South Carolina in NFL: Melvin Ingram’s strip sack leads a strong week of defense

Searching for their first win of the season, the Los Angeles Chargers were spurred on to victory by the standout performance of former South Carolina linebacker Melvin Ingram.

Facing the New York Giants, Ingram was all over the field Sunday, recording six tackles, two sacks and two hits on Giants quarterback Eli Manning. Ingram also recorded arguably the biggest play of the game for the Chargers late in the fourth quarter as his team trailed and the Giants faced a third down. Bursting through the line, Ingram sacked Manning, stripped him of the football and recovered it, setting up the game-winning drive.

Sunday marked Ingram’s third multi-sack game of the year. He is now second in the league with 7.5 sacks this season, and if he can maintain his current pace, he would break the NFL record for sacks in a season.

Fellow Gamecock Jadeveon Clowney also made an impact behind the line of scrimmage, recording one tackle for loss and three tackles total for the Houston Texans during their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Clowney’s defensive role will likely only increase as his teammate and defensive star J.J. Watt suffered a fractured leg and will be out indefinitely.

In the secondary, New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore has faced some criticism this season after signing a rich contract in the offseason and then not playing very well in the first few weeks. But on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Gilmore held his own against star receiver Mike Evans and said afterward that he was “out to prove something.” His teammates praised his performance after the game.

On offense, New York Jets offensive lineman Brandon Shell quietly had a big impact for his team as they gutted out an ugly win over the Cleveland Browns. According to Pro Football Focus, Shell was perfect in pass protection, not allowing the man he was defending to pressure the quarterback once. As a team, the Jets allowed just one sack, tied for their season low.

USC

A look at former Gamecocks in the NFL:

Jerell Adams, WR, New York Giants: 1 catch on 1 target for 11 yards

Damiere Byrd, WR, Carolina Panthers: DNP, injured reserve

A.J. Cann, G, Jacksonville Jaguars: Started in his 34th game in a row despite missing time last week because of a finger injury

Jadeveon Clowney, DE, Houston Texans: 3 tackles, 1 for loss

Jared Cook, TE, Oakland Raiders: 3 catches on 6 targets for 25 yards, lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown

Pharoh Cooper, WR, Los Angeles Rams: 2 catches on 4 targets for 22 yards, 2 kick returns for 52 yards, including a long of 31 yards

Chris Culliver, CB, Indianapolis Colts: DNP, injured reserve

Patrick DiMarco, FB, Buffalo Bills: Played but recorded no stats

Bruce Ellington, WR, Houston Texans: 2 catches for 30 yards

Stephon Gilmore, CB, New England Patriots: 5 tackles, a season-high

Melvin Ingram, LB, Los Angeles Chargers: 6 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery

Alshon Jeffery, WR, Philadelphia Eagles: 3 catches on 4 targets for 31 yards

T.J. Johnson, C, Cincinnati Bengals: Returned from a neck injury that forced him out last week to start

Johnathan Joseph, CB, Houston Texans: 6 tackles, a season-high

Captain Munnerlyn, CB, Carolina Panthers: 3 tackles, 1 sack, his first of the season

Corey Robinson, OT, Detroit Lions: DNP

Brandon Shell, OT, New York Jets: Started after missing last week, which had snapped a streak of six straight starts

Darian Stewart, S, Denver Broncos: Bye week

Ryan Succop, K, Tennesee Titans: 1-for-1 on field goals with a 45 yarder. 1-for-1 on extra points.

D.J. Swearinger, S, Washington Redskins: Bye week