Each week we’ll took a quick look at some of the top performers and perhaps not so effective players according to football grading service PFF.
Below are some of the more noteworthy aspects of Indiana’s week one game against Illinois.
It should be noted — PFF says it grades the play, not its result. So grades may not line up with stats, necessarily.
In PFF’s example to illustrate this point, the quarterback that throws the ball to defenders will be downgraded whether the defender catches the ball to notch the interception on the stat sheet or not.
OFFENSE
- Overall Indiana grades out as just the No. 103 offense in the country so far. Pass blocking was a major factor in pulling down the grade, but they were outside the top-100 running the ball as well.
- Connor Bazelak’s day didn’t stand out until the final drive. Overall his week one passing grade ranked just No. 43 nationally among quarterbacks with at least 25 drop backs. His adjusted completion percentage of 64.7 (factoring in drops) was well off his career average of 73.2 percent.
- D.J. Matthews was Indiana’s top-rated receiver, with Emery Simmons and Cam Camper close behind.
- Luke Haggard had an especially strong day. Among offensive linemen, he was IU’s best graded run and pass blocker. He was top-10 in the country in pass blocking among linemen with 50 or more snaps.
- Kahlil Benson and Tim Weaver, who battled throughout fall camp for the starting right guard spot, both graded well. Benson saw three times as many snaps as Weaver, and had the second best overall offensive lineman grade on the team.
- Center Zach Carpenter and left guard Mike Katic struggled in both the run and passing games according to PFF.
DEFENSE
- Although IU gave up just 20 points, PFF didn’t like IU’s bend but don’t break approach. The Hoosiers came in at just No. 91 overall, with particularly low marks in pass rush.
- Cam Jones was the top-rated defender for IU, something that should come as no surprise to anyone who watched the game. He pressured the quarterback three times, earning the team’s best pass-rush grade, and he missed no tackles while totaling 11 for the game.
- Josh Sanguinetti provided important depth in the secondary after starting safety Devon Matthews was injured. With six solo tackles in 64 snaps, Sanguinetti actually had the best tackling grade on the team, and he was second-best in coverage.
- Lance Bryant was also highly effective against both the pass and the run. In 79 snaps he was the highest-graded Hoosier in pass coverage, third-best tackler, and third best defender overall.
- Noah Pierre had a mixed day, with some poor grades in pass coverage. But according to PFF he was the highest rated run defender in the country. In 26 run defense snaps he had three tackles, and all three were graded as failures for the offense.
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