2011 Purdue Boilermakers Football Preview

Danny Hope inherited a respectable and moderately successful Purdue program from former head coach Joe Tiller. Hope maintained Tiller’s spread offensive style and hoped to get the program back on track after missing bowl games in 2008 and 2009. Due to a series of unfortunate injuries at the quarterback back, and a host of struggles on defense, the Boilermakers still haven’t reached the postseason. Still, there is hope for, well, Hope, and the Purdue in this third season at the helm. After taking his lumps with young players and still recruiting fairly well, he returns an experienced team with quality depth that has a legitimate chance to reach the postseason for the first time since 2007.

Hope’s spread offense requires excellence from the quarterback position. His is not an offense that allows a team to hide a quarterback or ask him to just manage the game. That being the case, Hope and Purdue’s bad luck with injuries has hurt his team’s chances of developing offensive momentum. Now, that tide might be turning. Forced to play freshman Rob Henry last season due to Robert Marve’s injury, Henry took his lumps but gained valuable experience. Henry now enters his sophomore season ready to become a viable passing weapon. And now there will be depth with Marve returning for his senior season and fully healthy for the first time.

The supporting cast around Henry is solid, but there are holes to fill. The Boilermakers were never able to settle on a single tailback last year, which is one of the reasons Henry finished the season as the team’s leading rusher. To compound the problem at tailback, none of the three primary ball-carriers from last year return. This year, junior Ralph Bolden figures to be the primary running back. Justin Siller and Antavian Edison return at wide receiver after starting most of 2010. Neither were particularly productive last season, but, much of that can be attributed to the instability and inexperience at the quarterback position more than to their inability to produce. A settled Henry should help the passing game and their numbers improve in 2011.The backfield will have the luxury of playing behind a deep and experienced offensive line that feature three seniors and two juniors, four of which were starters last season.

The Purdue defense went on a true youth movement in 2010 in hopes of being fortified for 2011. Nine starters return from last year’s unit that was one of the worst in the Big Ten. The coaches went ahead and played a number of inexperience underclassmen with an eye to the future. Well, the future is now. Up front, three of four defensive line starters return. The problem is, All-American defensive end Ryan Kerrigan is gone. Without Kerrigan up front, the defensive line will almost surely take step back. The good news is, Purdue will have eight legitimate defensive line players to rotate and keep the unit fresh.

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The strength of the defense will come from the back seven. Purdue returns two of its three leading tacklers from last year in linebackers Joe Holland and Dwayne Beckford. The linebackers are a bit of an undersized group but are fast and athletic. All four members of the secondary return and will be counted on heavily to allow the front seven to take more chances with Kerrigan no longer there to rush the quarterback. Cornerback Ricardo Allen finished third on the team with 73 tackles and led the team with three interceptions last season. He and Josh Johnson make for a solid pair of cover corners. Free Safety Albert Evans is a versatile safety that is often used up close to the line. He even recorded two sacks last year from his secondary.

The schedule will at least give Purdue a chance to get the mandatory six wins to reach a bowl game. Opening tune-ups with Middle Tennessee State, Rice, and SE Missouri State will give them a chance to open 3-0 and build a little momentum heading into the game against Notre Dame. Road trips to Penn State, Michigan, and Wisconsin will be tough, but games against Minnesota, Illinois, and the season finale at Indiana should give them a realistic shot at six wins, even without pulling a major upset.