Grades from last weekend:
PFF Defense vs. James Madison
In what was a rough opening half against the Dukes, Marshall’s defense settled in during the second thirty minutes of play holding James Madison to seven points, excluding overtime. Totaling six tackles, one sack, and one tackle for loss, Braydin Ward led the Thundering Herd defense with a PFF grade of 85.8.
Defensive Line:
With Braydin Ward leading the way, Deeve Harris was next in line, grading 77.1 (five tackles, two tackles for loss). TyQaze Leggs (four tackles) and Jude Okolo (one tackle) both graded over 70 as well with grades of 75.6 and 75.2. Other grades of note: Chris Thomas, Jr.: 69.1; JJ Hawkins: 69.0; Mike Green: 63.6; Jason Shuford: 63.5; Dylan Davis: 60.6; Raquan Thompson: 57.5.
Linebackers:
Leon Hart, Jr. stepped up in a major way with Landyn Watson out of the lineup. Hart, Jr. received a PFF grade of 72.7 and tallied six tackles. Jaden Yates tied for the team lead in tackles with nine and graded 64.5, while Monroe Beard III had five tackles and graded 59.5.
Secondary:
Although he has consistently been in the bottom third of PFF grades among Marshall’s secondary throughout the 2024 season, Jadarius Green-McKnight might have played the game of his career, including a pick-six in the third quarter. Green-McKnight also had three tackles as he received a grade of 79.4. Ahmere Foster (two tackles) graded 73.6 and Ian Foster (five tackles), who has become quite the kick returner, notched a grade of 72.1. AG McGhee played one of his best games of the season according to PFF as he earned a grade of 71.4. McGhee tied Jaden Yates with nine tackles. Other grades of note: Jacobie Henderson: 67.2; Daytione Smith: 66.6; J.J. Roberts: 63.7.
PFF Offense vs. James Madison
As the 2024 regular season came to a close, Marshall reigned victorious with a 35-33 double overtime win over James Madison. While the usual focus of this opening paragraph is to highlight the top offensive performer based off the weekly PFF rankings, I feel it is only appropriate to highlight the player who finished second – Reece Verhoff with a grade of 72.2. Despite a somewhat tumultuous kicking career for the Thundering Herd, Verhoff’s nine-yard run on the fake field goal attempt in the fourth quarter will be a play that is talked about in Marshall lore for years to come. To keep with the trend of the season, Jordan Houston received the top PFF grade for Marshall offensively at 74.5. Houston totaled six carries for 50 yards and three receptions for 30 yards in the win over the Dukes.
Quarterback:
Although it was not his best performance statistically or from a PFF grading perspective, Braylon Braxton led the Thundering Herd to six consecutive victories. Braxton was 13 of 24 passing for 120 yards and one touchdown, while also adding 17 carries for 15 yards and one touchdown. PFF graded Braxton’s performance at 62.4.
Running Backs:
While Jordan Houston earned the top mark at 74.5, and technically speaking, Reece Verhoff had the second highest grade among running backs with a 72.2, Ethan Payne was third grading 61.8 (three carries, 32 yards). AJ Turner graded 58.9.
Wide Receivers:
Chuck Montgomery continued his stellar second half of the season and earned the top spot among Marshall’s wide receivers with a PFF grade of 67.7. Although he had three receptions for 29 yards, Montgomery will live on in Herd history having caught the two-point conversion that sealed the victory over James Madison. Bralon Brown had three receptions for 39 yards, earning a grade of 62.5, while Tychaun Chapman was a close third, grading 61.9. Chapman tallied one reception for seven yards and two carries for 23 yards and a touchdown. Other grades of note: Christian Fitzpatrick: 57.2; DeMarcus Harris: 55.2; Carl Chester: 53.7.
Tight Ends:
Despite not recording a stat, Cade Conley received a grade of 67.3 and Juston Holmes graded 56.1. Tony Payne had one reception for 16 yards and a touchdown, earning a 53.4.
Offensive Line:
Eric Meeks took home the top PFF grade among the offensive line with a 64.4 (86.6 pass block, 58.9 run block). Meeks was followed by Logan Osburn at 60.4 (77.2 pass block, 57.0 run block) and Jalen Slappy with a grade of 58.7 (67.9 pass block, 60.5 run block). Shun’Markus Adams and Tariq Montgomery round out the top five with grades of 58.6 (68.7 pass block, 56.0 run block) and 55.5 (53.5 pass block, 55.5 run block).
