Here's this week's roundup of top performers according to PFF along with breakdowns of why they received the grades they did plus other notes based on my overview of the grades for all the Wildcats coming off this week's game against Washington.
📈 Top PFF performers (offense/min. 25 snaps)
📈 Top PFF performers (defense/min. 35 snaps)
📝 Overview and final notes
📈 Top PFF performers (offense/min. 25 snaps)
1. WR Stanley Berryhill III (Grade: 70.9/Snaps: 26) – 5 catches (5 targets), 65 yards, 2 TDs
The redshirt junior has emerged as Arizona’s top receiver this season and he built on his performance from the opener in the second game of the season with five more catches and two more touchdowns. Berryhill now leads the team in catches, yards and receiving touchdowns. According to PFF, Berryhill has graded out best in the middle of the field where he has caught all eight passes thrown in that area with one of them going for a touchdown. Right now his best individual grade is in the “hands” category as he has an 82.7 this season with 13 catches on 14 targets. He is doing all that while not being the most receiver who is on the field most for the Wildcats. Berryhill has played just about 30 fewer snaps than Boobie Curry and Jamarye Joiner this season.
2. WR Boobie Curry (Grade: 66.6/Snaps: 36) – 4 catches (4 targets), 55 yards
Curry had a better performance against Washington than in the opener against USC. The Wildcats planned to get him more involved in the offense and the staff did a better job of getting him the ball against the Huskies. He caught all four passes thrown his way that included one 30-yard connection with Grant Gunnell. UA needs to have production from his spot especially when he’s second among the receiver group with 112 snaps played so far this season. Curry improved on his 48.3 grade from a week ago by being more productive with PFF giving him better marks for his receiving grade and run blocking grade as well. Like Berryhill, the sophomore also currently ranks near the top of the list in the “hands” category with a 77.5.
3. RB Gary Brightwell (Grade: 66.4/Snaps: 28) – 11 rushes, 55 yards, 4 catches (4 targets), 12 yards
The Huskies did a good job of bottling up the UA running game and ended up holding Brightwell well under 100 yards a week removed from his 112-yard performance against USC. Through two games Brightwell is the top-rated offensive player for the Wildcats according to PFF as he currently holds a grade of 74.9 on the year. He holds the team’s best rushing grade to no real surprise considering the Wildcats have mostly relied on him to run the ball so far. One area of improvement that came for Brightwell in the second game, according to PFF, was his ability to block in passing situations. He received a positive grade of 77.8 for his work in pass protection against UW.
▶ Other top performer: WR Ma’jon Wright (Grade: 81.0/Snaps: 24) – 4 catches (5 targets), 58 yards, 1 TD
Someone who might be deserving of a bigger role on the offensive side is the freshman wideout from Florida. Wright put together another impressive performance against the Huskies and built on what he showed against USC with his impressive sideline catch in that game. Saturday he caught four passes for 58 yards to finish right behind Berryhill for the team lead. He did not play 25 snaps, but he ended up with the Wildcats’ top overall grade for the week on the offensive side of the ball and he currently is the top-rated receiver through two games for the Wildcats. Wright is someone the staff was excited about coming into his career, but he has certainly exceeded expectations so far and is likely to see a bigger role as the season moves ahead.
📈 Top PFF performers (defense/min. 35 snaps)
1. CB Christian Roland-Wallace (Grade: 78.2/Snaps: 66) – 3 tackles (2 solo), 1 PBU
The sophomore cornerback had another difficult task on his hands Saturday as he was responsible for a couple of UW’s important receivers including Puka Nacua, who had the first score of the game. Roland-Wallace did a good job across the board as he received positive grades in nearly every category. He didn’t allow one catch while in coverage according to PFF as he worked against three different receivers throughout the night. Roland-Wallace had to take his lumps as a freshman, but he has looked more comfortable and confident this year. The area PFF appreciated most from CRW was his ability to tackle as he received one of the top tackle grades of the week for the Wildcats with an 80.1.
