For the second time in three games, Marshall's defense struggled to finish plays as the Thundering Herd missed 13 tackles -- one off its season-high of 14 against UL-Lafayette -- in the Herd's 24-13 setback to Coastal Carolina Wednesday evening.
Full grade breakdowns, by position, are below:
DEFENSIVE LINE:
The defensive line, like much of the entire unit as a whole, posted uneven performances across the board.
Sam Burton, who played 25 snaps in the contest, posted the highest grade of all defensive linemen at a 70.3 PFF while totaling five pressures, three quarterback hurries, and three total tackles. Skilled pass rushers Koby Cumberlander and Owen Porter nestled in just behind Burton, with Cumberlander notching a 69.7 PFF grade and Porter a 66.7 PFF mark. Both players made five tackles apiece while combining to claim two sacks in the contest as Cumberlander played 21 snaps in the affair and Porter 51.
Damion Barber (63.2 PFF) posted four tackles while Elijah Alston (61.5 PFF) added in three stops of his own. Esisas Carpenter (62.6 PFF), Immanuel Bush (61.7 PFF) and Emmanuel Balogin (60.7 PFF) rounded out the defensive linemen who graded above 60 PFF.
Anthony Watts, Isaiah Gibson and TyQaze Leggs each struggled throughout as Watts posted a 58.6 PFF with just a 28.6 PFF tackling rating while Gibson and Leggs, combined, didn't make a single tackle in the 37 snaps that the pair were out on the field.
LINEBACKERS:
As with the defensive line, the linebacking core enjoyed an uneven performance.
Eli Neal, however, was a strong point for not only the group, but the entire defense. Neal led Marshall with 14 tackles, posted the team's best tackling mark at 85.1 PFF, and allowed just three completions for 17 yards en route to a 75.4 PFF.
The remaining core, however, played uneven as it was clear Marshall missed the presence of Abraham Beauplan. Charlie Gray played 72 snaps but only made four tackles from his linebacker spot en route to a 61.4 PFF rating while Jace Bobo played just eight snaps total and tallied a 57 PFF.
DEFENSIVE BACKS:
Overall, five of the nine highest graded players on Marshall's defense were from the defensive secondary, including Kerion Martin and E.J. Jackson, who posted PFF grades of 72 PFF and 71 PFF, respectively. Both players made five tackles apiece, with Martin garnering an 80.7 PFF tackling rating overall via not missing a single tackle in his 36 snaps on the field. The pair also combined to allow just one reception for two yards.
Micah Abraham (69.4 PFF), Steven Gilmore (67.8 PFF) and Andre Sam (66.6 PFF) also graded above-average, but the trio combined to miss seven tackles and posted PFF tackling grades of 29.2, 53.2 and 32.7 in that area. The trio allowed seven receptions in 12 targets for 55 yards.
Joshua Bowers, who played just three snaps, notched a 60.2 PFF while Isaiah Norman and Jadarius Green-McKnight graded out at just 44.9 and 34.8 PFF, respectively. Norman's tackling grade was an 81.6 by making four stops within a missed tackle, but he also allowed two receptions in three targets his way for 47 yards. Norman's coverage grade was just a 41.8 PFF, while Green-McKnight's was a very low 28.6 PFF.
| Defense | Run Defense | Tackling | Pass Rush | Coverage |
| 68.2 | 75.3 | 61.3 | 62.0 | 65.0 |
| Player | Total Def. Grade | Run Defense | Tackle | Pass Rush | Coverage |
|---|
| Eli Neal | 75.4 | 73.8 | 85.1 | 57.3 | 70.9 |
| Kerion Martin | 72.0 | 75.4 | 80.7 | No Grade | 66.4 |
| E.J. Jackson | 71.0 | 61.3 | 61.6 | 65.1 | 71.3 |
| Sam Burton | 70.8 | 73.0 | 31.8 | 60.3 | No Grade |
| Koby Cumberlander | 69.7 | 68.9 | 78.0 | 74.1 | No Grade |
| Micah Abraham | 69.4 | 53.5 | 29.2 | No Grade | 73.2 |
| Steven Gilmore | 67.8 | 77.0 | 53.2 | No Grade | 63.6 |
| Owen Porter | 66.7 | 60.4 | 78.3 | 68.2 | 60.0 |
| Andre Sam | 66.6 | 72.6 | 32.7 | 60.0 | 62.1 |
| Damion Barber | 63.2 | 63.9 | 73.6 | 57.4 | No Grade |
| Esisas Carpenter | 62.6 | 63.7 | No Grade | 57.5 | No Grade |
| Immanuel Bush | 61.7 | 60.1 | 74.2 | 61.4 | 60.0 |
| Elijah Alston | 61.5 | 68.9 | 46.2 | 48.8 | No Grade |
| Charlie Gray | 61.4 | 60.0 | 62.4 | 55.8 | 63.0 |
| Emmanuel Balogun | 60.7 | 60.0 | No Grade | 60.0 | No Grade |
| Joshua Bowers | 60.2 | 60.0 | No Grade | No Grade | No Grade |
| Anthony Watts | 58.6 | 67.5 | 28.6 | 53.3 | 60.0 |
| Jace Bobo | 57.0 | 56.3 | No Grade | No Grade | 60.6 |
| Isaiah Gibson | 53.4 | 62.7 | No Grade | 58.2 | No Grade |
| Isaiah Norman | 44.9 | 66.6 | 81.6 | No Grade | 41.8 |
| Jadarius Green-McKnight | 34.8 | 61.3 | 52.3 | 60.0 | 28.6 |
| TyQaze Leggs | 31.1 | 50.2 | No Grade | 57.5 | No Grade |
