Rebounding with a strong effort throughout the game after giving up 21 points in the first quarter against Coastal Carolina, the Marshall Thundering Herd defense consistently pounced on Old Dominion throughout the contest, holding the Monarchs to 209 yards of total offense -- and just 11 rushing -- in Marshall's 12-0 shutout victory.
Full grade breakdowns, by position, are below:
DEFENSIVE LINE:
As with much of the defense, the Herd didn't have a true standout but instead had a bunch of guys who brought a consistent effort to the table.
Emmanuel Balogun, who played 12 snaps in a reserve role on the line, posted the best overall grade of all defensive linemen by notching a 75.7 PFF. Balogun posted three tackles, a sack and a quarterback hurry, making his dozen snaps count in the process.
Elijah Alston (73.8 PFF) and Isaiah Gibson (73.7 PFF) nestled their way in behind Alston, playing in 31 and 21 snaps, respectively. Alston notched four tackles, a quarterback hit, a quarterback hurry and a batted ball while Gibson posted three quarterback hurries.
Koby Cumberlander (71.5 PFF) notched four tackles and a quarterback hit in 18 snaps, Damion Barber (69.4 PFF) notched a tackle in 11 plays, Owen Porter (66.8 PFF) posted four tackles, a quarterback sack, a quarterback hurry and two quarterback hits in 42 defensive appearances while Sam Burton (66.6 PFF) notched three stops and two quarterback hurries in 32 snaps.
Esisas Carpenter (65.7 PFF), Immanuel Bush (64.1 PFF), Anthony Watts (61.4 PFF) and TyQaze Leggs (60.4 PFF) rounded out a very solid performance from the defensive line, with the 11 defensive linemen who saw action combining to miss just two tackles as a group.
LINEBACKERS:
With Abraham Beauplan back in the lineup and playing in at least part of the contest, Marshall's linebacking core saw improvement with Beauplan picking up the highest overall grade of all linebackers at 78.1. Beauplan posted three tackles in 21 snaps, allowed just one reception for 15 yards in two targets, posted a pass breakup, and notched an interception for a 78.1 PFF grade -- the second best mark on the Marshall defense -- in 21 snaps.
Charlie Gray and Eli Neal also fared well in Marshall's shutout win, notching PFF grades of 72.2 and 71.1 in 40 and 54 plays, respectively. Gray led Marshall with eight tackles and posted a quarterback hit as well as a quarterback hurry, and while Gray was credited with allowing nine of 10 passes to be completed his way, those nine completions only went a total of 43 yards as No. 1 was consistently around the football all game.
Neal, meanwhile, received his high grade despite only making two tackles over the entire game. Neal did have a sack and did not allow a pass completion.
Jace Bobo (51.3 PFF) posted the lowest grade of the entire defense, but Bobo played in just eight snaps as well, which did not fair to end up damaging the Herd on the scoreboard.
DEFENSIVE BACKS:
In the defensive backfield, Daytione Smith, a player who saw his first significant time in the defensive backfield due to the absence of Isaiah Norman via injury, delivered in a big way by posting the best overall grade on the entire defense at 80.5 PFF.
Smith, who notched three tackles, posted the second-best tackling grade on the unit (79.0) and by allowing just one reception for three yards in two targets with a pass breakup, also posted the best coverage rating (80.2) on the defense in 26 plays.
Andre Sam, who played 38 snaps, notched a 76 PFF after garnering four tackles and a quarterback hurry while allowing just two receptions for seven yards with a pass breakup despite being targeted five times. Micah Abraham, who posted a 71.5 PFF grade, didn't allow a reception from his cornerback position and posted pass breakups both times he was targeted on the day.
E.J. Jackson (68.7 PFF) made two tackles and allowed just one completion in two pass attempts with a breakup, while Jadarius Green-McKnight (64.7 PFF), Kerion Martin (63.4 PFF), Joshua Bowers (62.3 PFF) and Steven Gilmore (61.4 PFF) rounded out the defensive secondary. Martin was second on the team in tackles, with six, while Green-McKnight allowed just one catch for two yards.
Full grade breakdowns, by position, are below:
DEFENSIVE LINE:
As with much of the defense, the Herd didn't have a true standout but instead had a bunch of guys who brought a consistent effort to the table.
Emmanuel Balogun, who played 12 snaps in a reserve role on the line, posted the best overall grade of all defensive linemen by notching a 75.7 PFF. Balogun posted three tackles, a sack and a quarterback hurry, making his dozen snaps count in the process.
Elijah Alston (73.8 PFF) and Isaiah Gibson (73.7 PFF) nestled their way in behind Alston, playing in 31 and 21 snaps, respectively. Alston notched four tackles, a quarterback hit, a quarterback hurry and a batted ball while Gibson posted three quarterback hurries.
Koby Cumberlander (71.5 PFF) notched four tackles and a quarterback hit in 18 snaps, Damion Barber (69.4 PFF) notched a tackle in 11 plays, Owen Porter (66.8 PFF) posted four tackles, a quarterback sack, a quarterback hurry and two quarterback hits in 42 defensive appearances while Sam Burton (66.6 PFF) notched three stops and two quarterback hurries in 32 snaps.