2. OLB Jalen Harris (Grade: 70.5/Snaps: 36) – 2 tackles (2 solo)
At this point you should just get used to seeing the redshirt junior outside linebacker atop this list. Harris has come into his own this season and has finally started to turn the corner in a big way with his development. He didn’t have the same stats he did against USC in Saturday’s game with Washington, but he still found ways to be disruptive and make a difference for the Wildcats’ defense. Getting to the quarterback for a sack is the next area he has to improve moving ahead this season, but right now he’s doing just about everything else well. His improvement in coverage is noticeable this season and he received a favorable grade of 69.6 in that category, and that was one of the better grades in that area for the Wildcats this week. He currently has the team’s best coverage grade this season with an 83.1 plus the team’s top tackling grade with 81.9. Where he is lacking, according to PFF, is in the pass rush category where he has been given a 55.1 so far through two games.
3. NT Roy Lopez (Grade: 70.2/Snaps: 45) – 5 tackles (4 solo), 1 TFL
Harris would be the top overall player for the Wildcats on defense this season if not for the graduate transfer defensive lineman from New Mexico State. Lopez has been everything the Wildcats hoped for when they recruited him back home from the Aggies. Harris beat him out this week, however, but Lopez has been consistent with his ability to cause havoc at the line of scrimmage and help give players like Harris more opportunities to make plays. He was consistent again this week across the board with his lowest grade in any one category coming in at 60.0 according to PFF for what he did when in coverage with the caveat being he only played one play in coverage. Overall this season he is atop the defensive list with an 80.0 while owning the team’s best pass rush grade at 75.0. He was always going to be important against a run-heavy team like Washington and he delivered with a handful of tackles and a tackle for loss in another impressive effort.
▶ Other top performer: S Isaiah Mays (Grade: 73.6/Snaps: 10) – 2 tackles, 1 solo
Saturday’s game brought the first look at the junior college transfer safety who performed well in his limited time on the field. Mays played just 10 snaps according to PFF, but he did his job in that time and earned the second-best defensive grade for the Wildcats against UW. He did grade out low in the coverage category with just a 62.3 but he had one of the better tackling grades with a 78.0 this week. It will be interesting to see if his performance against the Huskies gives him some more time on the field against the Bruins this week.
📝 Overview and final notes
• Overall on the offensive side of the ball one of the categories that PFF was most favorable to Arizona in was the pass protection category. That was a bit of a surprise when you think about how many times Grant Gunnell was on the ground against the Huskies active front, but that also clues you into where the real issue might be and that is with receivers not being able to get open. The numbers are a bit skewed because of who they went up against late in the game, but interestingly enough two of UA’s top pass protectors were linemen who came into the game late. According to PFF, reserve offensive linemen Josh Donovan (83.4) and Steven Bailey (80.3) had the two top pass protection grades this week. Others that continued to struggle in that area according to PFF include right tackle Paiton Fears (48.7) and running back Michael Wiley (50.9).
• Grant Gunnell has not been near the top of the list through the first two games despite passing for 545 and six touchdowns through the first two games. It is possible he is being compared to himself as he’s coming off a season in which he graded out well, but so far this season the PFF team has not had as positive of an outlook about him. The UA sophomore quarterback finished with a 52.8 putting him 18th out of the 23 players graded on the offensive side of the ball against UW.
• Defensively the Wildcats graded out positively in the tackling category once again and that is a good sign considering that area has been a big focus for new coordinator Paul Rhoads. His first goal in taking over the Wildcats was to have improved tackling and so far that is paying off. Starting strong safety Jaxen Turner led the category with an 81.5 while reserve linebacker Derrion Clark was right behind him with an 80.3.
• One player to keep an eye on as someone who could see some more time as the season continues to unfold is redshirt sophomore Issaiah Johnson. He was able to get on the field more against the Huskies and he eventually played 37 snaps in the game and came up with four tackles. He received high marks from PFF in the tackling (76.3) and coverage (71.5) categories with his coverage grade being among the best for the Wildcats in the second game.
