Courtesy of @Zac Arrowood:
As you look at the numbers, here's a chart for reference to see how each grade would be categorized:
1-49 - poor
50-55 - below average
56-64 - average
65-70 - above average
71-79 - good
80-89 - very good
90-99 - outstanding
PFF Volume 2 Offense: The Good, The Bad & The Interesting vs. North Carolina Central
Each week, we will explore the PFF rankings for individual players as well as look at top performers across Conference USA. As with last week, I am going to throw total snap count out the window when naming Marshall’s Offensive MVP from Week 2. Plus, it will add a little more fuel to the fire with the ongoing conversation on Old Fairfield regarding who should be the starting running back. Knowledge McDaniel was the highest graded offensive player for the Herd with a score of 86.5. I will dive more into his overall performance below. Now for a further look at how the Herd performed on offense according to PFF.
Quarterback:
Grant Wells finished Week 2 with an overall rating of 75.9 (down from his Week 1 score of 80.7 at Navy). Statistically, Wells was 34 of 47 for 347 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Why the lower score for Wells? PFF factors in the average distance of each throw to the intended target and that dropped from a 12.1 yard average against Navy to an 8.4 average against North Carolina Central (screens to WR’s as well as several check downs to RB’s). Despite a lower overall grade from PFF, Wells’ NFL Passer Rating was 102.6 compared to 74.9 against Navy. Cam Fancher graded out at 60.9 while Luke Zban was 53.0 for Week 2.
Running Back:
As noted above, Knowledge McDaniel was the highest graded running back for the Herd with a composite score of 86.5. You can argue that McDaniel’s stats (seven carries, 67 yards, 1 TD) came against North Carolina Central’s second unit, however, his grade speaks for itself. Ethan Payne was the second highest graded running back for Marshall at 69.8, followed by Sheldon Evans (64.6) and Rasheen Ali (64.0).
Wide Receiver:
For the second week in a row, Corey Gammage (seven receptions for 70 yards) was Marshall’s top graded receiver with an overall score of 76.2. I am going to take snap count into consideration when sharing the remainder of the grades for the wide receivers as the numbers are a bit skewed with the amount of reps that certain players received in the second half. Jayden Harrison received the second highest receiving score according to PFF with a 73.6, while Talik Keaton graded at 66.1. Other wide receiver scores of note: EJ Horton: 58.8, Stone Scarcelle: 57.1, Willie Johnson: 51.5, Shadeed Ahmed: 47.6.
Tight End:
Following a strong performance against Navy, the Herd’s tight ends had a more pedestrian performance against North Carolina Central according to PFF. Devin Miller had the highest grade at 61.0, with Xavier Gaines being graded at 55.9 and Garet Morrell at 51.2.
Offensive Line:
According to PFF, Marshall’s offensive line performed worse as a unit against North Carolina Central than they did against Navy. Alex Mollette (C) had the highest overall grade with a 69.5 (62.6 run block, 85.0 pass block). Will Ulmer (LT) graded out second with a score of 64.5 (57.8 run block, 72.0 pass block), followed by Logan Osburn (RG) at 64.3 (61.3 run block, 71.5 pass block), Dalton Tucker (LT) at 62.3 (63.3 run block, 54.2 pass block, Kendrick Sartor (RT) also at 62.3 (63.8 run block, 65.6 pass block). Of note, Alex Salguero, who split snaps between left guard and center had a composite score of 30.8 (27.1 run block, 46.5 pass block). Here are the snap counts for the players highlighted above. Mollette: 62, Ulmer: 62, Osburn: 98, Tucker: 47, Sartor: 92, Salguero: 96.
A Look at CUSA’s Top Performers from Week 2:
Top Graded QB in CUSA Week 2: Josh Adkins from UTSA at 91.2
Top Graded WR in CUSA Week 2: LaJohntay Wester from FAU at 90.7
Top Graded RB in CUSA Week 2: Knowledge McDaniel from Marshall at 86.5
Top Graded TE in CUSA Week 2: Leroy Watson from UTSA at 79.3
Top Graded OL in CUSA Week 2: Khalique Washington from Southern Miss at 83.6
If you would like to know the grade for a specific offensive player during week two, do not hesitate to ask.
