Friends of the Blog: Purdue Q&A

The first game of the second half of the season is a trip to West Lafayette, Ind. to take on the Purdue Boilermakers. Wisconsin has beaten Purdue 14 straight times, which is pretty crazy when you think about it, but we wanted to hear from a Boilermaker about how they think the season is going to go.

Luckily we have one of the longest tenured Purdue bloggers on the planet over at Hammer and Rails. Travis Miller is the site manager over at Hammer and Rails and is a great follow for Boilermaker insight.

Here are T-Mill’s answers to our questions!

Who is your player to watch on offense?

David Bell. He is one of the best receivers in the Big Ten and maybe the country. He’s almost certain to leave early for the NFL after this season and he has been excellent in his first two years.

Michael Hickey/Getty Images

He can definitely have a 100 catch-1,000 yard-10 touchdown season, at a minimum. Purdue has enough receiving talent around him that defenses can’t totally key on him, and he is excellent one on one.

Who is your player to watch on defense?

George Karlaftis had a great freshman season in 2019 and last year he was extremely limited after the first two games due to an ankle injury and COVID-19. He is the best defensive end the Boilermakers have had in a decade and another likely early departure for the NFL.

Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Want to know how good he was? Purdue had a pass rush in the first two games and a coherent defense. In the last four games where he barely played, it had neither. Purdue’s defense overall should be better in 2021, but with a healthy Karlaftis it is A LOT better.

Why will Purdue beat Wisconsin this year?

Because Wisconsin doesn’t have another running back that will run for 250 yards and three touchdowns? Jonathan Taylor is really gone, right?

Right now the Badgers have the longest win streak any opponent has ever had against Purdue. Yes, longer than Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan, etc. at any time. This tweet?

That is our nightmare given what those guys did to us. Unless you suddenly don’t have a wall of 6-foot-7 and 300 pound linemen blocking for a guy like them I am going to assume a Wisconsin win.

Dammit, why didn’t Brohm go for two in the second OT of the 2018 game, giving us one play to win it or lose it with Taylor safely on the sideline AND with a healthy Rondale Moore on the field?

God, isn’t Indiana just the worst?

Football or basketball? This past Thursday marked 2,000 days since Purdue last lost to IU in basketball and it has been a glorious 2,000 days. Football? I think they are overrated and last year was the product of Michigan, Michigan State, and Penn State having very down years, plus COVID. They are good. They can beat the teams they are supposed to beat now, which is a huge step up for the, but top-15 good? Nah.