Purdue Boilermakers 2011 Season Preview

Dan Hope is attempting to go bowling in his third season after going 5-7 and 4-8 respectively the past two seasons. His Boilermakers have a much easier schedule this time around and now, in the revamped Big Ten, have as good of a shot at going bowling as ever.

Last year’s struggle could be put on both the offense and the defense. Add in the loss of quarterback Robert Marve, your star wide receiver Keith Smith, and a weak special teams and its easy to see why the 2010 season was so bad for the Boilermakers.

The injury of Keith Smith in the 2010 season hurt the team. Quarterback Rob Henry then stepped in as a freshman leading the way with 8 TDs passing and 4 TDs rushing in only seven starts. However, he just suffered a torn ACL and may be out for the entire season.

With Marve still recovering from last September's torn ACL, Rob Henry's injury could not have come at a worse time. With that being said, the Boilermakers have to look to other starting quarterback candidates. Look for either Caleb TerBush or Sean Robinson to start in the first few games until Marve is 100 percent healthy.

Speed That Can Boil

The prime target for the TBA starting quarterback will be Antavian Edison who hauled in 32 balls for 316 yards and 4 TDs. Edison (5’11”, 175-pounds) is a great after-the-catch wideout who tends to find an open seam in the secondary on third down and short situations. The Boilermakers other go-to could be Justin Siller (former QB), a big red zone threat at 6’4”, 215-pounds

The Boilers enjoyed running the ball a lot and last year was no different despite losing Ralph Bolden and  Jaycen Taylor to injuries. Dan Dierking ran for half a thousand and still was not even the leading rusher. In fact, it was starting quarterback Rob Henry who ran for 547 yards. Losing Henry could be devastating, especially if Marve can’t play much this season.

At 6’2”, 200-pounds, Henry isn't that big of a guy but he is very shifty and is a smart, gutsy runner. Robert Marve is expected to eventually recover from his injury and he may push for serious playing time if the backups do not perform well in the first three games (Middle Tennessee, Rice, & SE Missouri State).

Who Exactly Will Boiler Up?

It's the fourth game, against Notre Dame's Fighting Irish, that may prove to be the tough one. If Dan Hope wants to enjoy life, his defense better take it up a full notch.

Returning with nine starters is one hell of a positive note coming into the fall. Kawann Short, a junior, is one of the premier linemen in the Big Ten. 41 tackles and 12.5 tackle for losses earned him Second Team All-Big Ten last year.

Last season the Boilermakers ranked 14th in sacks per game (2.75 sacks per game) and ended the season with a total of 33. The front four is solid and very capable thanks to tackle Bruce Gaston and lone returning senior Gerald Gooden, who started in all 12 games racking up 35 tackles.    

Drama's Forecast

The linebacker corp is solid with two returnees, Joe Holland and Dwayne Beckford. Holland totaled 73 tackles a season ago and should improve upon those numbers in the future. In the Big Ten, which is a run oriented offense, ranking 43rd in the nation (138 yards per game) is something special.

Their pass defense, however, is an entirely different story. They ranked 85th allowing 231 yards per game, though true freshmen corner Ricardo Allen turned into an All-Big Ten performer, deflecting seven passes in the process of giving up a chunk of yards. The safeties were the ones on this team who were getting lit up like a Christmas tree and if they don't improve this fall it could be lights out for Purdue.

With the loss of their start signal caller it will be a difficult season to notch six or seven wins as they may have hoped for before the injury.

If Marve comes back and dazzles us all then there could be a chance of a bowl season. However, games against Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan make this schedule a bit tougher anticipated.

Predicted Finish: 5-7, 2-6

Predicted Bowl: None 

Predicted order of finish in Big Ten: Fifth in Leaders, Tenth Overall