Rivals.com has teamed with Pro Football Focus and as part of that we can provide incredibly detailed statistics on the West Virginia football team.
Today, we take a look at how the true freshmen graded out against Texas Tech. We will be tracking this all season and updating after each game.
In this article, we use the PFF grades to show you how the true freshmen Mountaineers performed to date as well as statistics.
But first, an explanation from PFF on how the grading scale works:
On every play, a PFF analyst will grade each player on a scale of -2 to +2 according to what he did on the play.
At one end of the scale you have a catastrophic game-ending interception or pick-six from a quarterback, and at the other a perfect deep bomb into a tight window in a critical game situation, with the middle of that scale being 0-graded, or ‘expected’ plays that are neither positive nor negative.
Each game is also graded by a second PFF analyst independent of the first, and those grades are compared by a third, Senior Analyst, who rules on any differences between the two. These grades are verified by the Pro Coach Network, a group of former and current NFL coaches with over 700 combined years of NFL coaching experience, to get them as accurate as they can be.
From there, the grades are normalized to better account for game situation; this ranges from where a player lined up to the dropback depth of the quarterback or the length of time he had the ball in his hand and everything in between. They are finally converted to a 0-100 scale and appear in our Player Grades Tool.
Season-level grades aren’t simply an average of every game-grade a player compiles over a season, but rather factor in the duration at which a player performed at that level. Achieving a grade of 90.0 in a game once is impressive, doing it (12) times in a row is more impressive.
It is entirely possible that a player will have a season grade higher than any individual single-game grade he achieved, because playing well for an extended period of time is harder to do than for a short period, Similarly, playing badly for a long time is a greater problem than playing badly once, so the grade can also be compounded negatively.
Each week, grades are subject to change while we run through our extensive review process including All-22 tape runs and coaching audit, so you may notice discrepancies among grades published in earlier articles compared with those in the Player Grades tool until grade lock each week.
Game 1: Penn State: Total Snaps 11 | Grade of 57.6
Game 2: Duquesne: Total Snaps 0 | Grade of N/A
Game 3: Pittsburgh: Total Snaps 2 | Grade of 57.7
Game 4: Texas Tech: Total Snaps 23 | Grade of 61.3
Ray emerged in fall camp with his level of play and saw the field on 11 total snaps and there is room for that role to continue to grow. He finished with 2 catches for 7 yards, but had potential for much more with a misfire on one attempt and a drop on another. A pure outside wide receiver that can run, Ray should have more attempts moving forward as he continues to become more comfortable with the speed of the college game. However, due to injuries he did not suit up in the matchup against the Dukes but he returned against Pittsburgh for a total of 2 snaps without a catch then played a season high complement of snaps against the Red Raiders with 23 and made a huge play with a 21-yard wide receiver pass off a trick play.
Game 1: Penn State: Total Snaps 1 | Grade of 60.0
Game 2: Duquesne: Total Snaps 33 | Grade of 50.7
Game 3: Pittsburgh: Total Snaps 9 | Grade of 53.5
Game 4: Texas Tech: Total Snaps 8 | Grade of 54.9
Gallagher did have a role on special teams but played only one snap on the offensive side of the ball for West Virginia in his true freshman debut. And on that snap, Gallagher was asked to run block so there weren't any catch opportunities. The plan coming into the second game was to get him more time on the field and that was true with 33 total snaps and he hauled in one catch for 12 yards and another run for 7. Gallagher did fumble the ball out the back of the end zone for a touchback. Against Pitt he led the freshmen with 9 snaps and had one rush for a single yard. Then he followed that up with 8 snaps for a total of one catch for 9 yards and a run for -3.
Game 2: Duquesne: Total Snaps 24 | Grade of 78.2
Game 3: Pittsburgh: Total Snaps 4 | Grade of 60.0
Game 4: Texas Tech: Total Snaps 6 | Grade of 65.1
White missed the opener due to injuries but battled back to see the field against Duquesne and flash his overall explosive skill set. The Pennsylvania native rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown on just 12 carries while hauling in a six-yard catch. His second appearance wasn't quite as dynamic with just 4 snaps that resulted in no stats recorded during his time on the field and the third had just 6 snaps for a 6-yard run. White brings an explosive element to this offense and should have opportunities ahead.
Game 2: Duquesne: Total Snaps 28 | Grade of 53.7
Game 4: Texas Tech: Total Snaps 9 | Grade of 65.5
After playing on special teams in the opener, Cutter saw almost 30 snaps and turned that into 4 tackles and a tackle for loss in the second game of the season. He then saw nine snaps against Texas Tech. The freshman linebacker has a window to see more time moving forward at the position as he continues to adjust to this level.
Game 2: Duquesne: Total Snaps 13 | Grade of 60.5
Neal Brown said that McIntyre, a legacy and the son of Corey, was going to see the field in his first season and he kept his word. Now, the question naturally becomes will he surpass the four-game limit to keep his redshirt intact? Finished his first game against Duquesne with a single tackle and has the versatility to play several spots.
Game 2: Duquesne: Total Snaps 15 | Grade of 56.3
Oliver saw his opportunity to see the field late against Duquesne and turned that into 38 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. A big, physical running back it's unclear how many more times Oliver will be called upon given the depth in the backfield but he was able to see the field and receive some key carries in the process.
Game 2: Duquesne: Total Snaps 24 | Grade of 74.1
Williams is a massive offensive tackle prospect that enrolled in January and seems to be perched second on the depth chart at the right tackle spot. Ideally, it seems that the Mountaineers would like to redshirt Williams if possible but after a strong on the field debut it's fair to wonder if those plans could change.
Game 2: Duquesne: Total Snaps 2 | Grade of 60.2
Heard is expected to see his role grow over the course of the year as one of the more natural pass rushers on the roster but he saw only a pair of snaps in the game against the Dukes and now has three games left to use throughout the year to maintain a redshirt. It will be interesting to see his usage moving forward.
Game 2: Duquesne: Total Snaps 2 | Grade of 60.0
Nelson saw the field late in the game against Duquesne and it remains to be seen but it might be his only appearance this season on defense barring injuries.
Game 2: Duquesne: Total Snaps 3 | Grade of 70.1
Fisher will almost assuredly redshirt this season as he must continue to develop his body but he was able to get in late in the second game of the season and finished with a tackle and half a tackle for loss across just a handful of snaps.
Game 2: Duquesne: Total Snaps 6 | Grade of 63.5
Jackson played six snaps in his defensive debut for the Mountaineers against Duquesne and while there is plenty of belief that his future is a bright one in Morgantown he likely is going to spend his first season redshirting and developing.
Game 2: Duquesne: Total Snaps 3 | Grade of 60.0
Jackson played a total of just three snaps against Duquesne but the converted running back who is now playing cornerback garnered some attention in fall camp. He likely redshirts in his first season as well but seeing the field certainly is a plus.
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