Tag: George Karlaftis

Why Purdue presents one of the toughest matchups Wisconsin has seen this season

Why Purdue presents one of the toughest matchups Wisconsin has seen all year

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Wisconsin needs a win this weekend to maintain momentum and keep the Big Ten West in its sights. A loss wouldn’t knock them out of contention, but it would make a late-season run to Indianapolis nearly impossible.

On the opposing sideline will be the No. 25 Purdue Boilermakers, a team coming off a massive 24-7 victory over then-No. 2 Iowa. Purdue hasn’t beaten Wisconsin since 2003, though this matchup may point towards that streak coming to an end.

Here’s why:

Purdue is great in the areas where Wisconsin struggles. Defensive end George Karlaftis is an absolute force off the edge while Wisconsin’s tackles haven’t had success against good defenses, wide receiver David Bell is explosive while Wisconsin’s secondary has shown signs of weakness at times and the Boilermakers excel in a few statistical areas where Wisconsin finds trouble.

Put simply: Wisconsin’s offense struggles on third down, Purdue’s defense is quite good in that area. Wisconsin’s pass defense is the second-least efficient in the country, Purdue’s pass defense ranks in the top 20.

Where is Wisconsin great? Rush defense. Well, that area won’t have a huge effect because Purdue is already one of the worst rushing teams in the country.

The statistics do not match up well for Wisconsin on either side of the ball. The good thing going for the Badgers is football often comes down to a few key areas: third-down efficiency, red zone success and turnovers,

So the result on Saturday may end up coming down to one main thing: Does Graham Mertz or Aidan O’Connell take care of the football better.

Either way, this is not the matchup against Purdue many foresaw entering the season

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

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Five keys to a Wisconsin victory over Purdue on Saturday

Five keys to a Wisconsin victory over Purdue

Wisconsin prepares to travel to West Lafayette, Indiana on Saturday for a showdown with the 4-2 and No. 25-ranked Purdue Boilermakers.

Purdue is coming off a monumental 24-7 victory over then-No. 2 Iowa last weekend led by wide receiver David Bell and defensive end George Karlaftis.

The win brings the Boilermakers into a tie with Minnesota for the No. 2 spot in the Big Ten West. Saturday’s game will go a long way towards seeing who will compete with 3-1 Iowa for the top spot.

What will Wisconsin be up against on Saturday? Well, Purdue is a team that’s proven to find success due to an above-average passing game and stout defense. The Boilermaker rushing attack shouldn’t do anything against Wisconsin on Saturday because, well, it hasn’t done much all season.

But there are several overall areas where Purdue matches up well with Wisconsin, including the few outlined below.

So Wisconsin will need to outperform its season-to-date numbers in some of those areas in order to come away with a victory.

How will they do that? By executing this week’s five keys to victory:

NFL draft prospects for the Lions to watch in college football Week 4

8 college football players to watch in CFB Week 4 as potential future Detroit Lions

It’s Week 4 of the college football season, one week ahead of the NFL’s Week 3. And there are quite a few NFL draft prospects to watch across the big slate of college games on Saturday.

The prospect watch got off to a strong start on Friday night with an impressive but uneven performance by Liberty QB Malik Willis in the Flames’ last-second loss to Syracuse. Willis completed 14-of-19 passes for 206 yards and three TDs and also ran for 49 yards.

Who else should Lions fans pay attention to on Saturday with an eye for the 2022 NFL draft? Here are eight players to know for CFB Week 4.

The Big Ten’s top five defensive ends heading into 2021

How many #Buckeyes will make this top five?

The college football season — and with it, some Ohio State football — kicks off in less than a month, and we have been rolling through the best of the Big Ten at each position. We have already completed our list of top five quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive tackles, guards, and centers.

The Ohio State Buckeyes have arguably the most talented defensive line in all of college football and they have insane depth at the defensive end position. Below we are going to rank the top five defensive ends in the Big Ten and the player or players listed from Ohio State may surprise you.

As always, keep in mind that it’s early in the season and there can be break-out players, injuries, and disappointments, so don’t get too upset with any of this.

Three Notre Dame players make Bruce Feldman’s annual freaks list

Look out for these players who are physically gifted.

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One of the major attractions of football at any level are the players who possess incredible physical gifts. Not every football player has them, so the players that do stand out.

To that end, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic has an annual tradition of making a list of players like this known that he calls freaks.

On this year’s list, which is available only to Athletic subscribers, three Notre Dame players appear:

3. Kyle Hamilton – Feldman cites the safety’s GPS speed of 21 miles per hour, his 41-foot, 7-inch vertical and his broad jump of 10-8.

