11/20/2019 football Edit

Coach's corner: Film study has helped make Karlaftis a quick study

Tom Dienhart • BoilerUpload

GoldandBlack.com, Associate Editor

The images flash before George Karlaftis' eyes. Ryan Kerrigan, J.J. Watt ... Those are the players Purdue's star freshman defensive end wants to be like. So, he watches film of them--and others--as much as two hours a day, all in the pursuit of improvement.

"We have a huge data base with our film stuff here," said Karlaftis. "I watch old guys. I watch a lot of Ryan Kerrigan. I'll watch him in college and J.J. Watt in college, and them in the NFL. I will see what they are doing and try to add that to my game and emulate that."

It's all about becoming a better end. And, it's working. How good has Karlaftis been since arriving early for spring ball? The 6-4, 265-pound West Lafayette High School product leads the team in sacks with six and in tackles for loss with 14.5. He even has an interception while ranking third on the squad in tackles with 46.

"He still has a lot of moments of freshman-ness," said defensive line coach Kevin Wolthausen. "He studies the game very hard. He spends a lot of time watching tape of both himself and other players who played his position, both college and NFL. He's a sponge. It's exciting to watch his growth."

No doubt, Karlaftis arguably has been Purdue’s top player on defense and one of the best freshmen on the team … and in the nation. He appears destined to be a Freshman All-American.

Karlaftis and the Boilermaker defense will have their work cut out for them this Saturday when Purdue (4-6 overall, 3-4 Big Ten) plays at Wisconsin (7-2 overall; 5-2 Big Ten) in 4 p.m. ET kickoff. The Badgers are a big, physical offense led by running back Jonathan Taylor, who operates behind a massive line.

"Wisconsin has been known for their o-linemen," said Karlaftis. "Their crowd will cheer for their o-linemen, and that's not really normal. They are big, they have long arms, they all are gonna weigh about 300-330 pounds. They are gonna be quick. And they are gonna be very mature and make good decisions and be very technically sound. It’s gonna be a challenge."

Karlaftis is ready for this. In addition to film study, he has worked often to refine his footwork ... get-off ... power ... hands. And he also consults frequently with fellow West Lafayette High product Chike Okeafor, who starred at Purdue (1994-98) before enjoying a successful NFL career at defensive end.

"I talk to him about every day," said Karlaftis. "He’s like my uncle. It doesn't' have to be about football. Just about life. He’ll call me. We'll text about every day. He’s great."

To say that Karlaftis has lived up to the hype would be an understatement. In fact, you could say he has exceeded the hype. That’s impressive when you consider Karlaftis arrived on campus with one of the glossiest resumes of any Boilermaker recruit in the last 50 years.

• Consensus four-star recruit

• No. 2 player in Indiana according to rivals.com

•U.S. Army All-American Bowl participant

•Indiana Class 3A Player of the Year

On and on it went for Karlaftis, who has been a wrecking ball all season for the Boilermakers.

“I think nowadays, more and more, freshmen are playing across the country,” said Jeff Brohm. “Everyone wants to play. You got to just make sure they're ready to play. If they want to play, they need to make sure they do their part. Certain guys that really stand out when you look at Rondale (Moore) first got here, he put in the time, put in the effort, he pushed himself. That's why he was ready to go game one.

“You look at George Karlaftis, he enrolled early, in three months changed his body drastically. He's put in the time and effort every single day. We need more guys to do it to that extreme. Not everyone is going to be up to working that hard at it, but you have to push the envelope and you have to make them understand if you want to be great, do something special, it doesn't just happen. You can't work hard a few days out of the week and not the others.”

Karlaftis understood that. And has thrived because of it.

Let's get physical

Purdue has a big task on its hands on Saturday vs. an always physical Wisconsin offense. The Badgers are No. 4 in the Big Ten in scoring (34.6 ppg). And, as usual, Wisconsin does its damage with a strong rushing attack that is No. 2 in the conference (235.1 ypg). That's why it's good the Boilermaker defense will be able to deploy linebacker Semisi Fakasiieiki, who has been banged up in recent weeks.

"(Stopping) The run is my game, the pass is something I have to work on," said Fakasiieiki.

Purdue’s defense will have to be physical. And it will need a good effort from the 6-2, 250-pound junior, who began the season as a defensive end before moving to linebacker to bolster its thin ranks.

“I think he's done a good job,” said Jeff Brohm. “His strength is he's a good run stopper, he can tackle, can hit, he's strong. That's his strength. I think put him in the middle, put him in the box against these type of teams. If he's reading his keys and playing downhill, I think he can do a very good job."

Job No. 1 for Fakasiieiki and the Purdue defense will be to slow down Badger star Jonathan Taylor, who is one of the top running backs in America. Taylor is No. 2 in the nation in rushing, averaging 146.3 yards per game. The junior has carried 233 times for 1,463 yards (6.3 ypc) and 17 TDs. And Taylor has rushed for over 200 yards in a game three times this season, including each of the last two vs. Iowa and at Nebraska—both wins for the Badgers.

And Taylor has had his way with Purdue. Last season, he ran 33 times for 321 yards (9.7 ypc) and three TDs in a 47-44 triple OT win in Ross-Ade Stadium. In 2017, Taylor rushed 30 times for 219 yards (7.3 ypc) with a TD in a 17-9 victory in Madison. Add it up, and Taylor has rushed 63 times for 540 yards and four TDs vs. Purdue. That averages to 32 carries for 270 yards (8.4 ypc) and two TDs in two games vs. the Boilermakers.

How does Purdue go about not stopping … but simply trying to contain Taylor?

“That’s going to be the challenge,” said Brohm. “Ran a lot of yards against us and a lot of teams. It's important somehow you match the physicality of their offense. They're big and strong up front. They're going to run the ball at you.

“They've done a good job this year I think of adding the misdirection element to their offense, allow those things to throw off the eyes and keys of the linebackers and safeties, which has worked. I think that's opened up some things."

Fakasiieiki, who has made 24 tackles with 2.5 TFLs and a sack while making two starts at linebacker, will have his work cut out for him. But Brohm is confident in him.

“I think he's shown some really good moments," said Brohm. "Last game, he was nicked up. There were some times where you'd like for him to attack and play a little better, he's out of position. But when he's instinctive and playing downhill, he can hit in tackles as good as anybody we have. That's his strength. We hope to have him out there full speed.”

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