USC in the NFL: Preseason Week 2 Roundup

It was a big week for USC in the NFL, as former Trojan defensive lineman Leonard Williams made a loud statement in his first home game as a New York Jet.

Williams sacked Atlanta Falcons quarterback T.J. Yates in the end zone for his first career sack, which doubled as a safety for the Jets. After trailing 14-0 to start, the sack opened the scoring for the Mean Green, who scored 30 straight points. They’d ultimately end up winning the game 30-22.

It wasn’t the only Trojan sack of note however, as Carolina Panthers and former Trojan defensive end Wes Horton rushed right past ex-Trojan Aundrey Walker to sack Dolphins’ quarterback Aundrey Walker and force a fumble. To complete the Trojan trifecta on the play, Walker also recovered said fumble.

As for he rest of the former USC football players in the NFL this week? Let’s walk through a roundup.

Three Stars of the Week

Leonard Williams: The No. 6 overall pick had a dominant performance on the stat sheet, recording three tackles for loss including 1.5 sacks.
Allen Bradford: It’s looking more and more like former Trojan linebacker turned running back turned NFL linebacker Allen Bradford has a legitimate shot to make the Falcons roster. Though he saw time with Atlanta’s first unit in camp, he has been an impact player on special teams. Bradford had eight tackles on Friday night against the Jets.
Wes Horton: Horton is attempting to secure a place in the Panthers’ defensive line rotation. A sack and forced fumble to go along with three tackles versus the Dolphins Saturday should help his case.

What Other Projans Did

Nelson Agholor: Once again, the first round Trojan receiver led the Eagles in receiving. He had four catches for 49 yards, which both stood as team highs.
Buck Allen: Seeing another decent workload, Allen had just 19 yards on six carries against the Eagles. He also added 25 yards on a pair of receptions out of the backfield. So far through two games, Allen has 54 yards on 17 rushes, for a 3.2 yards per carry average.
Dion Bailey: Bailey got the chance to start Friday as the Seahawks look to cover Kam Chancellor’s safety spot during his hold out. He had three tackles.
Matt Barkley: Saturday night wasn’t an ideal night for the Eagles’ Barkley, who was 6-for-14 for 86 yards. He had more reps than returning first teamer Sam Bradford, though still looks to be a distant longshot to win the job.
Reggie Bush: The 49ers running back was rested against the Cowboys.
Matt Cassel: After having a decent performance last week, Cassel sat out the Bills’ second preseason game against the Browns. Tyrod Taylor played in place of him and looked really good. Overall though, Buffalo’s quarterback situation is still very much a mess.
Jurrell Casey: Casey had two tackles, one solo, in the Titan’s win over the Rams.
Brian Cushing: In limited time, Cushing had one total tackle against the Broncos.
Rhett Ellison: The Vikings’ back up tight end had one reception for 13 yards versus the Raiders on Saturday.
Everson Griffen: Also featuring for the Vikings, Griffen tallied a tackle.
Xavier Grimble: As he battles for a spot on the 49ers roster, Grimble had a reception for 3 yards against the Cowboys Sunday.
Devon Kennard: On Saturday, Devon Kennard contributed four tackles to New York’s win over the Jaguars.
Clay Matthews: Matthews was held out with a knee injury which has limited him in practice this past week.
Carson Palmer: Unsurprisingly, Palmer did not see too much time in the Cardinals’ game versus San Diego Saturday, but he did lead his team on a scoring drive, going 3-for-7 with 88 yards and a touchdown.
Nickell Robey: The Bills got the win over the Browns as Robey logged two tackles.
Mark Sanchez: After Barkley got the bulk of reps last week, this week was about Sanchez. He was 14-for-20 for 118 yards, giving him a quarterback rating of 85. We’ll likely know more about the Eagles’ quarterback situation next week, once Sam Bradford can play a little bit more with the first team.
Malcolm Smith: It’s looking more and more like Smith will secure a starting job at linebacker for the Raiders. He had two tackles in their loss to the Vikings.
Damien Williams: Williams, who is fighting for a place on the Rams’ roster had one reception for nine yards against the Titans.
Robert Woods: The Bills did not disclose why, but Woods was held out of Thursday’s game versus the Browns.

Projans On Monday Night Football

Rey Mauluga for the Cincinnati Bengals

More from Reign of Troy

Home/USC ALUMNI NEWS