# 2012 Purdue Boilermakers football team

The 2012 Purdue Boilermakers football team represented the Purdue University during the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Boilermakers played in the Leaders Division of the Big Ten Conference and played their home games at Ross–Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana. The team was led by head coach Danny Hope, who was in his fourth season and was fired after the end of the regular season. The season finished with a won-loss record of 6–7 overall, 3–5 in Big 10 Leaders Division, finishing in 4th place. The team was invited the 2013 Heart of Dallas Bowl, where they were defeated by Oklahoma State, 58-14.

## Preseason

In 2011, the Boilermakers became bowl eligible in their twelfth game, and played in the 2011 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl against Western Michigan, defeating the Broncos 37–32.
Purdue returns fifteen out of twenty-two starters—eight on offense and seven on defense. Purdue will be forced to replace captains Offensive tackle Dennis Kelly, linebacker Chris Carlino, as well as starters Defensive end Gerald Gooden Jr., Linebacker Joe Holland, Safety Albert Evans, Safety Logan Link Offensive tackle Nick Mondek, Kicker Carson Wiggs and Wide receiver Justin Siller, and key contributor Fullback Jared Crank. Several players left the Purdue program in 2012 for a variety of reasons. The most significant was Running back Reggie Pegram decided to transfer from the program following the bowl game. He ended up transferring to North Texas. Other's that left the program were running backs Doug Gentry and Devin Hill, kicker Ryan Ullrich and defensive tackle LaSalle Cooks.
Three Boilermakers were named to preseason watchlists. Raheem Mostert was named to the preseason Jet Award watch list, an award given to the top return specialist in the NCAA. Ricardo Allen was named to the preseason Jim Thorpe Award watchlist, an award given to the top defensive back in the NCAA. and Kawann Short was named to the preseason Lombardi Award watchlist, an award given to the top lineman in the NCAA. and Allen as well as Short have both been named to the Chuck Bednarik Award, which is given to the top defensive player in the NCAA.

## Recruiting
### Position key

| Back | B | Center | C | Cornerback | CB | Defensive back | DB |
| Defensive end | DE | Defensive lineman | DL | Defensive tackle | DT | End | E |
| Fullback | FB | Guard | G | Halfback | HB | Kicker | K |
| Kickoff returner | KR | Offensive tackle | OT | Offensive lineman | OL | Linebacker | LB |
| Long snapper | LS | Punter | P | Punt returner | PR | Quarterback | QB |
| Running back | RB | Safety | S | Tight end | TE | Wide receiver | WR |

### Recruits

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40$^‡$ | Commit date |
| Danny Anthrop WR | West Lafayette, Indiana | Lafayette Central Catholic H.S. | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | -- | Sep 23, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 73 |||||||
| Austin Appleby QB | North Canton, Ohio | Hoover H.S. | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 228 lb (103 kg) | 4.9 | Jun 29, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| Anthony Brown DB | Tampa, Florida | Hillsborough H.S. | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | -- | Mar 24, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 72 |||||||
| Carlos Carvajal ATH | New Berlin, New York | Milford Academy | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | -- | Aug 29, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: PG |||||||
| Cameron Cermin OL | College Station, Texas | A&M Consolidated H.S. | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 291 lb (132 kg) | -- | Oct 3, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| Jonathan Curry TE | Phenix City, Alabama | Central H.S. | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 224 lb (102 kg) | 4.8 | Aug 1, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Andy Garcia LB | Hialeah, Florida | Hialeah H.S. | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | -- | Jul 29, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 73 |||||||
| Aloyis Gray QB/WR | Indianapolis, Indiana | Pike H.S. | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | -- | Sep 3, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 74 |||||||
| Robert Gregory QB | Chicago, Illinois | Simeon Career Academy | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 4.7 | Feb 3, 2012 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Paul Griggs K | Charlotte, North Carolina | Charlotte Latin School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | -- | Jun 23, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| Jimmy Herman LB | Carmel, Indiana | Carmel H.S. | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | -- | Jul 23, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 72 |||||||
| Kingsley Ike DE | Pflugerville, Texas | Hendrickson H.S. | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | 4.7 | Dec 17, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| Jason King OL | Little Rock, Arkansas | Pulaski Academy | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 295 lb (134 kg) | 5.3 | Dec 26, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| B.J. Knauf WR | Lakeland, Florida | Santa Fe Catholic H.S. | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 173 lb (78 kg) | 4.3 | Jun 20, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 70 |||||||
| Greg Latta DE | La Quinta, California | College of the Desert | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 265 lb (120 kg) | -- | Oct 23, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: JC |||||||
| Bilal Marshall QB | Hialeah, Florida | Dade Christian School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 4.6 | Dec 11, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| Thomas Meadows K | Goochland, Virginia | Goochland H.S. | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | -- | Jun 22, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 73 |||||||
| Ryan Morris TE | Barnegat, New Jersey | Barnegat H.S. | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 241 lb (109 kg) | 4.8 | Jun 27, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 76 |||||||
| Cameron Posey WR | Delray Beach, Florida | American Heritage School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | -- | Oct 10, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 68 |||||||
| James Prince OL | Southlake, Texas | Carroll H.S. | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 268 lb (122 kg) | 5.2 | Dec 26, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 74 |||||||
| Jordan Roos OL | Celina, Texas | Celina H.S. | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 300 lb (140 kg) | 5.2 | Aug 14, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| Jordan Shine DB | Indianapolis, Indiana | Warren Central H.S. | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | -- | Apr 15, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| Devin Smith OL | Yuma, Arizona | Arizona Western College | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 315 lb (143 kg) | -- | Sep 4, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: JC |||||||
| Joey Warburg OL | Louisville, Kentucky | Trinity H.S. | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 255 lb (116 kg) | -- | Feb 1, 2012 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| Ryan Watson DE | Olney, Maryland | Our Lady of Good Counsel H.S. | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 270 lb (120 kg) | 4.8 | Dec 29, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| Jordan Woods WR | Ann Arbor, Michigan | Skyline H.S. | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | -- | Sep 7, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 74 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 51 (Without Robert Gregory) Rivals: 32 ESPN: NR |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2012 Purdue Football Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved February 20, 2012. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 20, 2012. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved February 20, 2012. "2012 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 20, 2012. |||||||

