WVU football's brief winning streak came to a halt, and dreams of bowl eligibility are gone after a heartbreaking 25-23 loss to Arizona State. The PFF grades are in for West Virginia – let's see what they teach us about the Mountaineers.
Future Defensive Stars Continue To Look Strong
Linebacker Ben Bogle looked like a real weapon for the first time this season in last week's win over Colorado, racking up seven tackles and two sacks (both tied for most for WVU in the game) and registering the fourth-highest PFF grade on the defense (70.2) with 31 snaps played.
Bogle only registered one tackle and played just nine snaps on Saturday, which in part might be because he ended up a little banged up on Saturday, but he graded out exceptionally well with a 73.3 overall defensive grade, including a 72.4 coverage grade and a 73.6 tackling grade.
Also looking strong was edge rusher MarShon Oxley, who recorded two tackles, including one nine-yard sack, last week against Colorado and earned a 67.0 PFF grade on 14 snaps. Oxley saw another nine snaps against Arizona State and recorded two tackles (one TFL), one quarterback hurry, and one pass deflection, and was the defense's highest-graded player with a 77.7 overall defensive grade.
With both these players set to return with another year of eligibility, it's encouraging to know that the Mountaineers will have some significant talent in place to return on defense with experience in the system.
Cam Vaughn Is A Must-Keep Weapon
As a redshirt sophomore who is relatively new to the wide receiver position, Cam Vaughn has not unlocked his full potential yet. But what we are seeing already looks very promising. Vaughn's potential shining bright isn't a new storyline for WVU fans, but it was something made clear yet again against Arizona State. Vaughn was the highest overall graded WVU player on offense with a 70.1 grade on 54 total snaps, and he excelled in multiple facets of the game.
Vaughn demonstrated his pass-catching skills with three receptions on three targets for 79 yards, an average of 263 yards per catch. But he also was the second highest-graded run blocker on the team, beating out every offensive lineman and tight end on the team with a run blocking grade of 62.0 on 28 run blocking snaps – he was only beat out by fellow wide receiver Jeff Weimer. To put that in perspective, no starting offensive lineman finished with a run blocking grade higher than 57.6 (Nick Krahe), and those players took 39 run blocking snaps.
Vaughn is a player who can make flashy plays and be a consistent first option at wideout, but he can also do the little things well, like blocking hard on the edges and running his routes well. He should be the primary retention focus on offense.
The Curtis Jones Jr. Experiment Is Working
After three carries for 11 yards and two touchdowns, Jones earned a 79.9 offensive grade against Colorado. This week was another good performance for the bandit-turned-tailback, as he had seven carries for 12 yards and one touchdown and graded out as the fourth-highest offensive player with a 64.7 overall score. It seems that he is handling the transition to getting reps at running back well, and could fill a valuable role as a short-yard, big-bodied running back for the Mountaineers over the rest of his career.