With more good than bad to finally dissect this week, let’s dive into the PFF snap counts and grades from Michigan football’s 24-17 rivalry win over Michigan State;
Despite a challenging season, Michigan football once again asserted dominance over Michigan State . Saturday night marked the third consecutive year of claiming victory over their in-state rivals.
Using this week’s data from Pro Football Focus (PFF ), let’s break down Michigan’s best- and lowest-graded players from the game, along with player snap counts.
Offensive snap counts
Giovanni El-Hadi – 52
Greg Crippen – 52
Myles Hinton – 52
Josh Priebe – 52
Davis Warren – 42
Tyler Morris – 38
Peyton O’Leary – 38
Evan Link – 37
Kalel Mullings – 33
Max Bredeson – 26
Donovan Edwards – 22
Semaj Morgan – 18
Andrew Gentry – 15
Marlin Klein – 12
C.J. Charleston – 11
Alex Orji – 10
Kendrick Bell – 9
Fredrick Moore – 6
Jeffrey Persi – 2
Channing Goodwin – 1
Hogan Hansen – 1
Five Best Grades (min. 10 snaps played)
Alex Orji – 91.4
Giovanni El-Hadi – 80.9
Davis Warren – 77.2
Marlin Klein – 71.6
Colston Loveland – 71.2
I’ll be honest, seeing the dynamic quarterback duo of Alex Orji (91.4) and Davis Warren (77.2) headline the top of this list was not on my bingo card. Warren looked sharp and was efficient, throwing for a respectable 123 yards on 13-of-19 passing. Orji topped Michigan’s rushing stats with 64 yards, including a critical 23-yard run on the final drive to help milk the clock.
But the biggest stat on the day for the pair — zero turnovers. Not only that, but for the first time this season, Kirk Campbell looked like he knew exactly how to blend the skillset of both quarterbacks to the offense’s advantage. You have to imagine that we’ll see more of this moving forward.
Five Worst Grades
Josh Priebe – 54.7
Greg Crippen – 56.4
Myles Hinton – 57.7
Kalel Mullings – 58.8
Peyton O’Leary – 59.8
Michigan’s offensive line has seen better days than the 2024 season, and that same trend continued on Saturday night with Josh Priebe, Greg Crippen and Myles Hinton all grading out below 58 overall. The group’s performance was lifted by the presence of Giovanni El-Hadi, who posted his highest mark of the season at 80.9. However, an injury to Andrew Gentry, who had played well (70.5) after logging 15 snaps, likely made the day harder on Warren and company than it needed to be.
Defensive snap counts
Aamir Hall – 65
Jyaire Hill – 64
Ernest Hausmann – 57
Kenneth Grant – 66.7
Mason Graham – 52
Jaishawn Barham – 50
Makari Paige – 49
Quinten Johnson – 43
Josaiah Stewart – 39
Derrick Moore – 37
Zeke Berry – 28
TJ Guy – 28
Cameron Brandt – 26
Wesley Walker – 24
Trey Pierce – 21
Brandyn Hillman – 21
Ike Iwunnah – 19
Enow Etta – 15
Jimmy Rolder – 15
Jaydon Hood – 9
Five Best Grades (min. 10 snaps played)
Derrick Moore – 81.8
Jimmy Rolder – 81.7
Jaishawn Barham – 75.5
Jyaire Hill – 73.1
Josaiah Stewart – 73.1
Jimmy Rolder played very well in just 15 snaps, tallying impressive grades across the board in run defense (72.6), tackling (78.7) and coverage (73.9). With Jaishawn Barham also grading out as one of the defense’s best for a second straight week, the linebacker room is looking like it is turning a corner.
Five Worst Grades
Makari Paige – 40.6
Zeke Berry – 48.9
Brandyn Hillman – 51.6
Ernest Hausmann – 53.3
Ike Iwunnah – 57.9
If there’s anyone that’s straight up not been having a good time this season, it’s safety Makari Paige. He missed six tackles against MSU, and he has failed to post an overall grade surpassing 70.0 in seven of the Wolverines’ eight contests. However, it’s worth noting that at 431 defensive snaps this season, Paige is already nearing the same usage he totaled all of last year (479 snaps).