TAMPA, Fla. -- Moments before Buccaneers second-year running back Peyton Barber took the field on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, he grabbed his phone and dialed up his mother, Lori. It was time for their weekly prayer.
It has been their way to connect, regardless of the miles separating them or how difficult the week might have been for her as she deals with a host of health problems.
But on Sunday, she was maybe 100 yards away, in the stands at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, waiting to watch her son live out his NFL dream. And she had a special message.
"I always call her right before we go out and just pray," Barber said. "And she just told me, 'I feel like something special is going to happen today.'"
In the third quarter, with the Bucs down 27-6, Barber took a handoff from quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and raced along the edge and to the left corner of the end zone for a touchdown. Later, he dived over a sea of bodies at the goal line for the Bucs' second score of the game. Those were the Buccaneers' only touchdowns in a 34-20 loss.
The Bucs only had three rushing touchdowns coming into the game, tied for 28th in the NFL.
"It's very special, something that you think growing up as a kid," said Barber, who stepped in for Doug Martin when he left the game to be evaluated for a concussion. "But at the same time, we didn't get the win."
Bucs coach Dirk Koetter joked about Barber's initial scoring play.
“I could’ve gotten that first touchdown -- it was blocked perfect," Koetter said.
"The second one was a terrific effort by Peyton for a 1-yard run," the coach continued. "I thought all four of our running backs contributed in a big way. Peyton did his part. But again, that second one -- the 1-yard run -- was a fantastic run by him."
Regardless of the degree of difficulty, those were special moments for the 23-year-old who grew up in Alpharetta, Georgia, less than an hour from where he played Sunday; his church -- the one he and Lori attend, Mount Paran Church of God -- is less than 15 minutes away.
"That's where I get it from," Barber said of his mother.
His mother has been involved in multiple car accidents. She also suffers from high blood pressure. It forced her to leave her job of 12 years working in special education. It also made putting a roof over her head Barber's sole reason for leaving Auburn a year early in 2016.
In fact, at the NFL scouting combine that year, Barber made a stunning announcement when he revealed his mother was homeless.
She wasn't living on the streets, but she was sharing her daughter's crammed apartment with her three grandchildren and did not have a bed of her own.
Barber went undrafted, but that didn't deter him. He saw action in 15 games last season, with a start in Week 9.
"I just have to keep my head down and keep pushing," Barber said. "Throughout my whole career, I've always been the underdog. But at the same time, I just keep my head down and keep pushing. Somehow, I always come through."
The money he made went toward getting his mother an apartment. And because of his continued progress, making the 53-man roster despite the presence of three other talented and more experienced backs, he was able to upgrade her to a townhome this year.
"I want to eventually sell it to my sister and get my mom a nice, nice house, eventually," said Barber, whose mom's health is improving. And she has been able to pick up some hours running errands and making grocery deliveries. "She's in a great place."
Barber is in a pretty good place right now to showcase what he can do too.
If Martin remains in the concussion protocol this week, Barber could see increased opportunities against the Green Bay Packers this Sunday. Of course, nobody roots for anyone to be out of action, especially in this tight-knit group of Tampa Bay running backs.
But if his number is called, Barber will be up for the task, and his mother won't ever be too far away.