Saturday, 3 a.m.
The Tampa Bay Bucs finally took their starters out of storage this preseason Friday night.
And, yeah, they looked pretty good in small doses.
But did they see enough action?
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It’s always an eternal questions, of course. For the night, things worked out well enough in a 24-14 win over Miami. But the Bucs barely gave their regulars much of a taste, preferring to get their heavy work in during the team’s preseason scrimmages against the Dolphins and Jags.
Consider this:
Baker Mayfield didn’t throw an incompletion all preseason. On the other hand, he attempted just three balls and spent the rest of the night in a t-shirt.
Rachaad N White carried the ball only four times for 16 yards.
Mike Evans didn’t catch a pass in preseason (he didn’t play Friday night). Chris Godwin caught one.
Levonte Davis didn’t play Friday and ended the preseason without a tackle.
Is it enough? Well, it will have to be. The Bucs’ next action is a week from Sunday against Washington at home.
As for Friday night, the Bucs jumped to a 17-0 lead and went on to win by 10.
Backup quarterback Kyle Trask was effective, hitting 17 of 24 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Running backs Bucky Irving (6 -26) and Sean Tucker (7-20) continued to compete for the backup job.
Cody Miller again led the team in receiving with seven catches for 45 yards.
Dolphin quarterback Skylar Thompson hit 19 of 27 passes for 190 yards and two scores.
The Bucs cutdown day is Tuesday.