45. Isaiah Foskey – Feldman likes the defensive end’s length and speed along with his GPS speed of 20.8 and his times of 1.58 seconds in the 10-yard split and 4.65 in the 40.

75. Chris Tyree – Feldman points out the running back’s 22.3 GPS speed, his 40.9 vertical jump and his time of 4.31 in the 40.

Here are the opposing players on the list that the Irish are scheduled to face in 2021:

7. George Karlaftis, defensive end, Purdue
20. Myjai Sanders, defensive end, Cincinnati
22. Leo Chenal, inside linebacker, Wisconsin
24. Kevin Harris, defensive end, Georgia Tech
46. Alec Pierce, receiver, Cincinnati
48. Tycen Anderson, safety, Toledo
56. Desmond Ridder, quarterback, Cincinnati
60. Drake London, receiver, USC
63. Matt Henningsen, defensive end, Wisconsin
87. Andy Vujnovich, punter, Wisconsin
93. Braxton Burmeister, quarterback, Virginia Tech

 

College Football’s Breakout Superstars: 21 For 2021 Preview Topics

21 for 2021 preseason topics: Five college football players who were already great, but are about to break out and become national stars.

21 for 2021 preseason topics: No. 11 The college football players who are already terrific, but are about to go to a whole other level. Here are five breakout national stars to watch for.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

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You already know who most of the superstars should be going into the 2021 college football season, but which guys are about to go from very good to next-level amazing?

If you’re a die-hard fan you probably already know these five players below, and if you don’t, you’re about to.

They’re the great players about to go nuclear, and they’ll soon be a big part of your college football Saturdays – and most likely your NFL Sundays.

21 for 2021 Preview Topics (so far)  
21. Thoughts, Wishes, Hopes for 2021
20. Best Teams To Not Make CFP
19: Teams That Will Rebound Big
18. Teams That Will Fall Back
17: Every Power 5 Team’s Letdown Game
16. Expectations For New Head Coaches
15. Expectations For 2nd Year Head Coaches
14. Power 5 Hot Seat Coach Rankings
13. 21 Key Transfers You Need To Know
12. Group of 5 over Power 5 Upset Alerts

– CFN 2021 Preview: All 130 Team Previews

How’d we do on these calls over the past few years? We didn’t exactly go out on a huge limb, but again, the goal was/is to highlight the good players who might take their respective games up a several notches.

2019 Breakout Star Predictions

5. S Grant Delpit, LSU
Thorpe Award winner for the epic national title team.

4. RB Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State
Led the nation with 2,094 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns.

3. WR Laviska Shenault, Colorado
While he was okay, he didn’t blow up as expected with 56 catches for 764 yards and four scores.

2. QB Adrian Martinez, Nebraska
Martinez hit just 59% of his passes for 1,956 yards and ten touchdowns with nine picks in 2019, and he ran for 626 yards and seven touchdowns.

1. RB Najee Harris and/or Brian Robinson, Alabama
Harris turned it on to finish with 1,224 yards and 13 touchdowns, Robinson was second on the team with 441 yards and five scores. Harris also caught seven touchdown passes.

2020 Breakout Star Predictions

5. QB Sam Howell, North Carolina
He threw for close to 3,600 yards with 30 touchdowns and seven picks, and now he’s being talked about as a possible No. 1 overall draft pick.

4. LB Hamilcar Rashed, Oregon State
He couldn’t get his 2020 going – he was banged up all year and fought through injuries. A pass rushing terror in a a dominant 14-sack, 22.5-tackle for loss run in 2019, he failed to come up with a sack with 23 tackles and two tackles for loss.

3. DE Gregory Rousseau, Miami
Opted out on the season, but he was still the 30th overall pick by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

2. QB KJ Costello, Mississippi State
Yeah, this call didn’t work, but he’ll forever be remembered for the 623-yard, five-touchdown day to beat LSU to start the season.

1. RB Najee Harris, Alabama
Ww went back to the well from our 2019 No. 1 spot, thinking Harris would go up another whole level from his great 2019 season – and he did. The Doak Walker winner led the national champion Tide team with 1,466 rushing yards and 26 scores, along with 43 catches for 425 yards and four touchdowns.

Five (potential) College Football Breakout Superstars

5. DE George Karlaftis, Purdue

– CFN 2021 Purdue Preview

The Big Ten is going to have to deal with him again.

Karlaftis started out his Purdue career as a dominant force with 54 tackles with 7.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss in an All-Big Ten season. He was steady, sensational, and relentless with his sack production spread out over the 2019 season and with at 1.5 tackles for loss in eight games.

