It was late in the third quarter against Arizona in the Raiders’ second preseason game, and outside linebacker Carl Ihenacho did what he does best.

Rushing off the edge, Ihenacho shot into the backfield, sacked Cardinals quarterback Ryan Lindley and stripped the ball loose. Defensive end Hall Davis recovered the fumble and returned seven yards for a touchdown.

‘I’ve always been coached to kind of find the ball, and if I am going to get to the quarterback, it’s a plus to try and get the ball out, too,” Ihenacho said. “It’s a big game-changer. I’m kind of used to that, and it’s something my coaches in college coached and we emphasize here, too.”

The 6-foot-2, 255 pound Ihenacho had three strip-sacks during his college career at San Jose State, where he played defensive end. He had 17 career sacks, tied for fifth on the Spartans’ all-time list, and 33 ½ tackles for loss, fifth overall.

The Raiders have used Ihenacho as a defensive end in the nickel, but they’ve moved him to outside linebacker in the base defense. He’s listed as second-team on the depth chart on the strong side behind starter Philip Wheeler.

Ihenacho survived the first wave of cuts Monday when the Raiders trimmed their roster to 75. If he survives the cut to 53 on Friday, it will be largely on the strength of his pass rush skills. But he’ll probably also have to prove he can fill in at outside linebacker in a pinch.

“It’s different, but I’ve always been a fast learner,” Ihenacho said. “I’m trying to be like a sponge out there. I’m always in my coaches’ ear – the head coach, the D-coordinator, the position coach. I’m always asking them, like OK, how can I improve on this? If I mess up, you know, what went wrong, what do I need to work on? I hate messing up, so it’s different, and I’m not perfect at it, but I’m always learning.”

The biggest difference for Ihenacho at outside linebacker is having to drop back in pass coverage, something he rarely did at San Jose State.

“I did some, but at San Jose State they said go after the quarterback, and I tried to go after the quarterback as much as possible,” he said.

Ihenacho didn’t play in 2010 while recovering from a knee injury he suffered as a senior at San Jose State. Last season he was signed by San Diego but was cut late in camp. The Raiders signed him to their practice squad on Dec. 7.

Late in his career at San Jose State, Ihenacho was teammates with his younger brother, Duke, a safety, who was signed this year by Denver as an undrafted rookie. If both Ihenachos survive the final cut, they’ll meet on Sept. 30 when the Raiders play at Denver, and a brotherly special teams collision could take place.

“Man, it would be a blessing,” Ihenacho said. “I think right now we’re both working our butt off to make it, to be on that 53-man roster, to be on the team and help, however we can. But when that time comes we’ll both look at it and we’ll thank God for it. It would be funny, though. I wouldn’t mind hitting him on special teams. I wouldn’t mind getting a shot at him.”

Follow Raiders reporter Eric Gilmore on Twitter: @CBSSportsNFLOAK