Wake Forest Football: Week 8 PFF Grades Roundup
Wake Forest notched their sixth win of the season on Saturday in a 43-15 trouncing of Boston College. There were great performances all over the field in the victory — here are the three highest graded performers from each unit according to Pro Football Focus.
Quarterbacks:
- Sam Hartman- 91.5 (90.9 pass, 68.1 run)
Hartman was not only the highest graded player on either side of the ball for the Deacs on Saturday, but also the highest graded Power Five quarterback in all of college football. His 313-yard, 5-touchdown performance through the air resulted in a stellar passing grade of 90.9, his highest mark of the season. Interestingly enough, Hartman was also Wake’s second highest graded rusher (6 carries, 7 yards, 1 TD), trailing only Quinton Cooley.
READ: ACC Football Power Rankings: Week 9
Pass Catchers (min. 30 snaps):
- Jahmal Banks- 84.8
- A.T. Perry- 66.7
- Ke’Shawn Williams- 65.1
Banks was Hartman’s favorite option against BC, receiving nine targets and making catches on seven of them for 79 yards and two touchdowns. No other receiver was targeted more than six times. Perry and Williams were targeted three times apiece, combining for five catches, 78 yards and 1 TD. This marks Banks’ second highest offensive grade of the season aside from the Clemson game (88.3), where he caught 6 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns.
Running Backs:
- Quinton Cooley- 68.4
- Christian Turner- 58.7
- Justice Ellison- 58.1
The Deacs struggled to get the ground game going in Week 8, with leading rusher Justice Ellison chipping in just 36 yards on 10 carries. The lone rushing touchdown came from Sam Hartman from 2 yards out in the third quarter to put Wake Forest up 36-15. This is the lowest grade of the season for Ellison and the second lowest for Turner (54.3 against Clemson).
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Offensive Line (min. 70 snaps):
- Loic Ngassam Nya- 57.4 (48.4 run block, 84.1 pass block)
- Michael Jurgens- 62.1 (59. 3 run block, 67.2 pass block)
- Sean Maginn- 55.9 (57.0 run block, 63.3 pass block)
I include the specific run and pass blocking grades here because there’s such a noticeable dichotomy between the two metrics. For example, Loic Ngassam Nya simultaneously netted his second highest pass block rating (87.4 vs Florida State) of the year and his second lowest run block rating (48.1 vs Liberty). This game represents Jurgens’ second lowest offensive grade of 2022 and Maginn’s lowest.
Defensive Line:
- Rondell Bothroyd- 91.2
- Tyler Williams- 79.8
- Jasheen Davis- 75.7
Bothroyd’s stat line of two sacks, one pass deflection and one forced fumble was enough to earn him the highest defensive grade on the team this week and his second highest of the year (91.4 against VMI). Williams’ 79.8 rating was his second highest of the year (87.7 vs Vanderbilt), and his run defense grade of 74.6 was his best so far in 2022. Davis’ final grade of 75.7 trailed only his performance against Florida State (84.5).
READ: Wake Forest up to No. 10 in Week 9 AP Poll
Linebackers:
- Ryan Smenda Jr.- 78.1
- Dylan Hazen- 73.5
- Chase Jones- 73.1
Smenda (5 solo tackles, 1.5 TFLs against BC) has scored well from PFF this year, receiving four grades of over 72.0 so far. This week’s grade falls second only to his mark against Vanderbilt (81.9). Hazen played only 18 snaps but was efficient, recording 3 total tackles (2 solo). Jones finished with just 1 solo tackle in 44 snaps but received the highest pass coverage grade on the team at 75.6.
Defensive Backs:
- Gavin Holmes- 68.7
- Brendon harris- 67.7
- Chelen Garnes- 66.6
Though Holmes led the DBs in total defensive grade this week, he hasn’t been a favorite of PFF so far this season- he’s received three grades in the 50s and only one above 70 (77.1 vs Vanderbilt). Harris has only played in four games this season and his 67.7 grade this week only trails his rating against VMI (70.2). Garnes’ week 8 rating fell into the bottom half of his 2022 PFF grades, and his coverage grade of 63.4 was his second lowest of the year (63.1 vs Florida State).
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