Buccaneers rusher Graham ruled out for rest of season

MIAMI (Reuters) - Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Earnest Graham will miss the rest of the season because of an ankle injury, the team said on Wednesday.

The leading rusher for the Buccaneers, Graham injured his right ankle in Sunday's 19-13 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on his first carry of the game.

The 28-year-old has been replaced on the roster by running back Noah Herron, a former standout at Northwestern University and a reserve with the Green Bay Packers.

Warrick Dunn will move into the tailback role with back-up from Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, who returned to the active roster last week after a long-term knee injury.

"I just hate that the situation had to be written like this, with EG (Graham) going down," Williams told Tampa Bay's website (www.buccaneers.com). "That's football but I'm going to make the best out of the opportunity."

Graham leads Tampa Bay this season with 131 rushes, 560 yards and four touchdowns.

(Writing by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Ed Osmond)