Purdue Football: Midseason Awards For the Up-And-Down Boilermakers
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Now that the halfway point of the season has been reached, it’s time to give out midseason awards for Purdue. The Boilermakers sit at 2-4 on the season and 1-2 in the Big Ten as we reach the middle of the season.
Here are the awards:
Offensive MVP — WR David Bell
This has been a strange season for Purdue. Two guys who would be competing for offensive MVP — and still might even deserve it — have been injured for most of the season. Since quarterback Elijah Sindelar and wide receiver Rondale Moore haven’t played much this season, the award instead goes to true freshman wide receiver David Bell.
Bell missed almost all of preseason camp with an injury, but was healthy and ready to go when it mattered. Through six games this season, he has put up pretty good numbers for the Boilermakers and has made some big plays. He has caught 26 passes for 438 yards and four touchdowns.
A lot of that production has come after Moore’s injury, when Bell was thrust into the No. 1 spot in the team’s receiving corps. Last week, in a 40-14 victory over Maryland, Bell capped off his great start to the season with his best game of the season. He caught nine passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns, helping propel Purdue to its first Big Ten victory. On Monday, he was rewarded with Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors.
Defensive MVP — George Karlaftis
Similarly to the offensive side of the ball, Purdue lost its best defensive player to injury in Markus Bailey. This meant that other guys would have to step up in his absence. Defensive end George Karlaftis has done that, plus some more, which is why he deserves the Defensive MVP at the midway point of the season.
Karlaftis has been praised by Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm in recent weeks, with Brohm saying “In our opinion, George has been outstanding. He has been the standout player on the defensive side of the ball. If we could have 11 Georges, we’d be sitting pretty good.”
The true freshman has indeed been outstanding for the Boilermakers so far this season. He has recorded 29 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 4 sacks and 1 interception. With the defense depleted, Karlaftis has been a steady force up front, creating pressure, disrupting quarterbacks, and blowing up plays.
Best Moment — Two Big Ten Awards in one day
The best moment for Purdue this season came just this past Monday, with both David Bell, and quarterback Jack Plummer winning weekly Big Ten Awards. As mentioned earlier, Bell grabbed Big Ten Freshman of the week due to his 9-catch, 138-yard, 2 touchdown performance. All three of those we’re career-highs.
Plummer, a redshirt freshman, grabbed Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for his performance. He completed 33 of 41 passes for 420 yards and 3 touchdowns — all career-highs. His 80.5 completion percentage broke the Purdue school record for quarterbacks with more than 40 passing attempts in a game, and it was also the highest in the Big Ten since 2000. The 420 yards thrown by him is second all-time for a freshman in Purdue history. Winning two weekly Big Ten awards is the best moment for Purdue this season.
Purdue quarterback Jack Plummer threw for 420 yards against Maryland.
Worst Moment — Sindelar and Moore injured on the same play
The worst moment of the season for Purdue is an easy one. When you lose your two best players on the same play, things aren’t going well.
Early in the Minnesota game, quarterback Elijah Sindelar was sacked and was down holding his shoulder. Down the field, wide receiver Rondale Moore was also down holding his hamstring. Sindlear’s injury ended up being a broken clavicle, while Moore is dealing with a hamstring injury. Both have yet to return but Moore seems to be getting close.
At the time of the injury, Sindelar was near the top of the NCAA in passing yards and touchdowns. Through just two games, due to missing the TCU game with a concussion, Sindelar had 978 yards and 9 touchdown passes. He actually still leads the team in both categories. Moore also had put up good stats through the first few games. He had caught 29 passes for 387 yards and three touchdowns.
Purdue quarterback Elijah Sindelar needed assistance getting off the field.
Best Play — The 59-yard Milton Wright touchdown
The best play for Purdue this season came last week in the victory over Maryland. Early in the second quarter, in what was a 13-7 game at the time, Plummer aired it out to freshman wideout Milton Wright. Plummer led Wright perfectly, who caught the ball and made two defenders miss before leaping into the end zone.
That play gave Purdue a more comfortable lead and gave Purdue momentum back after Maryland had just scored.
