West Virginia Football lost their season opener at Penn State on Saturday. The Mountaineers hung in there throughout the first half, but the Nittany Lions ran away with it in the second.
But how did the individual players grade out?
This article will take a look at the offensive Pro Football Focus grades from West Virginia’s game against Penn State. It will be broken down by each position starting with quarterback.
Quarterback
- QB Garrett Greene: 80.0 (70 snaps)
- QB Nicco Marchiol: 54.7 (2 snaps)
Garrett Greene played every offensive snap and graded out better than what you might have expected. He completed 16 of 27 passes for 162 yards and also had 71 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.
Nicco Marchiol was brought in for two snaps, both of them on trick plays. He was brought down for a loss on the first snap, then was a part of the two-point conversion on the second one.
Running Back/Fullback
- RB CJ Donaldson Jr.: 74.6 (46 snaps)
- RB Jaylen Anderson: 68.8 (15 snaps)
- RB Justin Johnson Jr.: 64.8 (12 snaps)
- FB Luke Hamilton: 60.0 (2 snaps)
CJ Donaldson put on a decent performance versus Penn State, finishing with 84 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. His overall grade could have been higher had it not been for a 16.5 grade in pass blocking.
Jaylen Anderson actually led the team with an 81.7 grade in the passing game. He finished with 15 receiving yards compared to seven rushing yards.
Justin Johnson played 12 snaps, with his only rushing attempt being called back from a penalty.
Towson transfer fullback Luke Hamilton was credited with playing two offensive snaps, with him getting the base 60.0 grade from PFF.
Wide Receiver
- WR Devin Carter: 73.3 (56 snaps)
- WR Rodney Gallagher III: 60.0 (1 snap)
- WR Hudson Clement: 60.0 (1 snap)
- WR Traylon Ray: 57.3 (11 snaps)
- WR Jeremiah Aaron: 55.4 (14 snaps)
- WR Preston Fox: 52.0 (36 snaps)
- WR Jarel Williams: 47.8 (2 snaps)
- WR Cortex Braham: 47.7 (54 snaps)
In his debut for the Mountaineers, transfer acquisition Devin Carter led the team with six receptions and 90 receiving yards.
Rodney Gallagher and Hudson Clement saw action for one snap on the final play of the game, with both players getting the base 60.0 grade from PFF.
The other true freshman wide receiver to see offensive action, Traylon Ray, saw two catches for seven yards. He was one of two receivers to drop a pass on the night.
Jeremiah Aaron was credited with one catch for eight yards.
Preston Fox was credited with one catch for seven yards. His overall PFF grade is being dragged down by a 33.0 run blocking grade.
Jarel Williams saw action for two snaps and like Fox, Williams’s overall PFF grade is being dragged down by his run blocking grade at 37.7.
Starting wide receiver Cortez Braham had a disappointing performance, with his lone target on the night being dropped. He did manage to have the team’s second-best run blocking grade at 70.4.
Tight End
- TE Victor Wikstrom: 60.0 (1 snap)
- TE Kole Taylor: 59.6 (62 snaps)
- TE Treylan Davis: 43.3 (32 snaps)
Victor Wikstrom played one snap at the end of the game and was given the base 60.0 grade from PFF.
Transfer acquisition Kole Taylor had two catches for 31 yards in his debut for the Mountaineers. He had a 68.4 grade for pass blocking.
Treylan Davis was the lowest graded offensive player on the night. He had one catch for one yard and a 22.6 pass blocking grade drags his overall grade down.
Offensive Line
- LT Wyatt Milum: 70.2 (61 snaps)
- RT Doug Nester: 66.0 (70 snaps)
- RG Ja’Quay Hubbard: 62.2 (12 snaps)
- C Zach Frazier: 61.1 (70 snaps)
- LT Nick Malone: 60.5 (12 snaps)
- LG Tomas Rimac: 59.0 (70 snaps)
- RG Brandon Yates: 57.1 (58 snaps)
Wyatt Milum missed some playing time in the first half, but ultimately graded out as the top offensive lineman on the night. He was also the team’s best run blocker at 71.7.
Doug Nester played every snap possible at right tackle and had a solid 72.8 grade for pass blocking.
Ja’Quay Hubbard rotated with Brandon Yates much like he did last year and finishing with a 79.6 pass blocking grade, the highest mark on the team.
Zach Frazier played every snap possible at center and graded out higher in pass blocking than run blocking, with him scoring a 65.2 grade there.
Nick Malone saw some action in relief of Wyatt Milum in the first half. A 21.0 pass blocking grade hurts his overall grade on the night.
Tomac Rimac played every snap possible at left guard, with both his pass blocking and run blocking grade similar to his overall grade.
Brandon Yates played the majority of the snaps at right guard, alternating with Ja’Quay Hubbard as aforementioned. He had a 74.4 grade for pass blocking but his 52.3 grade for run blocking was the lowest among offensive linemen.
