USC in the NFL: Week 4 Roundup

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Oct 4, 2015; London, United Kingdom; Southern California Trojans former players Leonard Williams of the New York Jets (92) and Jordan Cameron of the Miami Dolphins (84) and Dion Bailey of the New York Jets (34) pose after Game 12 of the NFL International Series at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Defense ruled for USC in the NFL as Week 4 brought a successful debut across the pond, a Giant career first and some quarterback abuse.

RELATED: 50 Best NFL Draft Picks in USC Football History

The weekend almost played out very differently for Dion Bailey, who was signed by the Jets less than a week ago then had to jet off to London for a date at Wembley Stadium with the Dolphins.

As it turns out, Bailey didn’t realize New York was due to fly oversees this weekend until the last minute. Luckily he was able to find his passport and make it for his Jets debut.

An assist goes to Matt Barkley, who was the reason Bailey had a passport to use on such short notice. Back at USC the now-Cardinals quarterback organized a service trip to Haiti, which prompted Bailey to get his travel papers in order.

Three Stars of the Week

  1. Dion Bailey: Bailey made it onto the flight to London and into the game via an injury to starter Calvin Pryor, logging a pair of key tackles and a pass deflection late in the game to help the Jets to a 27-14 victory.
  2. Devon Kennard: The Giants linebacker nabbed the first interception of his pro career against the Bills along with two other deflections and five total tackles on the day. Unfortunately he had to leave the game with a hamstring injury in the end.
  3. Nick Perry: Continuing the theme of Projan defenders making the difference, Nick Perry sacked Colin Kaepernick twice on the way to a 17-3 Packer victory in San Francisco. In fact, Projans accounted for half of Green Bay’s six sacks on the day.

What Other Projans Did

  • Nelson Agholor: The Eagles rookie had a solid day when it came to catching the ball, hauling in three passes for 64 yards, including a one-handed grab in competition for “catch of the year.” Unfortunately, he followed that up by fumbling the ball away less than a minute later.
  • Buck Allen: With 19 yards on five carries, Allen’s involvement in the Ravens offense is increasing, though only marginally so.
  • Allen Bradford: Bradford had five tackles and a forced fumble in the Falcons rout of the Texans.
  • Reggie Bush: Returning from a two game layoff due to injury, Bush had limited involvement for the 49ers. He caught one pass for six yards and had one carry for no gain.
  • Jordan Cameron: Though he was questionable with a groin injury, Cameron caught two balls for 19 yards. Which sounds okay until you realize he was targeted nine times.
  • Brian Cushing: The Texans linebacker logged 11 tackles as his team was pummeled by Atlanta.
  • Everson Griffen: Coming off a monster Week 3, Griffen’s showing against the Broncos was much more quiet. He had just one tackle in the 20-23 loss.
  • Clay Matthews III: Though he had two tackles and a signature sack, Matthews made the news for telling Kaepernick “you ain’t Russell Wilson” during the Packer’s win.
  • Rey Maualuga: Maualuga had eight tackles as the Bengals moved to 4-0 with a victory over Kansas City.
  • T.J. McDonald: The Rams safety made his mark against the Cardinals, logging a sack to kill one Arizona drive along with six tackles in the game.
  • Carson Palmer: McDonald’s success came at the expense of fellow Trojan Carson Palmer who had his worst performance of the season against the Rams. Granted, Palmer’s down day still ended with a respectable 352 yards and a touchdown. But an interception and the loss marred his day.
  • Nickell Robey: Robey had three tackles in the Bills loss to the Giants.
  • Frostee Rucker: The Cardinal lineman had three tackles as his team fell to the Rams.
  • Josh Shaw: Shaw had one tackle from the safety spot for the Bengals, who beat Kansas City.
  • Malcolm Smith: Smith continues to show what he can do in the middle of a defense with ten tackles and a forced fumble for the Raiders. Unfortunately for his efforts Oakland lost to the Browns on a last second field goal.
  • Leonard Williams: It’s a good thing the Jets head into a bye week because the defensive lineman sprained his ankle after logging three tackles in the win over Miami.
  • Robert Woods: Woods had five targets and three catches but just 33 yards as the Bills fell to the Giants.

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