With everything stacked against the Houston Texans, the Texans still came out on top and got a huge upset against the Buffalo Bills. No C.J. Stroud in this one, and playoff hopes on the line, and this defense showed up in a big way. The Texans got significant contributions from former Trojans Woody Marks and Calen Bullock to seal this victory.
Calen Bullock had a fantastic rookie season, and he’s having quite the sophomore season to follow that up, especially with his play as of late. Bullock had 5 interceptions and 11 pass deflections in his rookie season. Bullock stepped up to the plate and got two interceptions in last night’s game. One of his interceptions came at the perfect time to end a potential Buffalo Bills game-winning drive. The Bills converted a 4th and 27 highlight reel play, and just a little later, Calen Bullock saves the day for the Texans. Bullock also had 6 tackles, a forced fumble, and 2 pass deflections in the game. Bullock was one of the defensive players of the game for Houston.
Since coming into the NFL, Calen Bullock has the 3rd most interceptions in the league with 9, and he has only given up 3 touchdowns total. Bullock also is allowing an outstanding 39.3% percent completion rate, 36.8 rating when targeted, and a -39.1 opponent EPA. It is safe to say the Texans hit it out of the park drafting Bullock in 3rd round in 2024. The Texans’ defensive line gets a lot of credit for the success they have, but it is players like Bullock in the secondary that make this defense truly a nightmare for opponents
On the offensive side, Woody Marks has given the Texans some really productive outings. With a backup quarterback behind center, Marks gave the Texans offense a great boost with his 74 yards rushing on 16 carries. Marks kept drives moving for the Texans and he was great in pass protection. He was not a factor in the passing game as a playmaker but this was still an running back number 1 type of performance from him.
With Joe Mixon looking to be out for the rest of the season, it is Mark’s time to shine. He has shown he can be the lead guy, and he needs to be more consistent, but as it stands now, there should be more than enough confidence in him to be exactly what the Texans need right now.
Both Bullock and Marks played their role in securing a huge upset for the Texans and keeping their team’s playoff hopes alive. Both will also need to keep up their level-up play to keep the Texans trending in the right direction. The sky is the limit for these former Trojans, and they both look like two building blocks for the future in Houston.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: NFL Trojans show up big to pull upset for Texans over Bills
Reporting by Micah Huff, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