PFF Defense vs. James Madison
In what was a rough opening half against the Dukes, Marshall’s defense settled in during the second thirty minutes of play holding James Madison to seven points, excluding overtime. Totaling six tackles, one sack, and one tackle for loss, Braydin Ward led the Thundering Herd defense with a PFF grade of 85.8.
Defensive Line:
With Braydin Ward leading the way, Deeve Harris was next in line, grading 77.1 (five tackles, two tackles for loss). TyQaze Leggs (four tackles) and Jude Okolo (one tackle) both graded over 70 as well with grades of 75.6 and 75.2. Other grades of note: Chris Thomas, Jr.: 69.1; JJ Hawkins: 69.0; Mike Green: 63.6; Jason Shuford: 63.5; Dylan Davis: 60.6; Raquan Thompson: 57.5.
Linebackers:
Leon Hart, Jr. stepped up in a major way with Landyn Watson out of the lineup. Hart, Jr. received a PFF grade of 72.7 and tallied six tackles. Jaden Yates tied for the team lead in tackles with nine and graded 64.5, while Monroe Beard III had five tackles and graded 59.5.
Secondary:
Although he has consistently been in the bottom third of PFF grades among Marshall’s secondary throughout the 2024 season, Jadarius Green-McKnight might have played the game of his career, including a pick-six in the third quarter. Green-McKnight also had three tackles as he received a grade of 79.4. Ahmere Foster (two tackles) graded 73.6 and Ian Foster (five tackles), who has become quite the kick returner, notched a grade of 72.1. AG McGhee played one of his best games of the season according to PFF as he earned a grade of 71.4. McGhee tied Jaden Yates with nine tackles. Other grades of note: Jacobie Henderson: 67.2; Daytione Smith: 66.6; J.J. Roberts: 63.7.
PFF Offense vs. James Madison
As the 2024 regular season came to a close, Marshall reigned victorious with a 35-33 double overtime win over James Madison. While the usual focus of this opening paragraph is to highlight the top offensive performer based off the weekly PFF rankings, I feel it is only appropriate to highlight the player who finished second – Reece Verhoff with a grade of 72.2. Despite a somewhat tumultuous kicking career for the Thundering Herd, Verhoff’s nine-yard run on the fake field goal attempt in the fourth quarter will be a play that is talked about in Marshall lore for years to come. To keep with the trend of the season, Jordan Houston received the top PFF grade for Marshall offensively at 74.5. Houston totaled six carries for 50 yards and three receptions for 30 yards in the win over the Dukes.
Quarterback:
Although it was not his best performance statistically or from a PFF grading perspective, Braylon Braxton led the Thundering Herd to six consecutive victories. Braxton was 13 of 24 passing for 120 yards and one touchdown, while also adding 17 carries for 15 yards and one touchdown. PFF graded Braxton’s performance at 62.4.
Running Backs:
While Jordan Houston earned the top mark at 74.5, and technically speaking, Reece Verhoff had the second highest grade among running backs with a 72.2, Ethan Payne was third grading 61.8 (three carries, 32 yards). AJ Turner graded 58.9.
Wide Receivers:
Chuck Montgomery continued his stellar second half of the season and earned the top spot among Marshall’s wide receivers with a PFF grade of 67.7. Although he had three receptions for 29 yards, Montgomery will live on in Herd history having caught the two-point conversion that sealed the victory over James Madison. Bralon Brown had three receptions for 39 yards, earning a grade of 62.5, while Tychaun Chapman was a close third, grading 61.9. Chapman tallied one reception for seven yards and two carries for 23 yards and a touchdown. Other grades of note: Christian Fitzpatrick: 57.2; DeMarcus Harris: 55.2; Carl Chester: 53.7.
Tight Ends:
Despite not recording a stat, Cade Conley received a grade of 67.3 and Juston Holmes graded 56.1. Tony Payne had one reception for 16 yards and a touchdown, earning a 53.4.
Offensive Line:
Eric Meeks took home the top PFF grade among the offensive line with a 64.4 (86.6 pass block, 58.9 run block). Meeks was followed by Logan Osburn at 60.4 (77.2 pass block, 57.0 run block) and Jalen Slappy with a grade of 58.7 (67.9 pass block, 60.5 run block). Shun’Markus Adams and Tariq Montgomery round out the top five with grades of 58.6 (68.7 pass block, 56.0 run block) and 55.5 (53.5 pass block, 55.5 run block).
