Rejuvenated Bucs Running Game Shines in Preseason Win

Improved Running Game Performance

TAMPA ― Something was totally different in regards to the Bucs running recreation.

In Saturday evening’s 17-14 preseason win over Cincinnati, what was the league’s worst dashing assault the previous two seasons got here to life.

Instead of tiptoeing by the opening, rookie Bucky Irving and second-year professional Sean Tucker crashed into the Bengals defensive position like well-hurled bowling balls.

“I believe the largest factor is that they’re getting downhill,” head coach Todd Bowles stated after the Bucs rushed for 136 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries, a 4.3-yard common. “Nobody is dancing again there like they had been in the previous.

“They perceive the place the holes are a little bit higher, and so they’ve gotten a yr to mature — at the least Sean does; Bucky is a pure runner like that. They’re recognizing the holes, and so they’re doing a great job in apply of seeing the place it needs to be and so they’re exploding by it.”

Standout Performances

Third-year running again Rachaad White was among the many 25 gamers ― most of them starters ― who didn’t play in the sport.

But he watched as rookie middle Graham Barton, the Bucs’ first-round decide, paved the way in which for Irving’s 5-yard landing run to cap a 77-yard drive and tie the sport 7-7 in the primary quarter.

Tucker led the Bucs with 68 yards on 10 carries, together with a 26-yard run, the longest in the sport.

Rookie undrafted free agent Ramon Jefferson, who performed for brand new offensive coordinator Liam Coen at Kentucky, scored the profitable landing on a 3-yard run with 57 seconds remaining in the sport.

Coen’s greatest job is to revive the Bucs’ dashing assault. For the primary preseason recreation, anyway, it seemed completely totally different.

Player Evaluation and Competition

Irving, a fourth-round decide from Oregon, demonstrated the imaginative and prescient, energy, and agility that enticed the Bucs to pick out him. He additionally did a great job in cross safety. You may actually think about him splitting reps this season with White, who had 1,539 whole yards from scrimmage and an astounding 336 touches in 2023.

“He had no jitters,” Bowles stated of Irving. “He wasn’t nervous. He hit the holes effectively, he caught the ball effectively, he handed the block effectively. I’ll test the tape for all the pieces else, however I believed he had a great first outing.”

Bowles stated he hasn’t completed evaluating Barton and returning middle Robert Hainsey, who began the sport with guards Cody Mauch and Ben Bredeson.

“I’m nonetheless in the method of taking a look at that, however I noticed some good issues,” Bowles stated. “There was a snap on the bottom — I’ve bought to complete wanting on the tape — however from a run-game standpoint, I believed they did an honest job of getting as much as the second stage.”

Also undetermined is the battle for the No. 2 quarterback spot behind Baker Mayfield.

Both Trask and John Wolford performed effectively, main the offense to touchdowns.

Trask completed 12 of 20 for 144 yards passing. But he was intercepted as soon as and did not get a lot velocity on a few different passes that fell incomplete.

After going three-and-out on the Bucs’ first drive, Trask accomplished passes of 24 yards to Ryan Miller, 19 to third-round decide Jalen McMillan and 21 to Trey Palmer to arrange the primary landing.

Wolford completed 12-of-18 passing for 131 yards and orchestrated the game-winning drive.

“It’s just one recreation,” Bowles stated. “They’ve bought two extra video games to see how this performs out. They each made some good performs, they’d each wish to have some performs again, clearly. Kyle threw it tender a few instances, and he’s bought to let it go. John made some good throws beneath when he was below strain, but it surely’s nonetheless a contest. There are nonetheless two video games to go. It’s nonetheless shut.”

Conclusion

The Bucs’ running recreation confirmed vital enchancment in the preseason recreation towards the Cincinnati Bengals, with gamers like Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker making impactful performances. The teaching workers is eager on additional evaluating the group’s running backs and quarterbacks to find out one of the best lineup shifting ahead.

FAQs

1. Which gamers stood out in the Bucs’ preseason win?
Players like Bucky Irving, Sean Tucker, and Ramon Jefferson made vital contributions to the group’s success in the sport.

2. How did the running recreation fare in comparison with earlier seasons?
The Bucs’ running recreation confirmed vital enchancment, with a extra aggressive and efficient method by the running backs.

3. What is the present standing of the quarterback competitors?
Both Kyle Trask and John Wolford confirmed promise in the preseason recreation, leaving the choice for the No. 2 quarterback spot nonetheless open for analysis.