Timely catches from Hughes, Miller

Nate Hughes had to learn how to make big catches in the end zone. Zach Miller had to learn how to block. That was the ticket for the two young players to get on the field and they both came up with big plays Sunday in the second quarter of the Jaguars' 23-18 victory over the Houston Texans. Hughes caught a 35-yard touchdown pass running in full stride and then Miller caught a short pass and went 62 yards to set up another touchdown. Those 14 points and three field goals by Josh Scobee provided the margin of victory for the Jaguars . For Hughes and Miller, getting a chance was the big challenge. Signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by Cleveland a year ago, Hughes was cut and spent two weeks on Kansas City's practice squad before being waived again. The Jaguars signed him to their practice squad on Nov. 19 and promoted him to the active roster on Dec. 22, but he didn't play in a game. Hughes made the active roster this year, but was cut on Sept. 21 after he failed to catch the two balls in the end zone against the Cardinals in the fourth quarter that would have cut the deficit to one touchdown. He then was signed to the Jaguars practice squad. In seven weeks on the practice squad, he earned the coaches' confidence and was promoted from the practice squad on Nov. 17 when Jarett Dillard was injured. He said he never worried about catching the ball when quarterback David Garrard threw him a perfect pass. "I just go out there and play ball. Just glad I had an opportunity to catch one. I'm glad the coaches had faith in me to put me out there," Hughes said. On what he dealt with this year, he said, "I wouldn't call it ups and downs. I was just learning. Dave [Garrard] talked to me a lot. Things don't always go the way you want to go. Sometimes you have to grind it out, keep working at it and it will pay off in the end. "It definitely felt good to score my first NFL touchdown." Miller was drafted in the sixth round and converted from a quarterback to a tight end. He has the speed and ability to catch the ball like a tight end needs to, but assistant coach Mike Tice said he had to learn to block because if the Jaguars only put him on the field for passing plays, the opposing teams would know what's coming. "I think using my speed is going to be an advantage," Miller said. "Obviously I'm not as big as all the other tight ends so if that's what I've got to do to create mismatches on the field, then I'm happy to do it." Miller played in eight of the first 11 games and caught six passes. Against the Texans, he had three catches for 74 yards, but the big one was on a third-and-2 play at the Jaguars 28. "I knew once I went in motion across the formation that I had the matchup we wanted," he said. He went 62 yards before Brice McCain brought him down with a horse-collar tackle that moved the ball to the Texans' 5. Three plays later, Ernest Wilford caught a 4-yard touchdown pass. "We're coming together as a team. There's not enough footballs to go around. We've got a lot of explosive guys so we're just going to keep on winning," Miller said.