Once again, the Marshall defense came up with big efforts throughout, overcoming a big game by Georgia Southern running back Jalen White (13 carries, 143 yards) by holding Georgia Southern quarterback Kyle VanTrease to just 205 yards passing and only allowing one Eagle receiver to cross the 40-yard mark from a receiving standpoint in a 23-10 victory for the Thundering Herd.
Grades highlighting each unit of the defense are below!
DEFENSIVE LINE:
On the D-line, both Owen Porter and Elijah Alston were disruptive to say the least, with the pair combining for nine tackles, three quarterback hurries and two quarterback hits to lead the charge on the front. Porter had the second-best grade on the entire defense at 76.3, while Alston followed him in third with a 70.7 PFF.
Immanuel Bush and Sam Burton combined for three tackles while claiming respective PFF grades of 65.9 and 65.2 and Damion Barber (one QB pressure) and TyQaze Leggs (one assisted tackle) added in grades of 64.7 and 62.3.
Esisas Carpenter posted a quarterback hurry in just four snaps for a 70.3 PFF grade while Isaiah Gibson (59.2 PFF), Koby Cumberlander (59.0 PFF), Anthony Watts (57.9 PFF) and Emmanuel Balogin (51.2 PFF) rounded out the defensive line's performances with Gibson and Watts posting three tackles apiece to lead the remaining defensive linemen.
LINEBACKERS:
At linebacker, Eli Neal took the bull by the horns for the unit, amassing a 64.6 overall PFF grade. Neal was the Thundering Herd's leader in tackles with 11, allowed three receptions that only went for 24 yards, and had a pick on VanTrease.
Abraham Beauplan's 60.6 PFF and Charlie Gray's 56.3 PFF rounded out the performance from the defense's second level.
DEFENSIVE BACKS:
Secondary-wise, the defense proved to be consistent with only one defensive back out of the nine who played garnering worse than a 60 PFF rating -- and seven of the nine who took to the field posting a PFF of 64.9 or higher in the contest.
This mark included the play of E.J. Jackson, who continued his strong second half of 2022 with the defense's best overall grade at 80.1 PFF. Jackson posted the best coverage PFF rating at 84.5 by collecting two pass breakups in three targets and allowing just one reception for six yards, and posted the second-best tackle rating on the defense at 83.3 en route to making four tackles.
Behind him, Daytione Smith (68.9), Micah Abraham (67.7) and Josh Bowers (67.1) all posted good PFF marks, with Smith allowing five catches in seven targets but giving up just 46 yards in receiving yardage. Smith had a pass breakup and after allowing a 20-yard completion, allowed just 25 yards on the remaining four completions. Abraham allowed just one reception in four targets his direction for nine yards, while Bowers was targeted twice in seven snaps and allowed just one completion for eight yards with a pass breakup.
AG McGhee (65.1 PFF) posted a tackle in three snaps while Kerion Martin (64.9 PFF) and Steven Gilmore (62.9 PFF) combined for 13 tackles, although most of those came from allowing 69 yards receiving combined on eight catches in 13 combined targets in each of their directions. Jadarius Green-McKnight (60.0 PFF) and D'Yoni Hill (48.0 PFF) rounded out the secondary's efforts.
Grades highlighting each unit of the defense are below!
DEFENSIVE LINE:
On the D-line, both Owen Porter and Elijah Alston were disruptive to say the least, with the pair combining for nine tackles, three quarterback hurries and two quarterback hits to lead the charge on the front. Porter had the second-best grade on the entire defense at 76.3, while Alston followed him in third with a 70.7 PFF.
Immanuel Bush and Sam Burton combined for three tackles while claiming respective PFF grades of 65.9 and 65.2 and Damion Barber (one QB pressure) and TyQaze Leggs (one assisted tackle) added in grades of 64.7 and 62.3.
Esisas Carpenter posted a quarterback hurry in just four snaps for a 70.3 PFF grade while Isaiah Gibson (59.2 PFF), Koby Cumberlander (59.0 PFF), Anthony Watts (57.9 PFF) and Emmanuel Balogin (51.2 PFF) rounded out the defensive line's performances with Gibson and Watts posting three tackles apiece to lead the remaining defensive linemen.
