas ... Attended Lee High School, where he was a Parade All-American and three-time Texas 5A Offensive Player of the Year ... His 8423 prep rushing yards ranked first in Texas Class 5A history ... Majored in social work at Texas.