Whenever Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart got the ball Sunday, it seemed like there were multiple Arizona Cardinals defenders waiting to tackle him.

He was stopped for a loss three times and was held to no gain once en route to totaling 10 yards on eight carries.

It was his lowest yardage output this season. Meanwhile, fellow running back DeAngelo Williams had a big day, rushing for 108 yards and a touchdown on 17 attempts.

Midway through his rookie year, Stewart, a first-round draft pick, has displayed a powerful running style, giving the Panthers a new dimension in short-yardage situations and leading the team with five rushing touchdowns.

He's still waiting for his first 100-yard game as a pro and has been doubled by Williams in rushing yards (324-162) over the past four games.

Teammates aren't concerned, however, and believe the best is yet to come for Stewart.

“I think he's doing just fine and I think he'll be heard from a lot the second half of the season,” said quarterback Jake Delhomme.

“I think it's a work in progress. This is not college. I think he sees (that). He had a lot of success early on. He was getting a lot of the touchdowns. Now DeAngelo is getting it. But this is a team game.”

Delhomme said he thinks the Panthers' bye this weekend will help Stewart, particularly because he's been playing catch-up since training camp after he missed minicamp workouts in the spring and early summer while recovering from toe surgery.

“He was so far behind everybody, with the foot injury, that it just takes time,” said Delhomme. “This has kind of been everything in fast forward with him. So now, maybe this week, sit back and relax a little bit and get ready to go.”

Stewart said he plans to spend his weekend off at the University of Oregon, where he rushed for 1,744 yards last season.

It's his first return to the campus since his pro career began.

Stewart said he believes his adjustment to the NFL is going well, though not without challenges.

“You're playing with the pros,” he said. “Nobody really makes mistakes out there. You have to be on the top of your game every Sunday.

“There are a lot of things you can get away with playing in a game in college that you can't get away with in the pros, like making indecisive cuts and stuff like that.”

Fullback Brad Hoover said opposing defenses have paid close attention to Stewart recently, especially after his early success (200 yards rushing and four touchdowns in the first four games).

“I think guys are more conscious that he's a very good football player, a good back,” said Hoover. “It could be like that and then, bam, he's going to have a breakout game again. That's the way this league works.”

Stewart could tell the Cardinals made a point to stop him.

“I felt like there were a lot more people in the box and more attentive to the fact that I was in the game, and (expected that) it was more likely that we were going to run the ball, especially in short-yardage deals,” said Stewart.

Two weeks earlier, he was held to 12 yards on six carries at Tampa Bay, but followed that with a 68-yard, one-touchdown performance against New Orleans.

He said he tries not to get discouraged when his statistics are minimal.

“You can't let it get you frustrated, because that's when it becomes a consistent pattern for you,” he said. “Sometimes you're not going to have room to run and sometimes the defense is going to make plays.

“It only takes one play for you to get in a groove. So you've just got to stay consistent.”

It should help Stewart and Williams that starting offensive linemen Jeff Otah and Ryan Kalil are expected back in the lineup for the next game, Nov.9 in Oakland.

Carolina also begins the second half of its schedule by playing four consecutive games against teams ranked in the bottom 10 in the league in run defense.