As you look at the numbers, here's a chart for reference to see how each grade would be categorized:
1-49 - poor
50-55 - below average
56-64 - average
65-70 - above average
71-79 - good
80-89 - very good
90-99 - outstanding
PFF Volume 2 Offense: The Good, The Bad & The Interesting vs. North Carolina Central
Each week, we will explore the PFF rankings for individual players as well as look at top performers across Conference USA. As with last week, I am going to throw total snap count out the window when naming Marshall’s Offensive MVP from Week 2. Plus, it will add a little more fuel to the fire with the ongoing conversation on Old Fairfield regarding who should be the starting running back. Knowledge McDaniel was the highest graded offensive player for the Herd with a score of 86.5. I will dive more into his overall performance below. Now for a further look at how the Herd performed on offense according to PFF.
Quarterback:
Grant Wells finished Week 2 with an overall rating of 75.9 (down from his Week 1 score of 80.7 at Navy). Statistically, Wells was 34 of 47 for 347 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Why the lower score for Wells? PFF factors in the average distance of each throw to the intended target and that dropped from a 12.1 yard average against Navy to an 8.4 average against North Carolina Central (screens to WR’s as well as several check downs to RB’s). Despite a lower overall grade from PFF, Wells’ NFL Passer Rating was 102.6 compared to 74.9 against Navy. Cam Fancher graded out at 60.9 while Luke Zban was 53.0 for Week 2.
Running Back:
As noted above, Knowledge McDaniel was the highest graded running back for the Herd with a composite score of 86.5. You can argue that McDaniel’s stats (seven carries, 67 yards, 1 TD) came against North Carolina Central’s second unit, however, his grade speaks for itself. Ethan Payne was the second highest graded running back for Marshall at 69.8, followed by Sheldon Evans (64.6) and Rasheen Ali (64.0).
Wide Receiver:
For the second week in a row, Corey Gammage (seven receptions for 70 yards) was Marshall’s top graded receiver with an overall score of 76.2. I am going to take snap count into consideration when sharing the remainder of the grades for the wide receivers as the numbers are a bit skewed with the amount of reps that certain players received in the second half. Jayden Harrison received the second highest receiving score according to PFF with a 73.6, while Talik Keaton graded at 66.1. Other wide receiver scores of note: EJ Horton: 58.8, Stone Scarcelle: 57.1, Willie Johnson: 51.5, Shadeed Ahmed: 47.6.
Tight End:
Following a strong performance against Navy, the Herd’s tight ends had a more pedestrian performance against North Carolina Central according to PFF. Devin Miller had the highest grade at 61.0, with Xavier Gaines being graded at 55.9 and Garet Morrell at 51.2.
Offensive Line:
According to PFF, Marshall’s offensive line performed worse as a unit against North Carolina Central than they did against Navy. Alex Mollette (C) had the highest overall grade with a 69.5 (62.6 run block, 85.0 pass block). Will Ulmer (LT) graded out second with a score of 64.5 (57.8 run block, 72.0 pass block), followed by Logan Osburn (RG) at 64.3 (61.3 run block, 71.5 pass block), Dalton Tucker (LT) at 62.3 (63.3 run block, 54.2 pass block, Kendrick Sartor (RT) also at 62.3 (63.8 run block, 65.6 pass block). Of note, Alex Salguero, who split snaps between left guard and center had a composite score of 30.8 (27.1 run block, 46.5 pass block). Here are the snap counts for the players highlighted above. Mollette: 62, Ulmer: 62, Osburn: 98, Tucker: 47, Sartor: 92, Salguero: 96.
A Look at CUSA’s Top Performers from Week 2:
Top Graded QB in CUSA Week 2: Josh Adkins from UTSA at 91.2
Top Graded WR in CUSA Week 2: LaJohntay Wester from FAU at 90.7
Top Graded RB in CUSA Week 2: Knowledge McDaniel from Marshall at 86.5
Top Graded TE in CUSA Week 2: Leroy Watson from UTSA at 79.3
Top Graded OL in CUSA Week 2: Khalique Washington from Southern Miss at 83.6
If you would like to know the grade for a specific offensive player during week two, do not hesitate to ask.
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