Defense comes up big … sort of Stephen Holder, The St.Petersburg Times, published 19 October 2009 The Bucs defense registered several game-changing plays, including two interceptions and a forced fumble that likely saved a touchdown. The disappointing thing was they didn't come when they were most needed: On Carolina's winning drive, when the Panthers ran the ball at will. The first turnover came when S Tanard Jackson forced a fumble from RB Jonathan Stewart at the Bucs 3, stripping the ball loose as Stewart barreled toward the end zone. DT Ryan Sims recovered, keeping the score 7-7 with 9:55 remaining in the second quarter. With 14 seconds left in the third quarter and the Bucs trailing 21-14, LB Barrett Ruud intercepted QB Jake Delhomme when LB Quincy Black deflected the pass attempt. The drive got as close as the Panthers 36 before an illegal motion penalty on fourth and 1 forced the Bucs to punt. Then, with 8:33 left in the game, Jackson struck again when he intercepted Delhomme (who had LB Geno Hayes in his face) on a pass over the middle and returned it 26 yards for the tying touchdown. "I was just free, and he stared the receiver down the whole way," Jackson said. "I was just able to read his eyes and make a play on the ball." But given the way the defense ended the game, it was all for not. "You can make all the big plays and do all the right things, but when it's time to get the stop and give our offense a chance to get the ball back, we didn't do that," Jackson said. Afterward, Ruud said, "I forgot about those big plays already. I'm thinking about that one drive." Not as big a draw as the Bulls The Bucs announced a sellout crowd of 62,422 at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday. But one glance at the stands told you the actual number of fans on hand was much fewer — nearly 20,000 fewer. The Tampa Sports Authority, which manages the stadium, said the actual attendance was 42,847, a shockingly low number even for a winless team. On Thursday night, then-No. 21 USF drew an actual crowd of 55,073 for its loss to then-No. 8 Cincinnati. The Bucs avoided a local television blackout for the game against the Panthers when they said Wednesday that all tickets would be sold. But team officials declined Sunday to discuss who had bought the tickets for all those empty seats or how they are meeting the NFL requirement to sell out their games 72 hours before kickoff. The news does not bode well for the remainder of the season. The Bucs have four home games left. Stroughter stands up Rookie seventh-round pick Sammie Stroughter not only led the Bucs in receiving Sunday with three catches for 65 yards, but he also provided the biggest boost of the day under less-than-ideal circumstances. Asked to fill in for Clifton Smith after the return man was knocked out of the game by a vicious hit, Stroughter tied Smith's club record with a 97-yard kickoff return touchdown with 2:17 left in the third quarter. Stroughter credited Adam Hayward, Brian Clark and Maurice Stovall with key blocks on the return, but he did plenty of work on his own, stepping out of attempted tackles by CB Richard Marshall and K Rhys Lloyd. "I just remember (special teams) Coach Rich (Bisaccia) telling me you better not let the kicker catch you," Stroughter said. "I just kept hearing that repeating in my head." And he got other notable advice from WR Antonio Bryant: "Right before the kickoff, I went to Sammie Stroughter and told him, 'This is when playmakers make plays.' The guy plays with his heart." After Adams, Day 1 The Bucs played their first game without DE Gaines Adams, who was traded to the Bears on Friday for a 2010 second-round pick. Stylez White, left, started at defensive end in his absence and had an impressive performance: one sack, two tackles for losses, eight tackles and two quarterback hits. GM Mark Dominik admitted he initiated the talks with Chicago. "As a general manager, I think it's my responsibility to be in contact with all 31 other teams … to have an opportunity to find out what's going on," he said. "If you don't know that Braylon Edwards is (worth) a 3 and a 5, you're not doing your job. "We'll call around to all the clubs and just talk about players, talk about what they have in terms of needs, talk about what we have that we think can help our football team. From there, we worked through the conversation with (Bears GM) Jerry Angelo to facilitate the trade." Asked about Adams' time in Tampa, Dominik conceded it did not meet expectations. "The bottom line is, you took a player with the fourth pick in the draft," he said. "It did not pan out the way you would hope it would. So, what you end up with is a second-round pick, and it'll be on the organization to make sure that pick matters." As for White, he admits Adams' departure puts him under a spotlight. "My role obviously has changed, and I don't want to give it back. I feel like I have some type of weight on me, and I want to play well for team and myself. Even though we lost, I hope I did well enough to go back out there and prove myself. I can only do what they ask me to do."