The race for the Bucs' second quarterback continues for Kyle Trask and John Wolford

TAMPA — Kyle Trask is no stranger to quarterback duels, but it’s usually about who starts and who’s not on the bench.

But coach Todd Bowles says it’s “still a competition” between Trask and John Wolford for the second spot behind starter Baker Mayfield.

Trask started Saturday’s 17-14 win over the Bengals and scored a touchdown run in the first quarter. On the Bucs’ second possession, the former Florida Gators star completed 4 of 5 passes for 68 yards, setting up Bucky Irving’s 5-yard touchdown run.

Overall, Trask played pretty well, but his performance was marred by an interception in the second quarter. On third-and-12, he threw the ball too late and too weakly to Ryan Miller, and Bengals defensive back Josh Newton intercepted the ball, ending a drive at the Cincinnati 33-yard line.

Trask was pleased with the execution under new offensive coordinator Liam Coen.

“It’s nice when you call the play and you want to run it against a certain coverage, and we got the coverage we wanted,” Trask said. “It’s nice when we can run it. That’s kind of the whole philosophy of this offense: We want to run the right plays against the right defense and go to the line with multiple plays in the pocket. I’m just really proud of the guys for the way they executed and communicated all night.

“Liam was great with the headset. He communicates very clearly and he allows you to move in and out of the group and gives you little cues along the way. I thought he was great, I thought it was great.”

Bucs quarterback John Wolford (11) celebrates a touchdown in the second half in Cincinnati on Saturday. ( EMILEE CHINN | AP )

Not surprisingly, one of Trask’s biggest targets was Washington rookie Jalen McMillan, who had two catches for 23 yards, including a 19-yard pass from Trask in the first quarter. So far, nothing has seemed too big for McMillan, who is battling with Trey Palmer for the third receiver spot.

“He’s definitely a certified baller,” Trask said of McMillan. “You can see that all over his college tapes. That’s another guy that had a great training camp and he’s definitely going to play for us in the future.”

Trask and Wolford’s passing lines against the Bengals were remarkably similar. Trask completed 12 of 20 passes for 144 yards, with no touchdowns and one interception. Wolford completed 12 of 18 passes for 131 yards, with no interceptions or touchdowns, but led the game-winning drive in the final minutes.

According to Bucs coach Todd Bowles, the battle for the second quarterback will continue on Saturday in Jacksonville.

“They’ve got two more games to see how this plays out,” he said. “They both made some good plays, and both would obviously like to get some plays back. (Trask) threw weakly a couple times and has to give it up. (Wolford) made some good throws when he was under pressure, but it’s still a contest. … It’s still close.”