Louisville's PFF Grades from the Sun Bowl vs. Washington

The Cardinals earned their first bowl win under head coach Jeff Brohm.

Louisville’s Dylan Merman (87) celebrates their win against Washington in the 91st Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl game on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024 at the Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas. / GABY VELASQUEZ/ USA TODAY / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football program is heading into the offseason with a fair amount of momentum on their side.

Making the trek to El Paso, Texas for a matchup against Washington in the Sun Bowl, the Cardinals were able to hold off a furious fourth quarter comeback attempt by the Huskies, and escape with a 35-34 victory. Louisville (9-4) secured their first bowl win under second year head coach Jeff Brohm, and end 2024 on a three-game winning streak.

With a performance like this, how did Louisville's players grade out over on the analytical site Pro Football Focus? Below are all the individual offensive and defensive grades from their matchup against Kentucky:

As a reminder, in PFF's grading scale, 60.0 is the baseline for an "average" grade. 70.0-79.9 is considered above average, 80.0-89.9 is good, whereas 90.0 and higher is elite. On the opposite end of the spectrum, 59.9-50.0 is below average, 49.9-40.0 is considered poor, whereas 39.9 and below is very poor.

Team Grades

• Overall: 76.1
• Offense: 71.6
• Passing: 78.4
• Pass Blocking: 93.4
• Receiving: 64.1
• Running: 72.1
• Run Blocking: 56.1
• Defense: 73.7
• Run Defense: 79.7
• Tacking: 67.5
• Pass Rush: 61.3
• Coverage: 75.1
• Special Teams: TBD

Individual Offensive Grades

*Bold denotes starter
*Key: Grade (snap count)

1. QB Harrison Bailey -- 78.4 (58)
2. RT Jonathan Mendoza -- 71.5 (58)
3. WR Chris Bell -- 70.5 (57)
4. WR Antonio Meeks -- 70. 3 (18)
5. RB Isaac Brown -- 69.4 (32)
6. RB Duke Watson -- 69.0 (24)
7. TE Nate Kurisky -- 68.8 (20)
8. FB Duane Martin -- 63.8 (6)
9. RG Austin Collins -- 63.3 (27)
10. LG Michael Gonzalez -- 63.1 (58)
11. C Pete Nygra -- 60.2 (58)
12. TE Mark Redman -- 59.0 (48)
13. WR Jaedon King -- 57.9 (2)
14. RG Renato Brown -- 57.4 (31)
15. WR Caullin Lacy -- 57.1 (41)
16. WR Kris Hughes -- 56.7 (6)
17. LT Trevonte Sylvester -- 56.5 (58)
18. WR Cataurus Hicks -- 51.6 (36)

Individual Defensive Grades

*Bold denotes starter
*Key: Grade (snap count)

1. CB Tahveon Nicholson -- 94.9 (9)
2. DT Jordan Guerad -- 73.4 (36)
3. DT Thor Griffith -- 71.2 (26)
4. DE Tramel Logan -- 70.2 (46)
5. FS Tamarion McDonald -- 69.9 (51)
6. MLB Dan Foster Jr. -- 69.5 (16)
7. SS D'Angelo Hutchinson -- 69.4 (39)
8. DT Dezmond Tell -- 68.7 (22)
9. MLB Stanquan Clark -- 68.3 (53)
10. DE Ramon Puryear -- 67.2 (54)
11. CB Corey Thornton -- 67.0 (71)
12. MLB T.J. Capers -- 66.8 (17)
13. STAR Antonio Watts -- 65.6 (65)
14. DE Richard Kinley II -- 64.5 (19)
15. DE Adonijah Green -- 60.3 (19)
16. DT Rene Konga -- 59.9 (35)
17. DT William Spencer -- 58.7 (16)
18. DE Myles Jernigan -- 57.9 (11)
19. MLB Jurriente Davis -- 57.2 (22)
20. CB Rae'mon Mosby -- 55.7 (62)
21. MLB T.J. Quinn -- 54.5 (31)
22. SS M.J. Griffin -- 52.8 (61)

(Photo of Dylan Mesman: Gaby Velasquez - USA TODAY)

You can follow Louisville Cardinals On SI for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram:

Facebook - @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter/X - @LouisvilleOnSI
Instagram - @louisvilleonsi

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter/X and @mattmcgavic.bsky.social on Bluesky