Sometimes, the result of one play is insignificant but the play itself speaks volumes.

It was early in the second quarter and the Dixie Chicks had 2nd-and-1 from their 29 yard line. Matty Ice, out of a no-huddle, tosses a screen pass to Steven Jackson who rumbles up the middle for a first down with a gain of 12.

Not cool for Bucs fans. But peeling back the onion skin a little showed a whole lot of cool. Defensive tackle Akeem Spence, after Jackson caught the pass, peeled off his blocker and gave chase, corralling Jackson from behind for the tackle.

Now if fans want evidence of a team, despite a sorry 2-8 record, that has not given up, there you have it. A defensive tackle who was locked up with a blocker shed said blocker and then ran down one of the better running backs to have played in the NFL in the past decade.

That is hustle. That is heart. That sure as hell isn’t quit.

That didn’t happen in the final couple of months of the Raheem Morris administration.

“On screen plays, we are taught to retrace,” Spence said of his hustling play. “Steven Jackson is a big guy and I happened to have wrapped his legs up and bring him down. It’s just about playing relentless.

“It shows we are building every week. We haven’t gotten the results we wanted earlier in the season but we are turning things around. We are playing electric right now.”