‘Giving us a blade of grass to stand on, proud of Calen for his effort’: Texans’ Calen Bullock made game-saving tackle

HOUSTON – Tank Bigsby was off to the races. Calen Bullock had other plans.

As the Jacksonville Jaguars running back busted through a huge hole in the Texans’ defense as linebacker Henry To’oTo’o missed on a diving tackle attempt, a determined Bullock gave chase and walked down Bigsby to get him out of bounds at the 4-yard line.

If not for a supreme effort and impressive speed from the rookie safety in his first NFL start, the Texans would’ve likely lost this football game.

READ MORE: Stroud’s TD pass with 18 seconds left lifts Texans to 24-20 win over Jaguars

Because Bullock never gave up on the play when Bigsby appeared to be out of reach as he sprinted through the open field, the Texans’ defense was in position for a pivotal goal-line stand after the 58-yard run. Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair stopped Bigsby after a two-yard gain on the ensuing play and To’o’To’o made the tackle after one yard on second down with cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. knocking away a Trevor Lawrence pass on third down intended for wide receiver Gabe Davis. That set the stage for defensive tackle Foley Fatukasi to tackle Lawrence for no gain, stuffing him on fourth down.

If the Jaguars had scored at that stage of the game while leading by three points, then it becomes a two-score game and they likely earn their first win of the season. Instead, the Texans pulled off a dramatic 24-20 comeback victory.

“One thing our defense stands on is effort,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “There’s no better play that exhibits that effort than Calen giving us a blade of grass to stand on. Calen’s effort to run him down and get a stop and for us to regroup after such a huge play and be able to get a stop there in the red zone, that was a big turning point in the game. That shows what effort means, and if you play the game the right way with any type of effort, it can put you in position to be on the winning side. Proud of Calen for his effort.”

This was Bullock’s first NFL start with veteran Jimmie Ward sidelined with a groin injury.

And the third-round draft pick from USC had his moments, finishing with five tackles and one pass defensed.

“We got the win, it was hard-fought,” Bullock told KPRC 2. “We finished. That’s all that matters. We made the key plays when we needed to make them. I did good. I think it was a good first start I did my assignments.”

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Now, the Texans are 3-1 and 2-0 in AFC South division games heading into a high-profile game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at NRG Stadium.

“We needed this win, it’s good for us,” Bullock said. “We gotta shake back.”

It has been a fun start to his NFL career for Bullock, a former Pac-12 Conference Co-Perimeter Defensive Player of the Year who intercepted nine career passes for the Trojans.

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He has one interception this season, in his NFL debut against the Indianapolis Colts.

At 6-foot-3, 190 pounds with 4.48 speed in the 40-yard dash, Bullock is a rangy defensive back with a proven track record for picking off passes.

Signed to a four-year, $5.856 million contract that includes a $1.079 million signing bonus, Bullock was selected 78th overall as Texans general manager Nick Caserio traded up to the Philadelphia Eagles’ original selection in exchange for the 86th and 123rd overall selections.

“Oh man, I think he’s a ballhawk,” Ward said. “Did a great job of drafting him. He’s going to do what he does best. He’s going to find that ball.”

An All-Pac-12 selection, the native of Pasadena, Calif., intercepted two passes last season and returned one for a touchdown. He had 61 tackles and seven pass breakups

This tackle was his early signature play.

“Yeah, that’s a huge play, man,” Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud said. “NFL is a game of inches, a game of yards. They come down to small details that we always talk about. DeMeco always talks about, just give us a blade of grass to stand upon. I trusted in our defense to come up big, and they did. Shout out to Calen, playing really well. As a rookie, I know how hard that is. I’m really proud of him. Being a West Coast kid, I know how hard and tough he is and how he works hard. So, I’m just super proud of him. I know he got a lot of success on his way because he’s making a lot of plays.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.