PFF grades from Michigan Football’s huge upset win over Ohio State

The Michigan Wolverines shocked No. 2 Ohio State in a stunning 13-10 victory on Saturday, ending the Buckeyes’ Big Ten title aspirations and a potential first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.

There’s a lot to dive into, so using this week’s data from Pro Football Focus (PFF), let’s analyze Michigan’s highest- and lowest-graded players, as well as player snap counts.

Offensive snap counts

Evan Link – 59

Giovanni El-Hadi – 59

Greg Crippen – 59

Myles Hinton – 59

Josh Priebe – 59

Davis Warren – 59

Kalel Mullings – 51

Tyler Morris – 50

Marlin Klein – 45

Peyton O’Leary – 45

Max Bredeson – 35

Hogan Hansen – 21

Semaj Morgan – 16

Zack Marshall – 8

Donovan Edwards – 7

Kendrick Bell – 7

Alex Orji – 4

Jeffrey Persi – 4

Fredrick Moore – 3

Jordan Marshall – 2

Channing Goodwin – 1

Five best grades (min. 10 snaps played)

Myles Hinton – 83.0

Josh Priebe – 69.8

Davis Warren – 68.3

Kalel Mullings – 68.1

Giovanni El-Hadi – 59.9

Left tackle Myles Hinton continues to dominate, finishing as the Wolverines’ highest-graded offensive player for the second consecutive week. Hinton earned an impressive 83.0 overall grade, building on last week’s stellar 77.2 performance against Northwestern. His run-blocking excellence stood out with a team-leading grade of 78.7, while his 81.4 pass-blocking grade ranked among Michigan’s top-three offensive marks.

Perhaps most notably, three of Michigan’s offensive linemen ranked among the offense’s top-five graded players for only the second time this season, repeating the accomplishment from last week’s matchup against Northwestern. Hinton, Josh Priebe and Giovanni El-Hadi each earned a pass-blocking grade above 80.0, representing the three highest grades on the team.

Five worst grades

Max Bredeson – 43.4

Greg Crippen – 49.6

Evan Link – 49.9

Peyton O’Leary – 54.3

Semaj Morgan – 55.8

No surprises here. Evan Link continues to grade poorly by PFF’s standards, while Michigan’s wide receivers remain under-appreciated due to their limited involvement in the offense. The aggregate was also critical of Max Bredeson, but it’s worth noting he earned one of the team’s top pass-blocking grades at 78.5. Overall, the top-five “worst” grades this week should be taken with a grain of salt, as the evaluations can appear harsher than they are for offensive positions that Michigan doesn’t heavily rely on from a skill-position standpoint.

Defensive snap counts

Quinten Johnson – 59

Ernest Hausmann – 57

Makari Paige – 57

Jaishawn Barham – 54

Zeke Berry – 52

Wesley Walker – 52

Mason Graham – 47

Kenneth Grant – 46

Aamir Hall – 43

Derrick Moore – 39

Josaiah Stewart – 38

Rayshaun Benny – 32

Jyaire Hill – 29

TJ Guy – 24

Cameron Brandt – 23

Brandyn Hillman – 13

Jimmy Rolder – 8

Jaydon Hood – 5

Trey Pierce – 4

Five Best Grades (min. 10 snaps played)

Mason Graham – 89.1

Aamir Hall – 82.7

Kenneth Grant – 81.3

TJ Guy – 75.0

Makari Paige – 70.4

With limited production on offense, Michigan relied heavily on its defense to rise to the occasion, and the Wolverine playmakers delivered in a big way. Mason Graham shined with an impressive overall grade of 89.1, his second-highest mark of the season. The defensive tackle also led the team with a stellar 90.0 grade in run defense. Fellow defensive tackle Kenneth Grant made his presence felt as well, finishing in the top-three for run defense (80.2), overall defense (81.3) and pass rushing (69.6).

Makari Paige also deserves some praise. After struggling to surpass a 70 overall grade since Week 3, he rebounded with a solid 70.4 overall, highlighted by one of Michigan’s two interceptions. His 68.5 grade in coverage and 79.5 in tackling ranked among the top-three in their respective categories this week.

Five Worst Grades

Zeke Berry – 52.2

Wesley Walker – 52.9

Cameron Brandt – 55.3

Jyaire Hill – 55.5

Ernest Hausmann – 59.4

This game was very much a mixed bag for the Michigan secondary. While players like Aamir Hall and Makari Paige made critical plays to aid the Wolverines, Zeke Berry and Wesley Walker struggled, allowing a combined seven receptions on 10 targets for 50 yards and a touchdown. Jyaire Hill earned a solid tackling grade of 77.0, but his coverage was less effective, as he surrendered two receptions on two targets for 14 yards. Collectively, the Wolverines tallied their fourth-worst grade of the season in coverage at 56.7.