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times a year and be one of the coun- try's top passers. Running back Ralph Bolden deemed TerBush a "calm, collected dude" with a firm grasp of the of- fense and its checks. Now, TerBush gets a chance to live up to the hype. He said he's ready. "I know a lot about the of- fense," he said. "I've been in it for awhile. It's just piecing it all togeth- er with the chemistry, with the 1s and going in day-in and day-out. I'd say we're pretty confident right now." j The Opening Drive presents Looking Ahead To The Blue Raiders Middle Tennessee State, of the Sun Belt Conference, might not be the biggest, most physical team Purdue will encounter this season, but it could be one of the fastest. The Blue Raiders like to spread opponents out, putting four or five receivers on the field, and seeing if they can hit on big plays to score. That might mean a lot of nick- el defense for the Boilers. As aggressive as MTSU is offensively, it might be more so on the defense. According to Purdue offensive coordinator Gary Nord, Purdue's offense should expect a lot of blitzes from the Blue Raiders, from multiple positions on the field. That could put some pressure on Caleb TerBush, who will be making his first start, and an offensive line that was reshuffled in the preseason. For an extensive look at Middle Tennessee, check Pages 6-9. — Kyle Charters The following are our thoughts now, on the eve of Purdue's game vs. Middle Tennessee State. • Kyle Charters: "Predicting an outcome for Saturday's game is darn near impossible. Can someone tell me something about Caleb TerBush, other than he's tall? Will he limit his turnovers? Will he have command of the huddle? Those answers will go a long way toward not only determining a winner this weekend, but for the weeks to come as well." • Stacy Clardie: "After only hearing for a month about what Purdue can be, about its supposed potential, from coaches and players, I'm eager to see for myself what this 2011 version of the Boilermakers have to offer. Can TerBush live up to the hype? Is Bolden really better than 2009? Can the defense generate pressure? We'll soon found out." • Alan Karpick: "Patience has been hard to come by as we await the begin- ning of the 2011 season. As much as I want to rush to put a label on how this team will do this year, we simply won't know much about Coach Danny Hope's third team until we see it perform. Then, we may have to be patient for another few weeks because it will be hard to determine the real potential of this team un- til the night of Oct. 1 when Notre Dame comes calling. Still, there is no margin for error in Weeks 1-3." • Brian Neubert: "Purdue needs every win it can get early in the season, but Middle Tennessee is no cupcake directional school coming to West Lafayette for a paycheck and a beating. The Blue Raiders can give the Boilermakers problems, particularly if a Purdue offense breaking in yet another new QB can't handle the various blitzes coming its way." The Big Reveal Here are brief notes from Danny Hope's Tuesday press conference. R Hope says he expects tight end Gabe Holmes, who has been slowed by a hamstring injury, to play on Saturday. If not, backup Crosby Wright will likely get the start. R Of the freshmen, Hope says linebacker Armstead Williams, running back Brandon Cottom, defensive backs Taylor Richards Cornerback Ricardo Allen is excited to see TerBush get the start, saying he thinks the QB is one of the best throwers he's seen. GBIprint.com GoldandBlack.com Tom Campbell and Frankie Williams, return man Raheem Mostert and running back Akeem Hunt are the most likely to play. R Hope says that backup quarterback Sean Robinson will play at some point vs. Middle Tennessee. R Hope has yet to rule Rob Henry, who has a torn ACL, out for the season, pending results of his MRI. R Quarterback Robert Marve will not be available, as he continues to recover from his own ACL injury. R Running back Ralph Bolden is healthy enough to be a featured back, Hope says, and could get as many as 20 to 25 carries vs. MTSU. GOLD & BLACK ILLUSTRATED • VOLUME 22, EXPRESS 1 • 2 "I think Caleb (TerBush) and Sean (Rob- inson) both will be in position to do very well as long as the people that are around them do very well. It's hard to play really good at quarterback if the people around you aren't playing well." Coach Danny Hope