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Titans-Buccaneers: Live Updates and Analysis

Tennessee has a chance to win its first two preseason games for the first time since 2009.
David Boclair|
Titans-Buccaneers: Live Updates and Analysis
Titans-Buccaneers: Live Updates and Analysis

After two days of joint workouts earlier in the week, the Tennessee Titans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers meet in a preseason game at Raymond James Stadium.

The Titans rested virtually their entire starting offense a week earlier against the Atlanta Falcons. The expectation is that at least some of their most prominent players will be in uniform and on the field for this one.

For what it’s worth, Tennessee has a chance to win its first two preseason games for the first time since 2009. That year, their second game was a 27-20 victory over the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay.

On to kickoff.

FIRST QUARTER

The Titans won the toss and deferred their option to the second half. Sam Ficken’s kickoff is deep in the end zone for a touchback.

Tom Brady sits this one out. It is former Tennessee quarterback Blaine Gabbert under center for Tampa Bay. 

No Jackrabbit Jenkins for Tennessee's defense. Breon Borders starts in his place. 

(13:41) The Buccaneers convert their first third-down opportunity with a 15-yard completion, despite tight coverage by Borders.

(11:38) Kevin Byard breaks up a pass on third-and-2 and forces a punt. Byard had two tackles and a pass defensed on Tampa Bay’s first six plays.

(11:31) Chester Rogers with a fair catch, which sets up the Tennessee offense at its own 11 for its first possession. 

(11:23) Logan Woodside gets the start at quarterback for the second straight game. His first play is an 11-yard completion to tight end Anthony Firkser, who did not play against the Falcons.

Woodside starts 3-for-3, but his third completion is a dump off to running back Jeremy McNichols for five yards on third-and-7. The drive stalls at the 30 and Brett Kern punts.

(7:44) David Long blitzes up the middle on third-and-10 and gets a sack that turns Tampa Bay’s second possession into a three-and-out.

 (5:47) A three-and-out for Tennessee’s offense. The first two were negative runs by McNichols, a loss of four yards on first down and loss of two yards on second down. McNichols with three runs for minus-7 yards so far.

(4:57) Tampa Bay runs it on fourth-and-1 from its own 43. The defense holds as rookie defensive lineman Kyle Peko stops Giovanni Bernard. The Titans defense on that series included first-round pick Caleb Farley. It is Farley’s first action of the preseason.

(3:42) Matt Barkley makes an early appearance at quarterback. His first play is an 18-yard completion to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine to the Tampa Bay 25. Coaches clearly want to see Barkley with better offensive players than he had last week against Atlanta, which suggests the battle for backup quarterback is real.

(0:25) The Titans go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Tampa Bay 5. Barkley connects with rookie Mekhi Sargent for a touchdown. Barkley goes 4-for-5 for 45 yards, and Tennessee turns the fourth-down stop into points. Scoring drive: 7 plays, 43 yards, 3:23. TENNESSEE 7, TAMPA BAY 0

Tennessee has now scored points in all five quarters it has played in the preseason.

SECOND QUARTER

(14:18) Ryan Griffin takes over at quarterback for Tampa Bay, and the Buccaneers go three-and-out. Titans get the ball back at their own 37 after a punt. 

(14:08) Sargent with the first positive run of the game. The drive starts with a 15-yard gain on first down, and right away the offense is in Tampa Bay territory. That instantly makes him the game’s leading rusher.

(10:42) The drive stalls at the Tampa Bay 30. Sam Ficken’s 48-yard field goal is good. Sargent carried four times for 27 yards on the drive, which gives him more rushing yards than all other ball carriers in both teams in this game. Scoring drive: 7 plays, 33 yards, 3:31. TENNESSEE 10, TAMPA BAY 0

(8:52) Farley gets beat down with a double move to the right side on third-and-1 from the Buccaneers’ 43, but the throw carries receiver Scotty Miller out of bounds. Tampa Bay has to punt.

Logan Woodside returns at quarterback for Tennessee.

(8:20) Tackle Paul Adams, who was cut and re-signed this week, is injured and requires attention from the trainers. On the next play, Woodside is sacked, which makes it third-and-long and leads to a punt.

(6:22) Following an 8-yard punt return, Tampa Bay starts this drive at the Tennessee 45. Its previous best starting field position was its own 34.

(5:07) Outside linebacker John Simon with a strip sack. Tampa Bay recovers, but it is second-and-15 from the Tennessee 39. That’s two sacks for the Titans in this one.

(3:32) The Buccaneers finally get on the board with a 49-yard field goal. Three points is still a win for the defense given the starting field position. Scoring drive: 6 plays, 14 yards, 2:57. TENNESSEE 10, TAMPA BAY 3

(3:27) An illegal double team block by rookie Rashad Weaver negates an 81-yard kickoff return by Chester Rogers and means Tennessee’s offense will start at its own 8 instead of the Tampa Bay 21.

(2:12) After a Titans three-and-out and Brett Kern’s fourth punt, the Buccaneers have the ball at their own 33 and a chance to tie the score before halftime. They have two timeouts remaining.