Esisas Carpenter (65.7 PFF), Immanuel Bush (64.1 PFF), Anthony Watts (61.4 PFF) and TyQaze Leggs (60.4 PFF) rounded out a very solid performance from the defensive line, with the 11 defensive linemen who saw action combining to miss just two tackles as a group.
LINEBACKERS:
With Abraham Beauplan back in the lineup and playing in at least part of the contest, Marshall's linebacking core saw improvement with Beauplan picking up the highest overall grade of all linebackers at 78.1. Beauplan posted three tackles in 21 snaps, allowed just one reception for 15 yards in two targets, posted a pass breakup, and notched an interception for a 78.1 PFF grade -- the second best mark on the Marshall defense -- in 21 snaps.
Charlie Gray and Eli Neal also fared well in Marshall's shutout win, notching PFF grades of 72.2 and 71.1 in 40 and 54 plays, respectively. Gray led Marshall with eight tackles and posted a quarterback hit as well as a quarterback hurry, and while Gray was credited with allowing nine of 10 passes to be completed his way, those nine completions only went a total of 43 yards as No. 1 was consistently around the football all game.
Neal, meanwhile, received his high grade despite only making two tackles over the entire game. Neal did have a sack and did not allow a pass completion.
Jace Bobo (51.3 PFF) posted the lowest grade of the entire defense, but Bobo played in just eight snaps as well, which did not fair to end up damaging the Herd on the scoreboard.
DEFENSIVE BACKS:
In the defensive backfield, Daytione Smith, a player who saw his first significant time in the defensive backfield due to the absence of Isaiah Norman via injury, delivered in a big way by posting the best overall grade on the entire defense at 80.5 PFF.
Smith, who notched three tackles, posted the second-best tackling grade on the unit (79.0) and by allowing just one reception for three yards in two targets with a pass breakup, also posted the best coverage rating (80.2) on the defense in 26 plays.
Andre Sam, who played 38 snaps, notched a 76 PFF after garnering four tackles and a quarterback hurry while allowing just two receptions for seven yards with a pass breakup despite being targeted five times. Micah Abraham, who posted a 71.5 PFF grade, didn't allow a reception from his cornerback position and posted pass breakups both times he was targeted on the day.
E.J. Jackson (68.7 PFF) made two tackles and allowed just one completion in two pass attempts with a breakup, while Jadarius Green-McKnight (64.7 PFF), Kerion Martin (63.4 PFF), Joshua Bowers (62.3 PFF) and Steven Gilmore (61.4 PFF) rounded out the defensive secondary. Martin was second on the team in tackles, with six, while Green-McKnight allowed just one catch for two yards.
| Defense | Run Defense | Tackling | Pass Rush | Coverage |
| 83.8 | 88.6 | 52.1 | 66.2 | 86.4 |
| Player | Total Def. Grade | Run Defense | Tackle | Pass Rush | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daytione Smith | 80.5 | 60.0 | 79.0 | No Grade | 80.2 |
| Abraham Beauplan | 78.4 | 73.9 | 78.2 | No Grade | 74.6 |
| Andre Sam | 76.0 | 61.3 | 49.6 | 58.6 | 77.4 |
| Emmanuel Balogin | 75.7 | No Grade | 74.8 | 65.9 | 61.2 |
| Elijah Alston | 73.6 | 71.2 | 76.3 | 67.6 | 62.4 |
| Isaiah Gibson | 73.4 | 61.6 | No Grade | 73.1 | No Grade |
| Charlie Gray | 72.2 | 70.0 | 39.2 | 63.9 | 69.5 |
| Koby Cumberlander | 72.1 | 67.3 | 77.9 | 57.5 | 72.1 |
| Eli Neal | 71.9 | 71.2 | 42.1 | 66.1 | 7.0 |
| Micah Abraham | 71.5 | 60.9 | 21.4 | No Grade | 71.3 |
| Damion Barber | 69.1 | 66.1 | 69.7 | 63.2 | No Grade |
| E.J. Jackson | 68.7 | 62.1 | 78.2 | No Grade | 69.0 |
| Owen Porter | 66.8 | 58.8 | 25.9 | 59.0 | 78.6 |
| Sam Burton | 66.6 | 78.1 | 77.4 | 54.7 | 61.8 |
| Esisas Carpenter | 65.6 | 69.3 | 69.7 | 55.5 | No Grade |
| Jadarius Green-McKnight | 64.7 | 60.0 | 28.3 | No Grade | 64.5 |
| Immanuel Bush | 64.1 | 59.6 | No Grade | 68.9 | No Grade |
| Kerion Martin | 63.3 | 77.3 | 60.5 | No Grade | 58.5 |
| Joshua Bowers | 62.3 | No Grade | No Grade | No Grade | 61.8 |
| Steven Gilmore | 61.4 | 64.9 | 81.6 | No Grade | 60.4 |
| Anthony Watts | 61.3 | 60.8 | No Grade | 59.6 | No Grade |
| TyQaze Leggs | 60.3 | 63.4 | 72.2 | 66.0 | 60.0 |
| Jace Bobo | 52.0 | 60.0 | 26.5 | No Grade | 53.1 |