LINEBACKERS:
At linebacker, Eli Neal took the bull by the horns for the unit, amassing a 64.6 overall PFF grade. Neal was the Thundering Herd's leader in tackles with 11, allowed three receptions that only went for 24 yards, and had a pick on VanTrease.
Abraham Beauplan's 60.6 PFF and Charlie Gray's 56.3 PFF rounded out the performance from the defense's second level.
DEFENSIVE BACKS:
Secondary-wise, the defense proved to be consistent with only one defensive back out of the nine who played garnering worse than a 60 PFF rating -- and seven of the nine who took to the field posting a PFF of 64.9 or higher in the contest.
This mark included the play of E.J. Jackson, who continued his strong second half of 2022 with the defense's best overall grade at 80.1 PFF. Jackson posted the best coverage PFF rating at 84.5 by collecting two pass breakups in three targets and allowing just one reception for six yards, and posted the second-best tackle rating on the defense at 83.3 en route to making four tackles.
Behind him, Daytione Smith (68.9), Micah Abraham (67.7) and Josh Bowers (67.1) all posted good PFF marks, with Smith allowing five catches in seven targets but giving up just 46 yards in receiving yardage. Smith had a pass breakup and after allowing a 20-yard completion, allowed just 25 yards on the remaining four completions. Abraham allowed just one reception in four targets his direction for nine yards, while Bowers was targeted twice in seven snaps and allowed just one completion for eight yards with a pass breakup.
AG McGhee (65.1 PFF) posted a tackle in three snaps while Kerion Martin (64.9 PFF) and Steven Gilmore (62.9 PFF) combined for 13 tackles, although most of those came from allowing 69 yards receiving combined on eight catches in 13 combined targets in each of their directions. Jadarius Green-McKnight (60.0 PFF) and D'Yoni Hill (48.0 PFF) rounded out the secondary's efforts.
| Defense | Run Defense | Tackling | Pass Rush | Coverage |
| 74.0 | 68.4 | 63.5 | 65.4 | 77.1 |
| Player | Total Def. Grade | Run Defense | Tackle | Pass Rush | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E.J. Jackson | 80.1 | 60.1 | 83.3 | No Grade | 84.5 |
| Owen Porter | 76.3 | 75.6 | 80.6 | 70.3 | 73.0 |
| Elijah Alston | 70.7 | 69.1 | 77.1 | 64.8 | 62.5 |
| Esisas Carpenter | 70.2 | 60.0 | No Grade | 68.3 | No Grade |
| Daytione Smith | 68.9 | 63.9 | 77.8 | No Grade | 68.7 |
| Micah Abraham | 67.7 | 68.4 | 47.3 | No Grade | 66.4 |
| Joshua Bowers | 67.1 | 60.0 | 21.7 | No Grade | 66.3 |
| Immanuel Bush | 65.9 | 72.4 | 70.2 | 55.2 | No Grade |
| Sam Burton | 65.2 | 71.8 | 76.6 | 54.3 | No Grade |
| AG McGhee | 65.1 | No Grade | 72.5 | No Grade | 64.2 |
| Kerion Martin | 64.9 | 69.0 | 84.9 | 59.9 | 62.4 |
| Damion Barber | 64.7 | 54.4 | No Grade | 73.3 | No Grade |
| Eli Neal | 64.6 | 60.2 | 51.3 | 64.7 | 64.0 |
| Steven Gilmore | 62.9 | 64.0 | 57.6 | No Grade | 62.1 |
| Ty'Qaze Leggs | 62.3 | 70.2 | 69.7 | 54.3 | 60.0 |
| Abraham Beauplan | 60.9 | 49.6 | 25.6 | 77.8 | 59.6 |
| Jadarius Green-McKnight | 60.0 | 60.0 | No Grade | No Grade | No Grade |
| Isaiah Gibson | 59.2 | 60.3 | 72.2 | 57.1 | No Grade |
| Koby Cumberlander | 59.0 | 60.7 | No Grade | 56.5 | No Grade |
| Anthony Watts | 57.9 | 59.7 | 28.3 | 55.7 | No Grade |
| Charlie Gray | 56.3 | 44.5 | 74.8 | 60.0 | 64.8 |
| Emmanuel Balogun | 51.2 | 55.2 | No Grade | No Grade | No Grade |
| D'yoni Hill | 48.0 | 60.0 | 74.2 | No Grade | 48.7 |
