Clemson's Grady Jarrett ties Super Bowl sack record

The Atlanta Falcons didn’t win Sunday’s Super Bowl, but former Clemson defensive tackle Grady Jarrett still made his mark on the big game’s record books.

Jarrett sacked Patriots quarterback Tom Brady three times in Sunday’s game, tying the record for most sacks by an individual player in a Super Bowl.

He is only the second player to ever sack Brady three times in a game, joining Joey Porter, who accomplished the feat for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2004.

Jarrett is the fourth player to record three sacks in a Super Bowl. Reggie White accomplished the feat for the Green Bay Packers in 1997, Darnell Dockett had three sacks for the Arizona Cardinals in 2009 and Kony Ealy had three for the Carolina Panthers in last year’s game.

White is the only player to record three sacks for a winning team in the Super Bowl.

Of the 31 Super Bowl records that were either set or tied in Sunday’s game, Jarrett’s was the only one to be set by the Falcons individually.

Jarrett, who only had three sacks in the regular season but led all Falcons defensive linemen with 48 regular-season tackles, led Falcons defensive linemen with five total tackles on Sunday.

The former Tiger dominated his matchup with Patriots right guard Shaq Mason and harassed the New England backfield throughout the game. Jarrett had four total quarterback hits, and all five of his tackles were at or behind the line of scrimmage.

Had the Falcons held on for a win in a game they once led 28-3, Jarrett would have been a candidate for the Super Bowl MVP award. The Patriots won, 34-28, as Jarrett and the Falcons defense gave up 31 unanswered points between the second half and overtime.

Jarrett expressed his disappointment on Twitter after the loss.

"Hurting for my City [and] for my brothers," Jarrett wrote. "I thank God for the opportunity but at this point there's nothing to do but to go back to work."

The Falcons’ other Clemson product, Vic Beasley, did not record any tackles in Sunday’s game. He had a chance to intercept a Brady pass in the end zone in overtime, but Patriots running back James White ran for the game-winning touchdown on the next play.

This story was originally published February 6, 2017 at 2:55 PM.