All primed and ready to roll for a massive 2020, he couldn’t get going with COVID issues along with a leg injury. He only saw time in three games, but he came up with a sack against both Iowa and Illinois to start the season, and then that was about it.

Now he’s back.

The 6-4, 275-pounder is a mortal lock to earn All-Big Ten honors both on the field and in the classroom, and he’s a repeat of the 2019 season away from being a sure-thing first round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft – and possibly a top 15 selection.

He’ll get a few games to warm up before being part of the national discussion. Oregon State and UConn should be in big trouble before he’s turned loose on Notre Dame.

NEXT: Florida’s next amazing defensive back

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Vikings select DE George Karlaftis in Todd McShay’s 2022 mock

McShay has the Vikings getting some help opposite of Danielle Hunter on the defensive line.

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But wait. Didn’t the 2021 NFL Draft just happen? Why are we talking about the 2022 NFL Draft already?

Because that’s showbiz, baby!

Todd McShay over at ESPN already has his 2022 mock draft out.

With the 13th overall pick, McShay has the Vikings drafting Purdue defensive end George Karlaftis.

Here’s what McShay wrote about the pick:

Karlaftis dominated in 2019 with 17 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, 54 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble. But the 6-foot-4, 275-pound edge rusher was limited to three games in 2020 after testing positive for COVID-19. Patrick Jones II, the Vikings’ fourth third-round choice on Friday night, provides depth on the edge but isn’t likely to be a high-impact starter opposite Danielle Hunter. Karlaftis can be that. After being among the top five teams in sacks in 2018 and 2019, Minnesota ranked in the bottom five in 2020, with 23.

Defensive end was a need heading into the 2021 NFL Draft and while the Vikings did draft Jones in the third round, there’s still a world in which the Vikings need help at that position next season.

Five Purdue players who Badger fans need to know

Here are five Purdue Boilermakers who Badger fans should keep a close eye on throughout Saturday’s matchup between Wisconsin and Purdue.

No. 12 Wisconsin will look to claim its third victory in a row on Saturday afternoon when it hosts 4-6 Purdue at Camp Randall.

This season has been a struggle for the Boilermakers, who were expected to take another step forward this year after making a surprise run to a bowl game in 2018. Unfortunately, Purdue has been held back from achieving its goals as the result of a series of devastating injuries to star players. In fact, you would be hard-pressed to find any team in college football that has been bitten by the injury bug more than the Boilermakers.

Purdue gave Wisconsin one hell of a scare in last season’s triple-overtime thriller in West Lafayette, but the Badgers have won a whopping 13 games in a row against Purdue and is a heavy 25.5-point favorite to make it 14 this weekend. However, head coach Jeff Brohm still has some talented players at his disposal on both sides of the ball, and we have seen the Badgers struggle at home against far worse teams than this.

Here are five players on the opposing sideline who Badger fans should keep a close eye on throughout the game.

Aidan O’Connell – Quarterback

2019 stats: 67.6% passing, 402 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT

O’Connell is the third quarterback to step in as the starter for the Boilermakers this season following injuries to the original No. 1 signal-caller, Elijah Sindelar, and his replacement, freshman Jack Plummer, and will probably be forced to stay in that role the rest of the year.

A redshirt sophomore walk-on, O’Connell is seeing the first action of his college career, and for the most part, he’s performed valiantly. He led Purdue’s game-winning touchdown drive after replacing the injured Plummer against Nebraska on Nov. 2 and did the same in his first career start against Northwestern the following week.

Brohm was heavily reliant on O’Connell to move the Boilermakers down the field against the Cornhuskers; he went 34-50 for 271 yards and a couple of interceptions in the win. After struggling against Nebraska last week, this Wisconsin secondary will be tested early and often on Saturday.

David Bell – Wide Receiver

2019 stats: 65 rec, 791 yds (12.2 avg), 5 TD

Oct 26, 2019; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Purdue Boilermakers wide receiver David Bell (3) dives for extra yardage against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the fourth quarter at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Bell was one of the top additions to Brohm’s impressive 2019 recruiting class as a consensus 4-star prospect and the Gatorade Player of the Year in Indiana, and he has been an instant impact addition for the Boilermakers as a true freshman this season.

He was always going to be heavily involved in the offense this season, but Bell has taken on a larger than expected role with superstar wide receiver Rondale Moore out with an injured hamstring suffered in Purdue’s fourth game of the season. The Indianapolis native currently leads the Big Ten in receptions and ranks No. 4 and No. 5 in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, respectively.

Bell is coming off of an impressive performance against Northwestern in which he caught 14 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown.

NEXT: Brycen Hopkins/George Karlaftis/Ben Holt

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