Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, August 14, 2012

The BTN bus heads south down I-65 toward West Lafayette, Ind., to watch Purdue practice Wednesday. Check out the Purdue Preview Show at 10 p.m. ET Thursday on BTN/BTN2Go.

Danny Hope?s fourth Boilermaker squad may be his best. Purdue has a Big Ten-high 19 returning starters. I can?t wait to get a load of the defense, which could be among the Big Ten?s best. New coordinator Tim Tibesar?s 4-3 defense will feature the ability to morph into a 3-4. What other wrinkles will we see?

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I want to check out the line, which could be terrific. Tackle Kawann Short is a force and has a nice partner inside in Bruce Gaston. But I want to see end Ryan Russell, who looks like he could be a pass rushing force as a sophomore. I also look forward to watching corners Ricardo Allen and Josh Johnson. This could be a very good tandem.

The offense has more unknowns. How does the three-quarterback system look with Caleb TerBush, Robert Marve and Rob Henry? Speaking of Henry, how many different positions will he play?

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I also want to see how the receiving corps and running back units look. Who are the playmakers? And is the line getting a push after losing two players (Dennis Kelly and Nick Mondek) who were selected in the NFL draft? I also will be sure to check out the kicking with Carson Wiggs and his cannon leg gone.

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