After being suspended for the opener by head coach Danny Hope, Caleb TerBush will likely be the starter when Purdue travels to South Bend to take on Notre Dame Saturday.
The Boilermakers need to come out firing on all cylinders against the Irish after they got behind early in 2011 when TerBush was intercepted on the game’s first play.
According to Hope, TerBush gives them the best chance to do that. “TerBush gives us the best chance to start off well,” he said during his weekly radio show. After Notre Dame’s impressive win against Navy across the pond in week one, it’s important the Boiler’s put the pressure on the Irish defense early.
TerBush has had his share of troubles since arriving in West Lafayette, in 2010 he missed the entire season after being ruled academically ineligible. When he returned in 2011, TerBush moved up to No. 1 on the depth chart after Rob Henry tore his ACL.
Even with his off the field troubles, TerBush has showed he can get the job done. He started all 13 games in 11′ in led the Boiler’s to a victory in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl over Western Michigan. He completed 61.7 percent of his passes for 1,905 yards and 13 touchdowns. And with a talented receiver core in 2012, those numbers will likely increase.
Purdue is an interesting team this season and could surprise a lot of people in the Big Ten. Notre Dame will be a good test for what Hope called the ‘best’ team he’s had since he arrived.
TerBush needs to take the confidence he gained in the offseason and translate it this Saturday.
Will Wilson is a writer for Rant Sports covering College Football and the Big Ten Conference.
Follow Will on Twitter and friend him on Facebook.
