Early Saturday morning I went on record on social media saying that Purdue would win big over No.3 Michigan State and that David Bell would torch them in the process. Everybody thought I was crazy until the Boilermakers actually took the field and never trailed the Spartans beating the breaks off of them 40-29.
I didn’t just say that they would win but I told my followers why Purdue would blast them. Michigan State’s defensive secondary has been horrible giving up more than 300 pass yards per game this season.
However, nobody up to this point had exploited that weakness. Michigan did a terrible job of game planning allowing Kenneth Walker III to just run wild scoring five touchdowns.
Well…not only did Jeff Brohm and his staff keep Walker from scoring all night but they torched the Spartan secondary like I told you they would.
The Far East Side’s David Bell finished with 13 catches for 217 yards and a touchdown and quarterback Aidan O’Connell dropped 536 yards and three touchdowns in their lap. He hit eight different receivers on the night to keep the Spartans guessing as they fell out of the ranks of the unbeaten. Ben Davis graduate Broc Thompson caught a nice over the shoulder fade to add to the Purdue scoring as well.
I covered David Bell in high school when he was doing work at Warren Central. I can remember the very first time I saw him play his junior year although he’d been starting since his freshman year. I didn’t start covering high school football until then.
The very first time he caught a pass he took it to the house 69 yards. I said to the guy standing next to me “He’s a pro!” It wasn’t that he caught a pass and went the distance. It was the separation, the balance in the air, the ability to change directions and the poise he had at 16 years old. Not very many people could what he was doing at 16. He had the DNA that most very few people possess.
Everything we saw him do against then No.3 Michigan State on Saturday. He’s been doing since high school. He’s what you would call a freak of nature and that’s why he’ll be a first round draft pick come May of 2022. Sit in the cut and enjoy it because he’s something special.
