With defense stepping up, Bucs secure a beautiful ugly victory Roy Cummings, The Tampa Tribune, published 16 November 2015 This one brought back memories. The good kind. And not just for the hundreds of charter season-ticket holders who were recognized throughout the day for their undying loyalty. As he prepared for his gig as part of the studio crew for NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” the patriarch of what became known as “Buc Ball” was transported back in time, too. “It brought back great memories,’’ former Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy said of the 10-6 victory the Bucs ground out against the Cowboys on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. “I loved it. Lots of defense.’’ Defense was, of course, the hallmark of the “Buc Ball” the Bucs played under Dungy, and was clearly the hallmark of the game on what turned out to be a throwback Sunday. No, the folks in the game-day operations department didn’t design it that way. Neither the Bucs nor the Cowboys wore throwback uniforms and the concession prices didn’t get rolled back. But on the field, where two of Dungy’s defensive disciples, former line coach and current Dallas defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli and former linebackers coach and current Bucs coach Lovie Smith, ran the respective defenses, it was like the late 1990s and early 2000s all over again. “For those that haven’t been around here for a while, that’s what ‘Buc Ball’ is all about,’’ Smith said. “It’s about grinding it out, finding a way to win. And at the end of the game, it gets exciting.’’ That certainly was the case in this game. For more than 59 minutes, the only players to put any points on the board were the kickers, Dallas’ Dan Bailey and Tampa Bay’s Connor Barth, as Dallas led 6-3. Briefly, it looked like it would stay that way through the final minute. But after a defensive holding penalty wiped away a fumble by Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston as he attempted to leap over the goal line, Winston walked untouched into the end zone on a naked bootleg for the game’s only touchdown with 54 seconds left. That still left the Cowboys with a chance to win, of course. And against a Bucs team that has twice blown 17-point leads in losses this season, there was reason to believe they would. But safety Bradley McDougald intercepted a long Matt Cassel pass in the back of the end zone to give Tampa Bay (4-5) the win. “That’s how you want to finish it,” Smith said. “Our guys played hard from start to finish, and defensively they just kept answering the bell.” It’s an answer the Bucs have waited weeks for. Though it is by far their most-experienced and most-decorated unit, the defense also has been Tampa Bay’s most disappointing unit this season. It’s a group that hasn’t allowed a lot of yards, but has struggled to get off the field on third down, prevent touchdowns in the red zone and hold leads. It had, at least, until the struggling Cowboys (2-7) came to town. “Defensively, we did our part today,” defensive tackle Gerald McCoy said. “We stood up big and played the type of defense that we’re going need to play if we’re going to get on a run.” The Bucs were the stingiest they’ve been all year, allowing a season-low 216 yards and season-low 42 rushing yards. They stopped the Cowboys on nine of 13 third downs. The Bucs recorded three sacks, one more than their previous three games combined. And the much-maligned secondary limited Cassel to just 186 passing yards. Afterward, Smith talked not so much about redemption but validation. “We believe in what we’re doing here,” Smith said of his defense. “And, no, we haven’t been Pro Bowl-ready as quickly as everyone would have liked. But that takes time. You keep doing things right and eventually you’re going to see the results you’re looking for.” The biggest results are coming at cornerback, where the Bucs benched their opening-day starters and turned to former nickel/slot corner Sterling Moore and undrafted rookie Jude Adjei-Barimah at outside corner for the second straight game. After playing soundly against the Giants, Moore and Adjei-Barimah were strong again, combing for 10 tackles while limiting the Cowboys’ top wideout, Dez Bryant, to five receptions for 45 yards. “The moves we’ve made at the cornerback position, those have helped us a lot,” said Smith, who matched Moore, a former Cowboy, against Bryant for most of the afternoon. “He knows quite a bit (about how to defend Bryant). And when his number has been called, he’s really stepped up and allowed us to do what we want to do without having to compensate.” Though Winston threw two interceptions, his string of passes without an interception ending at 134, he completed 22 of 39 for 264 yards. And with four wins, Tampa Bay doubled its win total from last season. “We’re not the same old Bucs and we are trending in the right direction,” Smith said. “That’s why I’m anxious to see what we can do here in the second half of the season.”