For the first time in a long time, Purdue will enter a season with some much needed momentum. The Boilermakers finished the 2011 season at 7-6, ending the season with a 37-32 victory over Western Michigan in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl. It was their first bowl appearance since 2007.
Head coach Danny Hope is just 16-21 through his first three seasons at Purdue, but he has an opportunity to once again post a winning record in 2012.
Offense
2011 was good for the Boilermakers on the offensive side of the ball, and Hope, alongside offensive coordinator Gary Nord, believes that this unit will be even better this season. The Boilermakers finished sixth in the Big Ten in total offense with 376.9 yards/game and seventh in the conference in scoring with 26.9 points/game in 2011.
Their ground game was excellent last season, ranking fifth in the conference with 181.6 yards/game. Running back Akeem Shavers will look to have a big year in 2012 after carrying the ball 22 times for 149 yards in the bowl win.
2012 will once again be a multifaceted attack at quarterback where Caleb TerBush, Robert Marve and Rob Heny will all share time. TerBush, seemingly the best of the bunch after completing 61.7% of his passes for 1,905 yards with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions, should see the most action. Marve is their flashy quarterback who can make difficult throws look easy, but he is quite inconsistent. Finally, Henry is one of the best athletes on the team and could very well be utilized as a running back or receiver as well.
Their receiving corps will boast a pretty good tandem in Antavian Edison and O.J. Ross. Edison caught 44 passes for 584 yards and three scores last season.
The unit might take a major hit is on the offensive line, as they lost a pair of starters and went through spring ball without two projected starters due to injuries. Chemistry could also be an issue for this unit.
Defense
Purdue needs to make some things happen on the defensive end if they want to make some noise in the Leaders division. The Boilermakers finished ninth in the Big Ten in both total and scoring defense last season with 395.9 yards and 26.9 points allowed per contest.
New coordinator Tim Tibesar claims that improvement can be made from simply doing a better job of disguising coverages.
After being reinstated following a suspension, the defense received a much needed boost as junior linebacker Dwayne Beckford had 91 stops last year.
The front four is anchored by senior tackle Kawann Short, who Purdue Football Jersey had a very good campaign last year. He looks primed to have a successful future in the NFL.
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Anchoring the back four are cornerbacks junior Ricardo Allen and senior Josh Johnson to form quite a formidable pair. Allen had three picks last year.
Big Ten Leaders Prediction: 5th Place
A difficult schedule could limit this team record wise, but they should be a better team in 2012.
Home games against Michigan and Wisconsin will Purdue Football Jersey be very tough, as well as road games against Ohio State, Iowa and Illinois. Games that will be winnable are against Minnesota and home games versus Penn State and Indiana.
Purdue could have another 4-4 season in the Big Ten, but they could very well end up with a 3-5 record if things don\'t go their way.
