Indiana's Sorsby, McCulley Graded Top 10 Nationally By PFF in Week 11

After posting career-high numbers Saturday against Illinois, Pro Football Focus graded Indiana quarterback Brendan Sorsby and wide receiver Donaven McCulley in the top 10 nationally at their positions.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Despite a 48-45 loss at Illinois on Saturday, Pro Football Focus graded Indiana quarterback Brendan Sorsby and wide receiver Donaven McCulley as two of the nation's top performers in Week 11.

Pro Football Focus (PFF) gave Sorsby a 91.0 offense grade, which is tied for ninth among all quarterbacks in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in Week 11.

Sorsby completed 22-of-33 passes for 289 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, and he ran the ball 17 times for 53 yards and two touchdowns. With 1:37 left in the game and no timeouts, Sorsby led a touchdown drive and got the two-point conversion to force overtime.

Altogether, it was definitively the best game of the redshirt freshman's college career.

"I think he played his rear end off, like I've said before," Indiana offensive coordinator Rod Carey said of Sorsby. "Certainly has made improvements in command and understanding playing the position."

Here are the top-10 quarterbacks in Week 11, according to PFF's offense grade.

1. Jayden Daniels, LSU (96.1)
2. Kyle McCord, Ohio State (93.3)
3. Brennan Armstrong, NC State (93.0)
4. Nicholas Vattiato, Middle Tennessee (92.0)
5. Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma (91.8)
6. Will Howard, Kansas State (91.5)
6. Hank Bachmeier, Louisiana Tech (91.5)
8. Caleb Williams, USC (91.1)
9. Hudson Card, Purdue (91.0)
9. Brendan Sorsby, Indiana (91.0)

Against Illinois, Sorsby's favorite target was McCulley, who finished with a career-high 11 receptions, 137 yards and two touchdowns. Illinois had no answer for the 6-foot-5 wideout, who also drew four pass interference penalties.

PFF gave McCulley an 85.8 receiving grade, which ranks No. 8 among all FBS wide receivers in Week 11. 

"The way he played on Saturday is the way I envisioned him playing, being a guy that is a very difficult match-up, very big, strong and tough to defend," Indiana coach Tom Allen said Monday. " He's worked extremely hard. He's very coachable, very humble in regards to whoever he's with. He doesn't have some big it's-all-about-me ego. It's not that at all. He just works hard. Whoever the quarterback is, it's just, give me the ball, give me a chance to make a play.

Here are the top-10 wide receivers in Week 11, according to PFF's receiving grade.

1. Sean Atkins, South Florida (92.9)
2. Makai Jackson, Appalachian State (91.5)
3. Drake Stoops, Oklahoma (90.4)
4. Pat Bryant, Illinois (89.4) 
5. Elijah Sarratt, James Madison (86.6)
6. Tyson Davis, Central Michigan (86.4)
7. Ricky White, UNLV (86.2)
8. Donaven McCulley, Indiana (85.8)
9. Cameron Ross, UConn (85.0
10. Malik Nabers, LSU (84.9)

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• GAME STORY: Indiana quarterback Brendan Sorsby and wide receiver Donaven McCulley continued to show growth, but the Hoosiers' defense gave up record-setting numbers in a 48-45 loss, dropping their record to 3-7. CLICK HERE