White blew a kiss to the sky and made the sign of the cross after he burst through the A-gap and hit Smith.
In the third quarter, he would do the same thing, but this time coming around the corner and stripping the ball from Smith, who was about to score, in a play that helped save the game.
White, who lost his father three days ago, was able to play despite the pain. He made two critical plays, one of which was the defense's first turnover in five games.
It was difficult to play. There's a lot of emotion. I tried to keep them positive and keep them happy. The relationship we had was all about ball and getting this thing turned around.
White received a phone call at 3 p.m. that his father, Carlos Thomas, had passed away. White said the whole experience has been "unreal."
He still got on the plane to play the game even though it happened before we left. It says a lot about the guy if you lose your father before you go to Germany and play.
Over the past three days, grieving has not been an option. White's job as a captain of the defense, as well as the player responsible for wearing the green helmet sticker and communicating the calls on defense, has made football a distraction.
White said that he kept it to himself because he could back himself up into a corner and figure it out. While I was at practice, it was just about doing the right things and winning the football game.
"It was very hard to play. Just a lot of emotions. But I tried to turn them into good emotions and just keep a great spirit. That's the relationship we had -- just all about ball, all about just going out there and being the best and just getting this thing turned around." Devin White, on playing Sunday just three days after his father died unexpectedly
White has been criticized for his level of play recently. White should be stripped of his captaincy according to Warren Sapp. He was under a lot of pressure because of his father's death.
White led the team with eight tackles, two sacks, a tackle for loss, three quarterback hits and a forced fumbled ball.
He's an amazing man. Jones prayed for him and his family. He is supported by us. He made the trip and we are happy about it.
"At the end of the day, I knew I had a job to do, and I just wasn't going to accept no pats on the back, so I just kept going forward," White said.
White had been affected by tragedy before. White's brother J'Marco "Jae Jae" Greenard died in a motor vehicle accident in June of 2011. White was a child. They had been close. White said after the game that he had angels watching over him and that Greenard was his guardian angel.
White said that Greenard had taught him how to keep a positive attitude and work hard. White said the greatest lesson was learning how to find his purpose.
White said that he was told to push forward. One of the greatest joys in life is understanding life and being who you are called to be, according to a text from him.
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