I think my original views of Twitter were unfounded. Within a few minutes this afternoon I found out some incredibly good news as well as some bad news in regards to Purdue. We might as well get the bad news out of the way first.
Backup quarterback Caleb TerBush is academically ineligible.
Now it looks like it is Robert Marve or bust this season, but things are not as bad as they seem. Rob Henry is allegedly the best athlete on the team. The redshirt freshman will not move up to the #2 slot on the depth chart. It is not as if TerBush had tons of experience, either. Yes, this was his third year in the system, but he had only played in one game (at Wisconsin last year) in mop up duty. He had 4 completions on 10 attempts for 22 yards.
This does leave us without a #3 guy, however. That may not seem like much, but as recently as two years ago we had to go as deep as four on the depth chart at quarterback. True freshman Sean Robinson is a choice, but I don't see us burning his redshirt unless necessary. Justin Siller is officially listed as QB-RB-WR on the roster, so I would think he is the real #3 guy. He has three starts and is second behind Marve in terms of collegiate experience. I think we go to him in an emergency instead of Robinson. Skyler Titus is also on the roster, but he is a redshirt freshman former walk-on that will likely run the scout team. The last walk-on quarterback to see action for Purdue was Chris Bennett in 2008. Bennett was forced to play three snaps at Michigan State when Siller was hurt and TerBush was redshirting.
I think Henry is the better option too. He is a more similar quarterback to Marve in terms of mobility. I wanted to see him play this year and he most certainly will see some time against Western Illinois and maybe Ball State or Toledo if we open up a lead. He will gain experience in time.
GBI tweeted that TerBush would remain with the team. Does this mean he can practice? If so, will he run the scout team? This is probably the worst thing for his starting chances though. Giving Henry and Robinson, both behind him eligibility-wise, a chance to move ahead of him will hurt. Unfortunately, I don't think we will ever see TerBush be more than a backup now. Marve, Henry, Robinson, and Siller are all dual-threat guys that will be back next year. that doesn't factor in Texas QB Russell Bellomy
There is good news, however.
Basketball College GameDay Comes to Purdue January 22nd
Potentially the biggest game in the history of Mackey Arena just got even bigger. There is a real chance this could be #1 vs. #2 in the nation with both teams being undefeated by game time. It might even signal a changing of the guard in that the Spartans become Purdue's biggest rival in basketball. As long as both teams stay among the conference's elite and Indiana adds years to its rebuilding phase that is entirely possible. Right now it is the best rivalry in the Big Ten.
The nice thing is that this is a very friendly rivalry. It carries mutual respect on both sides. My cohorts over at the The Only Colors have nothing but respect for Purdue, and I respect the Spartans. This game is going to be massive. Kalin Lucas, Durrell Summers, Robbie Hummel, JaJuan Johnson, E'Twaun Moore, Draymond Green, Delvon Roe, Lewis Jackson... My head is swimming at the amount of upper-class talent on the floor that night. This is going to be an epic tilt.
That is why we need to petition ESPN to do a live Defend That, Digger segment as part of GameDay. You guys are responsible for the Big Ten Open Thread Championship, so let's make this happen. The Only Colors, you can join in too.