Cody Mauch Is Becoming A Mauler In Bucs’ Ground Game

“I think it’s one of the hardest positions to put a rookie in to start – seeing all of the defensive blitzes and different fronts,” Bowles said. “He’s seen probably an All-Pro guy every weekend. Cody is tough, he’s very smart, and his footwork has gotten better. He’s playing tougher, he’s playing smarter, he’s playing with better leverage. We kind of like where he’s at. He just keeps ascending for us.”

Mauch has faced a gauntlet of great defensive tackles recently with San Francisco’s Arik Anderson, Indianapolis’ DeForest Buckner and Carolina’s Derrick Brown in successive weeks. Rachaad White scored a touchdown behind Mauch in San Francisco and had a 100-yard rushing day against the Colts, followed by an 84-yard day on the ground versus the Panthers with a lot of those yards coming off the right side of the line.

“I saw Cody Mauch have his best game as a rookie,” Bucs offensive coordinator Dave Canales said following the 49ers game. “On Rachaad’s touchdown run, he’s got Arik Armstead three yards in the end zone. If that doesn’t get you guys excited, I don’t know what will. If this guy starts coming along … That’s what we saw, is really just technique, like we talked about: his feet, his pad level, his hands, all at the same time.”

Goedeke is also excited about Mauch’s recent success.

“These are some forces that have been in the league now for a while,” Goedeke said about Mauch facing Armstead and Buckner. “For him to be able to do that and everything and put that on film, that’s got to be a super confidence booster for him and I’m really happy and proud of him.

“Cody has come a long way since the start of the season. Just trusting the process and everything. These last couple of games just watching him on film and everything, he’s really put some great stuff on film and he’s really coming along nicely.”

Bucs Are Very High On Cody Mauch’s Progress And Potential

The Bucs loved Cody Mauch’s athleticism and tenacity in the run game at North Dakota State – so much so that they drafted him in the second round. Tampa Bay knew he was a bit of a project, especially coming from a small school, but those types of linemen have been worth investing in over the years.

General manager Jason Licht drafted Hobart College left tackle Ali Marpet in the second round in 2015 and he made a seamless transition to guard at the next level and developed into a Pro Bowler. Licht drafted Humboldt State left tackle Alex Cappa in the third round in 2018 and it took him a little bit longer, but he became a really good starting guard in a few years.

Mauch could become the next Marpet if he refines his technique, and he is way more athletic than Cappa. That was evident on Rachaad White’s 43-yard touchdown on a screen pass where Mauch nearly beat White to the end zone.

“I feel like every game since the first one has just gotten a little bit better,” Mauch said. “There’s always improvements, I think everyone will say that. But I feel really confident, especially the last few weeks. By now, you got whatever it is – 11, 12 games under your belt – and you’re starting to see a lot of these different looks and how to block different types of players. I feel really confident.

“Just recognition of different looks. Early on I was just – you’d see everything just a little bit late. Sometimes you’re at the point where you know what you want to do but you’re just a little bit late to what it is. I feel like I’ve really made those strides. Recognition has been a lot better lately.”

The action happens so much faster inside at guard against defensive tackles rather than at left tackle against edge rushers where Mauch had more space to work with at North Dakota State.

“That was definitely a switch for me coming from tackle in college, but it’s just you bring the fight to them a little bit,” Mauch said. “At tackle, not that it’s reactive, but you have more time. Inside, you almost try to dictate what you want them to do and make them play off you.”

Cody Mauch And Luke Goedeke Are Powering Bucs’ Run Game

Bucs running back Rachaad White has had more success running the ball lately, and a lot of his yardage is coming from the right side of the offensive line behind Cody Mauch and Luke Goedeke. In fact, 124 of White’s 643 rushing yards have come from middle right, according to Pro Football Focus. White’s second-highest output has been 120 yards off right end, while 75 yards have come directly behind Mauch with 69 coming behind Goedeke.

“Being on the same page helps,” Goedeke said about his double-teams with Mauch. “I forget the analytics but we’ve had some big runs over to the right side for I don’t know how many weeks – six, seven weeks. Cody and I have really started to click for sure in the run game.”

Mauch hails from North Dakota State, which is an FCS powerhouse known for running the football. His skillset and tenacity as a run-blocker were ideal for Dave Canales’ offensive attack.

“Just becoming more familiar with the offense and with each other – you know, you bring a new offense in, sometimes it takes a little bit to click,” Mauch said. “The run game has – each week I think it’s really starting to build off itself. Again, it’s just probably the cohesion of the guys you’re playing with and shoot, we’ve just got to get more run attempts. It’s tough to run the ball when you’re in the two-minute drill.”

The Bucs ran the ball for only 73 yards in the team’s last game against the Falcons, a 16-13 loss back in Week 7 at Tampa Bay. White only had 34 yards rushing on 13 carries in the game, while a Baker Mayfield 31-yard scramble accounted for nearly half of the team’s rushing yards that day.

But coming off the two best rushing efforts of the season, running for 125 yards at Indianapolis and a season-high 128 yards versus Carolina, Tampa Bay is hoping a more balanced attack can lead to a victory at Atlanta on Sunday.

Luke Goedeke Has Been A Great Resource For Cody Mauch

It’s one thing to have a teammate who has gone through a shared experience like Cody Mauch is going through this season in making the jump from a small school to the NFL, moving from tackle to guard and from one side of the line to the other. It’s another thing to have that teammate right next you, as Luke Goedeke is with Mauch.

“It helps a lot,” Mauch said. “Very similar – tackle inside to guard, you’re flipping sides from what you’re used to – and you know, he went through that just a year ago. It’s fresh for him, he has had a lot of good pointers for me and not just really about football but you make a bad play, ‘Hey, let’s go on to the next one.’

“That’s kind of what he really always tries to tell me. It’s tough sometimes as a rookie, you’ll lose some reps and you don’t want to ride those lows. Get back on the right track, so I think that’s what Luke’s done a really good job with me.”

Goedeke’s rookie season was rough and he was benched for Nick Leverett after the first eight games of the season before starting at right tackle in Week 18 when Tristan Wirfs was held out against Atlanta to rest him for the playoffs. That’s when Goedeke showed he could play right tackle at an NFL level.

Goedeke was labeled a bust by some as a rookie while playing guard because his play was so poor.

“It can be super overwhelming for anybody to come into this league and switching sides and then switching to the interior it can really spiral downhill really fast,” Goedeke said. “Kind of as the season goes along, definitely building more confidence and then just getting more comfortable. It just takes time.

“I really struggled my rookie year. I think Cody is doing a better job than I did my rookie year, so I’m really proud of him.”