The Titans have ruled out Paul Adams for the remainder of the game with a wrist injury. 

(1:56) Tennessee’s defense forces a punt after a three-and-out. For the second straight game, the Titans’ offense gets a chance to run the two-minute drill. Barkley is back on to do so.

(0:28) The Titans convert on third down for the first time. It’s a 9-yard completion to Mason Kinsey on third-and-6, which makes it first down at the Tampa Bay 44.

(0:13) After Barkley is sacked for a 10-yard loss (right tackle Dillon Radunz got beat), Tennessee uses its final timeout. It is third-and-13 from the Tampa Bay 47.

(0:03) A completion to Fred Brown sets up a 58-yard field goal attempt by Ficken. It’s good – right down the middle. Scoring drive: 9 plays, 39 yards, 1:42. TENNESSEE 13, TAMPA BAY 3 

(0:00) Halftime. Barkley is 9-12 for 78 yards and a touchdown. Woodside is 4-5 for 23 yards. Sargent has nine rushes for 50 yards. Kinsey has a team-high three receptions (five targets) for 20 yards. Rookie Elijah Molden leads the defense with four tackles. 

THIRD QUARTER

Barkley is back at quarterback. The offense starts at the 25 following a 28-yard kickoff return by Cam Batson.

(13:07) The offense approaches midfield but fails to get to Tampa Bay territory and has to punt. 

(12:17) Briean Boddy-Calhoun picks up a fumble after a 26-yard reception and returns it 41 yards for a touchdown. Bradley McDougald , who was signed on Monday, with the hit. The completion is Tampa Bay’s longest play of the game, but it turns into points for the Titans. TENNESSEE 19, TAMPA BAY 3

(8:19) The Buccaneers offense gets as far as its own 42 before it has to punt. Tampa Bay has 135 yards and five first downs through two and a half quarters.

(1:52) Mike Vrabel called out wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick last Saturday, and he delivers a 23-yard touchdown catch in this one. It is his second reception of the game and it caps the Titans’ longest scoring drive of the preseason in terms of yards and time of possession. Scoring drive: 9 plays, 76 yards, 6:22. TENNESSEE 27, TAMPA BAY 3

(0:40) Tennessee’s offense is back on the field following a three-and-out and a punt. This drive starts at the Titans’ 34.

 (0:00) After a 2-yard run by Brian Hill, Vrabel allows the clock to run out. End of quarter.

FOURTH QUARTER

(14:17) Logan Woodside is sacked for the second time in the contest (Barkley has been dropped once). It was third-and-6 from the Tennessee 38. The Titans are now 2-11 on third down, same as the Buccaneers, and they will punt.

(12:07) Safety Clayton Geathers, another player who was signed on Monday, hauls in an interception after the pass deflected off the helmet of cornerback Elijah Molden, who had tight coverage. He returns it 30 yards to the Tampa Bay 23.

(11:08) Kinsey with a 20-yard touchdown reception on a pass by Barkley, and the Titans are running up the score. The defense now has two interceptions and a fourth-down stop in the preseason – and the offense has turned all three into touchdowns. The defense also has scored one touchdown of its own. Scoring drive: 2 plays, 23 yards, 0:50. TENNESSEE 34, TAMPA BAY 3 

(8:26) The defense gets a stop on fourth-and-9 and gives the ball back to the offense at its own 39.

(6:05) This time the offense can’t turn the defense’s efforts into points. Brett Kern with his seventh punt of the night. Both teams are probably ready just to get it over with at this point. 

(5:14) Jamal Carter, another safety signed in recent days, comes up with another interception for the defense and returns it 36 yards to the Tampa Bay 14. 

(2:46) Rather than pile on, the Titans go for it on fourth-and-3 from the Tampa Bay 7. Sargent is stopped for no gain. The ball goes back to the Buccaneers. 

(0:59) Tampa Bay keeps throwing the ball but finally runs out of opportunities after three straight incompletions and attempts a 61-yard field goal, which is not even close.

(0:00) This one is over.

Notable statistics:

• Sargent rushed 16 times for 78 yards. As a team, Tampa Bay rushed 15 times for 17 yards.

• Kinsey, with six receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown, is the Titans’ leading receiver for the second straight game.

• Barkley was 12-16 for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Woodside was 7-8 for 64 yards and a touchdown. Of particular note is their passer ratings: Barkley 134.1, Woodside 139.6.

• Cornerback Elijah Molden played almost the entire game on defense and finished with eight tackles. Linebacker Monty Rice was next with five tackles. They were the Titans’ two third-round picks in this year’s draft.

Published
David Boclair
DAVID BOCLAIR

David Boclair has covered the Tennessee Titans for multiple news outlets since 1998. He is award-winning journalist who has covered a wide range of topics in Middle Tennessee as well as Dallas-Fort Worth, where he worked for three different newspapers from 1987-96. As a student journalist at Southern Methodist University he covered the NCAA's decision to impose the so-called death penalty on the school's football program.

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