Season Grades PFF (Utah Offense)

[Ute Dub]

I pulled up the PFF Grades and the rankings of Utah players among their position group peers. Some interesting data. I know PFF grades aren’t everything but I do think they show some trends.

Micah Bernard PFF Ranking #226 of 471 Half Backs for 2024
Ja’Quindon Jackson (Arkansas) PFF Ranking #35 of 471 Half Backs for 2024 (Jaquindon was the highest rated Ute in 2023 after Sione Vaki)
Damien Martinez PFF Ranking #23 of 471 Half Backs for 2024
Cam Sketebo PFF Ranking #21 of 471 Half Backs for 2024
LJ Martin PFF Ranking #94 of 471 Half Backs for 2024

Spencer Fano PFF Ranking #4 of 645 OT’s for 2024 (But really he’s #2 if you include a snap minimum)
Caleb Lomu PFF Ranking #53 of 645 OT’s for 2024

Tanoa Togia PFF Ranking #18 of 654 OG’s for 2024
Michael Mokofisi PFF Ranking #267 of 654 OG’s for 2024
Falcon Kaumutule PFF Ranking #185 of 654 OG’s for 2024 (but not enough snaps to rank him, officially)
Johnny Maea PFF Ranking #195 of 654 OG’s for 2024 (but not enough snaps to rank him, officially)
Salatoa Moeai PFF Ranking #633 of 654 OG’s for 2024 (but not enough snaps to rank him, officially)

Jaren Kump PFF Ranking #58 of 296 Centers for 2024

Brandon Rose PFF Ranking #210 of 315 QB’s for 2024 (but not enough snaps to rank him, officially)
Isaac Wilson PFF Ranking #305 of 315 QB’s for 2024
Cameron Rising PFF Ranking #306 of 315 QB’s for 2024 (but not enough snaps to rank him, officially)
I’ll do defense another day but Cameron Calhoun is #2 at Utah after Tao Johnson

[Rick]

The OL grade support what I have seen. Our two OTs are studs. Calhoun and Teo are studs. We need to make sure these four get taken care of in the off season. I do think that Kump and Togia are serviceable and we can build on them. If you watched the game Saturday, our pass protection was really good. NO ONE was getting open. Zero separation. Even the bomb to Singer had no separation and took a perfect throw to complete it. This team is pretty slow. I have been saying it all year and if you can’t see it on the field, you are simply not looking. I think on defense it has a lot to do with historic injuries taking their toll. Barton and Reid were both WAY quicker/faster two years ago compared to now. Same with O’Toole and Fillinger. On offense, we just lack speed overall, especially at WR. I think Singer has great hands but he is rarely wide open. It could be scheme but I doubt it. Other than him, without Money, we got nothing. We need a complete speed makeover on offense in the off-season.

[Ute Dub]

What I’ve been saying is, we’ve won with bad QB play before as long as the RB was a future NFL guy. We’ve won with OL’s similar to this one. 6 game losing streak with a RB that is not top 200 in the country. That makes a little sense to me. Also, Utah RB’s have been very bad at pass blocking. Like grading below 30. But usually that will get put on the OL.

[2008 National Champ]

Bernard is so low because he’s pretty much hit/miss on his carries. That ypc got inflated early in the season when he was breaking off a 50 plus every game. Now that he’s not breaking those, and not getting a ton of carries.,, he’s just not going to grade well when he doesn’t pile up a lot of “winning” runs.

[Ute Dub]

I’m feel like Bernard is good for 6-10 strong runs a game, then he wears down and just doesn’t have the explosiveness.

[2008 National Champ]

with his shoulder, I think you’re correct. They played Mitchell a lot more in the 4th quarter, even when there was only an outside chance of a comeback.

[AlohaUte]

Regarding Singer getting open, after seeing Vele’s success in the NFL I’m convinced it’s scheme. All the years he was there he and the other receivers weren’t getting open and I just figured they were mediocre and couldn’t get space. Yet, here Devaughn is playing at a high-level in the NFL.

[RustyShackleford]

Rising could “throw him open” we had this issue a little bit with T.Wilson as well, some QBs don’t have the ability to throw someone open. Huntley could and Rising could.

[RoboUte]

Finally, statistical proof that Wilson is better than Rising. Truly a battle of titans. The race for 304 or the fall to 307 begins this week. Is America ready?

[22Ute22]

Hate to be proven right yet again, but I was dead on the money with my preseason worries at Center and Mokofisi.

[2008 National Champ]

Kump’s been delivering good snaps. That alone is a step up over the last few years.

[Ute Dub]

Agree. The problem is if he’s mid at pass blocking, and the RG is woeful at pass blocking, then we have some problems straight up the gut.

[Ute Dub]

What was your insight to Mokofisi? He graded a 63 this year and a 63 last year, for no improvement. I generally believe that upper classman OL that have started multiple years get really good, but he isn’t. Why? Does he not understand the zone blocking scheme? Does he have poor technique?

[jshame17]

His position coach.

I can’t think of a player he put in the league, that already wasn’t on that trajectory and he should never get credit for Bolles. He came to Utah for his wife and was NFL bound no matter what.

[Ute Dub]

But why? Why are these guys not improving? Poor technique? They don’t watch film? They’re not getting stronger? I’m ok with a change from Harding.

Laumea was drafter last year.
Braeden Daniels was drafted in 2022.

[2008 National Champ]

I can’t evaluate O Linemen, especially the interior. I just don’t have that skillset. When I was scouting opponents while coaching in high school, I could see the end result of O Line mistakes but could not pick up in real time who was responsible.

So with that background, I never understood the slobbering over Keaton Bills. And I thought Mokofisi was at least as effective as Bills last year which wasn’t great. Moko always had way too many dumb penalties. And he only played a couple of games this year so I don’t know if we saw enough to determine improvement.

Since the 2016 O Line, I don’t think Utah has ever had a really good interior. Moss covered up a lot of errors, Jordan also in 2020, and then Rising (no matter what anyone thinks of him) was really good at reading potential pressures and either checking into a different play or beating that pressure himself. Utah’s 2023/24 QB’s and RB’s just aren’t capable of covering up the O Line warts so Moko is more of a product than a symptom.

[Ute Dub]

Bills’s PFF Grades were in the low 70’s for 2022 and 2023, which puts him top 100 for all Guards in College Football. Mokofisi’s grades were 63 for 2024 and 2023, which puts him outside the top 200 in CFB.

[2008 National Champ]

Yeah, I just don’t know what the reviewers are seeing that I’m not. O Line ability and/or effectiveness is a hill that I won’t die on. The obvious stuff I’ve got no problem identifying: i.e. guard pulls and runs past a defender who then tackles the RB for a 2 yard loss? I’m pretty confident who made the mistake.

Guard/Center combo block DT but no one releases to take on a LB who stops the RB at the LOS for no gain?

Guard is uncovered at the snap in pass pro, slides to help Center or Tackle and LB or Safety runs straight through the now vacated hole. Is that a scheme error, did the guard do what the protection called for, did the guard just get antsy and look for someone to hit?

Edit: I just realized that you were responding to @22Ute22 and not me. sorry for inserting myself in something I have no knowledge about.

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