Kentucky PFF Grades and Snap Counts versus Alabama

I used to think I was pretty dang good at cornhole because I beat all of my friends with regularity. Then I joined the American Cornhole League and realized pretty quickly how mediocre I actually was. There’s nothing like facing off against a superior opponent to make you look subpar and that is exactly what happened when Alabama took down Kentucky on Saturday in convincing fashion.

Sure, Kentucky had some good plays and even scored three touchdowns. Even I was capable of mixing in a few four-baggers when going up against the likes of cornhole pros who play on ESPN. But in the end, the 49-21 score reflected the two-tiered level of overall talent between the two teams.

Like we’ve done every game this season, let’s look at some individual grades for Kentucky players. Who played well and who played not so well, and everyone in between. The analysts over at PFF painstakingly went through every player of every play to assess how well they performed. Let’s not let that work go to waste.

Kentucky tight ends were top performers on offense

Last week against Mississippi State, Brenden Bates and Josh Kattus were near the bottom of the list of PFF grades. Against Alabama, the pair of starting tight ends found themselves at the top. Bates actually came away with the best overall grade on the team with an incredible 90.7. He only had one catch for 33 yards but played a complete game in his 21 snaps.

Kattus’s grade was no doubt assisted by his tremendous sideline catch, one of the Wildcats’ best plays of the day. He finished the day with two catches for 38 yards.

Ray Davis had another above-average game, finding the endzone twice, while Devin Leary came exactly average with a grade of 60, which feels about right.

Overall, though, only 29 percent of Kentucky’s offensive players who played at least five snaps earned a grade over 60. The other 70 percent graded out somewhere between below average to poor which is not a recipe for beating Alabama.

Kentucky Offensive PFF Grades and Snap Counts versus Alabama

(Minimum of 5 snaps)

Offense
Player	Pos	Snaps	Grade
Brenden Bates	TE	21	90.7
Josh Kattus	TE	35	74.4
Ray Davis	RB	44	70.7
Marques Cox	T	34	63.3
Dane Key	WR	45	63
Devin Leary	QB	55	60
Jeremy Flax	T	58	59.3
Tayvion Robinson	WR	37	58.1
Jordan Dingle	TE	15	55.6
Jager Burton	G	55	55.2
Anthony Brown-Stephens	WR	16	54.8
Kenneth Horsey	G	39	54.7
Eli Cox	C	55	52.5
Courtland Ford	T	24	52.4
Dylan Ray	G	22	50.6
Barion Brown	WR	36	47.1
Demie Sumo-Karngbaye	RB	17	45.1

Jordan Lovett scored the highest PFF grade of the season

Despite only playing 17 snaps, Jordan Lovett came with not only but highest PFF grade on the team, but also the highest grade of any player in a game all season long. Analysts assigned Lovett a 93.7, capped by an impressive interception. To break his day down further, he had a near-perfect coverage score of 95, as he batted away the only other pass that was targeted toward the player he was guarding.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, Kentucky’s linebackers really struggled. After dominating the game against Mississippi State, D’Eryk Jackson was next to last in PPF grades against the Tide with a score of 41.6. Trevin Wallace didn’t fair much better with a grade of 51.8.

Everyone on the team will look to step up their game next week in Columbia when the Wildcats take on South Carolina.

Kentucky Defensive PFF Grades and Snap Counts versus Alabama

(Minimum of 10 snaps)

Defense
Player	Pos	Snaps	Grade
Jordan Lovett	S	17	93.7
Tre’von Rybka	DE	25	73.5
Keaton Wade	LB	34	73.2
Deone Walker	DT	54	72.4
Kahlil Saunders	LB	26	70.7
Alex Afari	DB	48	70.6
JJ Weaver	LB	41	69
Ty Bryant	S	45	68.7
Maxwell Hairston	CB	43	65.5
Octavious Oxendine	DE	22	62.5
Daveren Rayner	LB	28	61.1
Keeshawn Silver	DT	28	60.6
Tyreese Fearby	LB	12	58.7
Jonquis Hardaway	CB	67	58.4
Zion Childress	S	59	57.1
Josaih Hayes	DL	26	54.9
Jordan Robinson	CB	15	53.6
Trevin Wallace	LB	48	51.8
D’Eryk Jackson	LB	49	41.6
Jalen Geiger	S	24	32.4