Kentucky PFF player grades and snap counts versus Ball State

Depending on your viewpoint of a glass filled halfway with water, you could be as optimistic or pessimistic as your instinct allows after watching Kentucky’s 44-14 win over Ball State in Week 1. The right answer, of course, is probably in the middle, however, what helps keep our impulses in check are objective metrics.

Some might argue Power Football Focus’s (PFF) player grades aren’t exactly objective, but they do provide a standardized system for measuring a player’s performance. The grade goes on a scale of 0 to 100 with the average being 60. Any grade above 70 means the player had a good name. A grade below 50 indicates they had an overall weaker performance.

These grades in the charts below are only for players who saw the field for at least five snaps, and to show the distribution of playing time, we’ve included those snap counts.

Defense

Jalen Geiger had a scoop-and-score touchdown and Trevin Wallace led the team in total tackles, but it was cornerback Alex Afari who graded out the best against Ball State at 79.7. Not only was this the best grade on defense, but it was also the highest overall grade on the team. Afari’s grade breakdown featured no weak area and boasted an 82.5 tackling grade.

His defensive backfield counterpart, Maxwell Hairston, had the second-best grade on the team at 79. If it weren’t for getting a would-be interception taken away by a questionable pass interference call, this grade would likely have been in the 80s.

One of the biggest question marks for Kentucky entering Week 1 was at cornerback, but Afari and Hairston stepped up and answered those questions soundly.

The most surprising defensive grade was a low mark of 46.9 for Octavious Oxendine. The dynamic lineman actually led Kentucky in QB pressures, but a few missed tackles ultimately lowered his overall grade. Still, his backfield disruption played a huge part in Kentucky’s defense.

Kentucky Defensive PFF Grades and Snap Counts versus Ball State

Player	Pos	Snaps	Grade
Alex Afari	CB	44	79.7
Maxwell Hairston	CB	69	79
Jalen Geiger	S	41	72.4
Jamarius Dinkins	DE	12	71
Keeshawn Silver	DE	27	70.3
Trevin Wallace	LB	53	69.2
Josaih Hayes	DE	20	66.9
Deone Walker	DT	51	66.6
Kendrick Gilbert	DT	5	66.1
Ty Bryant	S	10	65.1
Andru Phillips	CB	62	64.9
Martez Thrower	LB	21	64.8
Daveren Rayner	LB	10	63.6
D’Eryl Jackson	LB	55	63.4
Tyreese Fearby	LB	10	62.6
Jordan Lovett	S	50	62.6
JJ Weaver	LB	54	60
Noah Matthews	LB	12	59
Keaton Wade	LB	37	58.3
Kahlil Saunders	LB	37	58.1
Darrion Henry-Young	LB	18	43.3
Zion Childress	S	48	51
Jonquis Hardaway	CB	30	48.9
Octavious Oxendine	DE	35	46.9

Offense

It should also not be a surprise to see Dane Key and Ray Davis lead the offense with grades of 73 and 72.4 respectively. Devin Leary leaned on these two guys as his primary weapons all afternoon and they stepped up in a big way.

Also of note, Kentucky abandoned its anticipated running back-by-committee approach early, as Davis played 42 out of the team’s total 54 offensive snaps. JuTahn McClain played 12 snaps and Demie Sumo-Karngbaye maximized his seven snaps with a grade of 72.2.

Kenneth Horsey led the offensive line with a grade of 67.1 proving a potential loss of his services for an extended period of time could prove costly to this team. We all waited on pins and needles for his prognosis.

Dylan Ray came in for Horsey and played well in his place with an above-average grade of 61.3, but a deeper dive showed he struggled a bit with pass blocking.

After an intense training camp battle, Jeremy Flax got the start at right tackle and took the bulk of the team’s snaps at that position with backup Courtland Ford only seeing the field for 10 plays. If Horsey misses time, it will be interesting to see if the staff chooses to shift Ford out of position over to guard or if Ray slides into the starting role.

As for QB1, Devin Leary finished his debut with a grade of 55.2, which feels about right based on the eye test. He made some good throws but overall was battling first-game jitters all day. Considering he was 10 of 11 passing in the second half, those debut butterflies may have calmed. Look for him to build on the momentum going forward.

Kentucky Offensive PFF Grades and Snap Counts versus Ball State

Player	Pos	Snaps	Grade
Dane Key	WR	39	73
Ray Davis	RB	42	72.4
Demie Sumo-Karngbaye	RB	7	72.2
Tayvion Robinson	WR	31	69.8
Kenneth Horsey	G	30	67.1
Dylan Ray	G	24	61.3
JuTahn McClain	RB	12	61.2
Brenden Bates	TE	19	59.7
Marques Cox	T	54	59.5
Jeremy Flax	T	44	58.7
Courtland Ford	T	10	57.3
Dekel Crowdus	WR	8	56.9
Izayah Cummings	TE	10	56.5
Devin Leary	QB	54	55.2
Barion Brown	WR	36	53.7
Jordan Dingle	TE	27	53.6
Jager Burton	C	54	53.1
Eli Cox	G	54	49.2
Josh Kattus	TE	28	48.7
Anthony Brown-Stephens	WR	11	41.1