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Rookie fullback Andy Janovich gets Broncos back even

Mark Sanchez, Andy Janovich

Denver Broncos quarterback Mark Sanchez, right, completes a drill with fullback Andy Janovich during the team’s NFL football practice at the Broncos’ headquarters on Monday, Aug. 29, 2016, in Englewood, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

AP

If you thought Trevor Siemian was an unknown quarterback, the Broncos just tied the game with a real unknown.

It’s not just that you’ve never heard of Andy Janovich, but he plays a position they didn’t use last year.

The rookie fullback just took his first NFL carry for a 28-yard touchdown, seemingly confusing a Panthers defense that wasn’t expecting it.

And why would they? The Broncos didn’t use a fullback last year when Peyton Manning was quarterbacking, but this gets back to the roots of the offense Gary Kubiak wants to run.

Janovich, a sixth-round pick from Nebraska, carried 42 times for 265 yards his senior year (6.3 yards per attempt). They’ve already nicknamed him “Hammerhead,” and he figures to be an immediate cult favorite there.