Bucky Irving, Fueled by Tragedy, Pushes Forward One Missed Tackle at a Time

Bucky Irving stoically gets into position behind quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Pistol formation.

Sweat beads trickle down his face on this hot, sticky Florida day in October. In the orderly moment of silence before the snap of the ball, Irving's mind reprocesses the three-yard loss two plays before, reinvigorating his mission. Center Graham Barton zips the ball back to Mayfield, who hands it off to Irving on the downhill counter. Left guard Ben Bredeson pulls at the line of scrimmage and left tackle Tristan Wirfs, the second puller, works across the formation to block the playside linebacker.

Irving's responsibility on the play is 'A-gap to expand.' Patiently following his blockers, Irving stays on the inside hip of Wirfs and accelerates. He immediately notices the Atlanta safety waiting