MADISON, WIS. -- Wisconsin has already faced one of the Big Ten's best receivers in Penn State's Jahan Dotson in its season opener. It played against Notre Dame's and Michigan's heralded groups of receivers in back-to-back weeks less than a month ago.

Saturday brings another key challenge with the conference's leader in receiving yards per game, Purdue's David Bell.

Bell, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound wide out from Indianapolis, has reeled in 38 catches for 679 yards and four touchdowns for Purdue (4-2 overall, 2-1 Big Ten). He ranks second in the conference in overall receiving yards and third in the conference in receptions.

Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard praised Bell, stating the junior wide receiver is "extremely impressive in everything he does."

"He's been really talented his entire career," Leonhard said on Monday. "He plays with great patience. He attacks the football. He understands concepts in space and time. He's really fun to watch, as a former DB and defensive coordinator.

"Obviously, we just watched the way they use him, the way they move him, create targets for him and he shows up week in and week out and produces for them. He's impressive. I love the way he plays. I like his style of play. Great balance, great physicality when he needs it, and he'll go attack the football."

When asked to elaborate upon Bell's patience, Leonhard described how older players dictate how defensive backs play.

"You see him at the top of his route, within the intermediate part of his route, at the line of scrimmage, he seems like he's always in control," Leonhard said. "And he's always doing things for a reason. He's very efficient in his movement. I think that looks a lot of times like, 'Oh I don't think he's that fast or I don't think he's that quick.' He's just extremely efficient because he's always creating space, he's always getting to the windows he needs to get to and sometimes you watch it on tape, you're like, 'Man, it just doesn't seem like he's working that hard.'

"I think it's subtle, but when you see that just week in and week out, it's pretty impressive to watch. Kind of have that control over the guy across from you and the scheme and understand when he has to show up kind of in that window for the quarterback."

Bell has played in five of Purdue's six games, and in four of those contests, he has eclipsed the 100-yard mark in receiving yards. In three of the five, the junior averaged 20 yards or more per reception.

That included Saturday's contest against Iowa, where he tamed the Hawkeyes with an 11-reception, 240-yard performance that also netted a touchdown. Bell claimed Big Ten offensive player of the week honors on Monday for his efforts in Iowa City.

Sixth-year cornerback Caesar Williams believes Bell is "a playmaker."

"They're going to get him the ball as many times as they can throughout the game," Williams said. "I've seen games where he had almost 40 targets, so a guy that wants to ball that much, you've got to find a way to take him out of the game. But I think he does a good job of making plays downfield. He's a good 50-50 guy downfield, so eliminating big plays downfield will be helpful for our team in order for us to come out with a win."

Who will cover Bell in the secondary will be something to watch. When asked about assignments on the receiver, Hicks mentioned Wisconsin has "two really good corners" and it's a "feel thing," while Williams believes the defense "is comfortable" with either starter.

"We kind of do know some tendencies they do have," Williams said, "so I think it's just more so of a comfort thing of what will happen in the game and what me and Faion are used to, and how we will prepare for their receivers."

Williams also pointed out another Purdue receiver in Milton Wright, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound junior who has caught 22 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns in 2021. Four Boilermakers have recorded 20-plus receptions through the first six games of the season, and the offense averages 423 yards per contest -- 334.2 coming from its aerial attack.

Williams, the sixth-year senior, noted how the quarterback distributes the ball well. Purdue used three signal callers last weekend in its win against Iowa. Aidan O'Connell threw for 375 yards against the Hawkeyes last week, and in five games, he has completed 96-of-140 throws (68.6%) for 1,118 yards and six touchdowns to five interceptions.

Inside linebacker Jack Sanborn played against O'Connell in high school as the two come from the same area in Illinois. Sanborn and O'Connell suited up for Lake Zurich and Adlai Stevenson, respectively.

"He can throw the ball," Sanborn said on Monday. "He's a smart quarterback, gonna put it where it's supposed to go, where it needs to go."

Jack Plummer has completed 83-of-120 passes (69.2%) for 843 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions this season, while senior Austin Burton was used against Iowa as well. Sanborn discussed how Wisconsin needs to watch for the run with both of those quarterbacks in particular because of their athleticism.

"Because they're going to try to do some plus-one runs and kind of quarterback designed runs, read-option stuff," Sanborn said, "and maybe that they won't do as much with O'Connell. But all of them present different problems because obviously they're recruited there to throw the ball, too.

"It's not like they can't do that, so I think we're all just gonna have to understand each one of their strengths, really understand our assignments and have a good prep."

Purdue's offense under head coach Jeff Brohm has given Wisconsin challenges dating back to three years ago, piling up an average of 419 yards in two contests (note: last season's game was canceled due to Wisconsin's COVID-19 numbers within the program). The Boilermakers averaged 356 passing yards in those two games, including 386 in West Lafayette in the 2018 overtime loss to the Badgers.

Brohm's unit accumulated 326 yards through the air the last time the programs met a year later. That 2019 contest saw Purdue utilize some trickery, including a flea-flicker that became a 38-yard reception to Wright. Later in that first half, Wright connected with tight end Brycen Hopkins for a 37-yard touchdown via a double pass to get the Boilermakers a brief lead in the second quarter.

Hicks described how Purdue challenges his keys as a defensive back.

"They test your eyes, they do a whole bunch of motions, trick plays, all that type of stuff," Hicks said. "That's kind of been their MO against us in the past.

"In 2019, like in the first half, they hit us with every trick play in the book to kind of get up early so that's something that they tried to do. Kind of mess with us and our keys and stuff like that. That's something you got to prepare for."

Williams appears ready for the frequent challenges that lay ahead against Purdue.

"It definitely excites me because I'm all about maximizing opportunities to give our offense back the ball to put up points, as well as be a well-decorated player and coming up with stats as well throughout this game."