Midseason report: The good, the bad, the injured and the young

Offensive MVP: WR Rondale Moore. Even though Mr. Electric has missed the last two games after hurting his left hamstring vs. Minnesota, Moore still has been the shining star of this offense. The sophomore paces the squad with 29 catches for 387 yards (13.3 ypc) with two TDs. Jeff Brohm thinks Moore will play again in 2019. When? Who knows.

Defensive MVP: E George Karlaftis. The true freshman from West Lafayette High—which sits in the shadow of Ross-Ade Stadium—has lived up to the mega-hype be brought across Northwestern Avenue to campus. Karlaftis paces the team with four sacks and 9.5 TFLs. He even has a pick and is No. 2 on the squad in tackles (29). More good stuff: According to Pro Football Focus, Karlaftis has 33 pressures and 18 hurries—far and away the top totals on the club. Someone get him a cape to wear on Saturdays.

Best true freshman: See above. But let’s doff our bowler to wideout David Bell. He is No. 2 on the team with 26 receptions for a team-high 438 yards receiving and three TDs (tied for team lead). Kid is legit. Heck, you can make a case for him being the offensive MVP of the first half.

Best redshirt freshman: QB Jack Plummer. His time arrived prematurely, as Plummer has seized this opportunity with Elijah Sindelar out with a broken clavicle. Plummer has made three starts and played almost four games. He has had some rough spots (10 sacks at Penn State), but Plummer has shown growth. He was the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week this week after dissecting Maryland for 420 yards passing. Plummer has hit 59.4 percent of his passes (82-of-138) for 965 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions. If he is the future, the future looks mighty fine.

Best game: Vanderbilt. Have to go back to the second game of the season, when the Boilermakers whipped Vanderbilt, 42-24. It was all clicking that day in Ross-Ade Stadium. Purdue had 540 total yards. Elijah Sindelar was slinging darts, hitting 34-of-52 passes for 509 yard with five touchdown throws. But, there was a dark cloud: On the final offensive snap of the game, Sindelar sustained a concussion and missed the TCU game. Quick nod to last week’s 40-14 trashing of Maryland, in which the offense showed life (Hello, Jack Plummer!) and the defense pitched a second-half shutout.

Best play: Let’s go with true freshman wideout David Bell’s 49-yard touchdown catch at Nevada in the season-opener on a flea-flicker. Fellow true freshman running back King Doerue took a hand-off from Elijah Sindelar, took a few steps, pivoted, pitched the ball back to Sindelar, who chucked it to Bell. The score game the Boilermakers a 31-17 lead at the 6:19 mark of the third quarter. Well, you all know how it ended. The 34-31 loss on a last-second 56-yard field goal in the season-opener at Nevada set a bad tone for the season.

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Biggest surprise: K J.D. Dellinger. Kudos to the junior. He redshirted last season while Spencer Evans held the job. Dellinger worked in the offseason to improve his leg strength. And it has shown. He has nailed 6-of-8 field-goal attempts, including a 53-yard bomb vs. TCU. And 24 of his 31 kickoffs have resulted in touchbacks.

Biggest disappointment: Injuries. For some reason, the football gods are shaking their fists at the Boilermakers. The roll-call of wounded is stupefying. Chief among the hurt have been three captains: QB Elijah Sindelar; DT Lorenzo Neal (who never has played after offseason knee surgery); LB Markus Bailey. Oh, and Purdue has lost its top player, too: WR Rondale Moore.

Best moment: Space uniforms. In what has been a dreary season between the whistles, let’s go with the outer-space-inspired uniforms that Purdue wore vs. Maryland for homecoming. The all-white outfits were designed to match the coloring of a space suit—right down to the face mask and gloves. And details included craters and astronaut footprints on the helmets. It all was to pay homage to Purdue’s connection to the space exploration during the celebration of the university’s 150th birthday. Plus, the Boilermakers trounced Maryland, 40-14, while wearing the all-white togs that created a national stir.

Biggest game left: Indiana, Nov. 30. Nothing like punctuating a season with a victory over IU—no matter how good or bad the Hoosiers are. And for Purdue, toppling IU for a third season in a row may have to suffice as the 2019 season highlight in what could be a bowl-less season. But, who knows? Maybe a Purdue Old Oaken Bucket triumph in Ross-Ade Stadium will knock the Hoosiers from bowl eligibility—making the victory taste even sweeter--and clinch a bowl for the Boilermakers for a third season in succession.

Defining stat: 63.5, Purdue's average rushing yards. That ranks second-to-last in the nation (129 of 130 schools). The Boilermakers have rushed 170 times for 381 yards (2.2 ypc) with four rushing TDs. Seventeen sacks allowed for minus 136 yards have hurt the cause. Purdue's inability to run with consistency has hampered the attack. Also have to mention the minus-five turnover margin, which ranks 13th in the Big Ten.

Breakout player: CB Cory Trice. Amazing to think this redshirt freshman hadn't played cornerback since middle school when he made the switch from safety in training camp. Trice has excelled, becoming a starter by Game No. 5 and flashing his capabilities vs. Maryland last Saturday with two interceptions--including a pick-six. The future looks bright for the freaky 6-3, 215-pound Trice.

Weirdest moment: One play, two huge injuries. In the first-half of the Minnesota game on September 28, Purdue lost its two best offensive players … on the same play! Elijah Sindelar rolled left to pass, apparently looking to throw to Rondale Moore. But Moore stumbled and hyper-extended his left knee, flopping to the turf. Unable to throw the ball, Sindelar absorbed a sack, landed on his left shoulder and breaking it. It was one of the most surreal scenes in Ross-Ade Stadium annals.

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Second-half prediction: 4-2. Purdue is 2-4 overall and 1-2 in the Big Ten. Four more victories are needed for bowl eligibility. Games left:

At Iowa

Illinois

Nebraska

At Northwestern

At Wisconsin

Indiana

No doubt, Purdue can beat Illinois, Nebraska, Northwestern and IU. Heck, the Boilermakers may be favored in all four games. Let’s go ahead and say Purdue reaches six wins and goes bowling for a third season in a row. Say “hello”--maybe--to the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit on December 26. Detroit in December? Yes! A possible foe: Miami (Fla.). That would be cool. (Purdue last played the Hurricanes in 1983--when Miami won the national title--and 1984--when Jimmy Johnson brought the Canes to West Lafayette.)

First-half grade card

Quarterbacks: B-

Running backs: C-

Receivers: B+

Tight ends: C

Offensive line: D-

Defensive line: C+

Linebackers: C

Defensive backs: C

Special teams: C+

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