Former Oregon Ducks’ star is ‘energizing’ the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Bucky Irving got the first start of his NFL career and he helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers run roughshod over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Starting in place of the injured Rachaad White, Irving ran 14 times for a career-high 81 yards and a touchdown in the Buccaneers’ 51-27 win. Irving’s day was highlighted by a 31-yard run in which he applied a nasty stiff-arm on one Saints defender and snapped the ankles of three others with cutback moves. Irving continues to show he can be electric when he has the football. He consistently finds open lanes and his ability to make people miss is impressive. “I’ll tell you who’s giving them a lift: Bucky Irving,” NBC football analyst Tony Dungy said Sunday night via joebucsfans.com. “He’s making some plays in the passing game. He’s making great runs. He’s just energizing them.” Irving, along with third-string running back Sean Tucker (14 carries, 136 yards) powered the Buccaneers’ run game with a total of 277 yards on the ground. The total was six less than the team’s franchise record of 283 accumulated against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015.