Kentucky PFF Grades and Snap Counts versus Ole Miss

Well, that was fun. By now, you’ve heard all of the superlatives: Kentucky’s best road win since 1977, and all that. But more than anything, that was a fun football game. From pulling your hair out at the umpteenth QB draw to pulling your hair out with excitement on Barion Brown’s 63-yard catch and run on 4th and 7, this game invoked all the feels.

If Kentucky had lost, it would have been one of the most Kentucky losses of all time. When Ole Miss converted their own 4th down heave down the field that made Kristian Story look like John Pelphrey and Richie Farmer watching Christian Laettner catch a ball cleanly that could have been batted down, Big Blue Nation’s collective sigh was palpable.

Here we go again.

But on this day down in Oxford, in a game played earlier than what should be allowed with the Grove adjacent to the packed yet pleasant Vaught–Hemingway Stadium, the football gods sent a few breaks Kentucky’s way, and now all of Big Blue Nation gets to reap the rewards. It turns out that blatantly faking injuries is frowned upon by the gridiron deities.

Now, to the Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades.

Improvement across the board on offense

The Wildcats played a clean game on offense. It wasn’t the flashiest performance, but Brock Vandagriff and company minimized their mistakes, committing only one penalty and coughing up zero turnovers. It was that level of consistency that kept them on the field, and more importantly Ole Miss’s offense off the field.

Vandagriff himself put up a very solid 78 grade, in part made possible by looking for the only starter who graded out better than he did, Dane Key, who finished with a 78.7.

Freshman tight end, Willie Rodriguez made the most of his one play on offense, catching a pass and rocketing his PFF grade up to 82.6. He also set the tone of the game on the opening kickoff by decapitating the Ole Miss kick returner, nearly forcing a fumble, and putting everyone on notice that the ‘Cats were there to win.

Also, a big shoutout to the offensive line. Their pass-blocking grades have skyrocketed since that squalid South Carolina. Eli Cox and Jalen Farmer both finished in the mid-80s in this category, giving Vandagriff, for the most part, all the time needed.

Kentucky Offensive Grades and Snap Counts versus Ole Miss

Bend-don’t-break defense ultimately didn’t break

Ole Miss’s defensive line was all the rage coming into the game, but it was Kentucky’s that looked beastlier on Saturday. Anchored by Deone Walker in the middle, the big men up front made Jaxson Dart antsy most of the game, as the defense finished with four sacks.

However, it was D’Eryk Jackson who led all starters in PFF grades with 71.2. Jackson has been a do-everything linebacker for the ‘Cats this season, especially against the run. The stat gurus at PFF gave him an 87.7 grade in rushing defense against Ole Miss.

In the backfield, the likes of freshman Terhyon Nichols and sophomore DJ Waller Jr. subbed in magnificently for the injured Maxwell Hairston, as they kept Ole Miss’s potent passing game in check all afternoon.

Similar to the offense, the defense didn’t necessarily have the flashiest of performances, but they minimized mistakes, bent (at times a lot) but didn’t break, and helped Kentucky secure one of its best wins in program history.

Kentucky Defensive PFF Grades and Snap Counts versus Ole Miss