Oshane Ximines is a Giants rookie but not a stranger to Thursday night football games.

Ximines, 22, starred at Old Dominion University, which, like many programs in the unheralded Group of Five conferences, plays a couple games each season on non-Saturdays to get into the national spotlight. He doesn’t recall much, if anything, about his four-tackle one-sack performance in Old Dominion-Charlotte on a Thursday last fall, but that’s OK.

Other than a lesson about body soreness and recovery, there is not much correlation between that game and what’s next: A trip to Foxborough, Mass. to face the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots and 42-year-old future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady on Thursday night.

Does age 42 qualify as “old” in any other walk of life besides pro sports?

“Nah, if my mom heard me say that ... " Ximines said to laughter. His mother is 46 years old. “She would expect me to say no. For him to do what he’s doing at 42 years is amazing."

Ximines has 14 tackles and two sacks in his first five NFL games, and made his first start last week when Lorenzo Carter was sidelined by a neck injury. The Giants have a storied history of harassing quarterback Tom Brady with speed pass-rushers, and Ximines fits the bill.

Here is what Ximines said in the weekly “Four Downs” Q & A:

FIRST DOWN

What’s the biggest challenge of a Thursday night game?

“The turnaround on your body and just getting your body right. Right now, our bodies are used to being in rest mode, but you have a game coming. It is what it is. You get in here a little bit earlier, hit the tubs, they’ve got plenty of things around here we can do to take care of our bodies. It’s taking advantage of the resources and being a pro to get ready.”

SECOND DOWN

Why have you had success getting after the quarterback early in your rookie season?

“Coming to work every single day, listening to the scheme and taking the coaching. In my opinion, I don’t think I’ve done enough. There’s more. A lot more. I still have a lot of work to do.”

THIRD DOWN

What have you learned from watching Markus Golden’s motor? He has a team-high 4.5 sacks and never gives up on a play.

“Having a guy like him in my corner is making my rookie year a lot easier. The biggest thing I learned from him is to hunt: Play with an edge every single play and be ready to work. He works his a-- off on everything he does. Not just getting to the quarterback. He’s a guy in the meeting room with all the note cards. He does everything right and it shows on Sundays.”

FOURTH DOWN

You were a month shy of your fourth birthday when Brady made his NFL debut in 2000. Is it cool to now be trying to sack him?

“That’s very cool. If not one of the the best, he’s the greatest of all-time. To get a chance to go against one of the greats is something I’m going to tell my children about, and is something that I’m going to wear with honor — playing against him and being in his presence. But we’ve still got a job to execute and things like that. I’ve still got to go out there and play football.”

EXTRA POINT

It looked like the defense turned a corner, from giving up 91 points in the first 10 quarters of the season to six points in the next six. Then came last week’s struggles. Is that disappointing?

“Of course it’s going to be very disappointing. You’ve got to come back ready to work, figure out what we did wrong and correct them. That’s the only thing you can do. That just goes back to life. When somebody hits you in the face, you have to punch back.”

Buy Giants-Patriots tickets: StubHub, SeatGeek

DID YOU KNOW?

Brady is 11-1 as a starter in Thursday games. He has totaled for 3,522 passing yards with 28 touchdowns compared to five interceptions.

Ryan Dunleavy may be reached at rdunleavy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rydunleavy. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.