## Schedule

The schedule is as follows:
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 1 | 3:30 pm | No. 18 (FCS) Eastern Kentucky* | Ross–Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN | BTN | W 48–6 | 40,572 |
| September 8 | 3:30 pm | at No. 22 Notre Dame* | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (Shillelagh Trophy) | NBC | L 17–20 | 80,795 |
| September 15 | 12:00 pm | Eastern Michigan* | Ross–Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN | BTN | W 54–16 | 40,217 |
| September 29 | 3:15 pm | Marshall* | Ross–Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN | BTN | W 51–41 | 45,481 |
| October 6 | 4:00 pm | Michigan | Ross–Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN | BTN | L 13–44 | 50,105 |
| October 13 | 12:00 pm | Wisconsin | Ross–Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN | BTN | L 14–38 | 46,007 |
| October 20 | 12:00 pm | at No. 7 Ohio State | Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH | ABC/ESPN2 | L 22–29 $^{OT}$ | 105,290 |
| October 27 | 3:30 pm | at Minnesota | TCF Bank StadiumMinneapolis, MN | BTN | L 28–44 | 41,062 |
| November 3 | 3:30 pm | Penn State | Ross–Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN | ESPNU | L 9–34 | 40,098 |
| November 10 | 12:00 pm | at Iowa | Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA | BTN | W 27–24 | 70,585 |
| November 17 | 3:30 pm | at Illinois | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL (Purdue Cannon) | BTN | W 20–17 | 41,974 |
| November 24 | 12:00 pm | Indiana | Ross–Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN (Old Oaken Bucket) | BTN | W 56–35 | 42,638 |
| January 1 | 12:00 pm | vs. Oklahoma State* | Cotton BowlDallas, TX (Heart of Dallas Bowl) | ESPNU | L 14–58 | 48,313 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Game summaries
### Vs. Eastern Kentucky

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #18 (FCS) Colonels | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| • Boilermakers | 13 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 48 |
To open the season, Purdue hosted the Eastern Kentucky Colonels. This game was the first ever meeting between the two teams. This was coach Danny Hope's first ever game against a team of which he was formerly the head coach.

### Vs. Notre Dame

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Boilermakers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
| • #22 Fighting Irish | 0 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 20 |
Following its game against Eastern Kentucky, Purdue traveled to Notre Dame, IN and faced the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. In the previous meeting, Notre Dame won 38–10.

### Vs. Eastern Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 0 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 16 |
| • Boilermakers | 13 | 20 | 7 | 14 | 54 |
Following its game against Notre Dame, Purdue returned home to face the Eastern Michigan Eagles of the Mid-American Conference. In 1991, their most recent meeting, Purdue won 49–3.

### Vs. Marshall

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Thundering Herd | 7 | 7 | 14 | 13 | 41 |
| • Boilermakers | 14 | 28 | 3 | 6 | 51 |
Following its game against Eastern Michigan, Purdue stayed home to face the Marshall Thundering Herd of Conference USA. This was the first ever meeting between the two schools in a football game.

### Vs. Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Wolverines | 7 | 21 | 3 | 13 | 44 |
| Boilermakers | 0 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
After its game against Marshall, Purdue hosted the visiting Michigan Wolverines to open Big Ten Conference play with an out of division game. In the previous meeting, Michigan defeated Purdue and won by a score of 36–14.

### Vs. Wisconsin

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Badgers | 7 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 38 |
| Boilermakers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
After its game against Michigan, Purdue hosted the Wisconsin Badgers to open up Leaders Division play. In the previous meeting, Wisconsin dominated Purdue and won by a score of 62–17.

### Vs. Ohio State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Purdue | 13 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 22 |
| • #7 Ohio State | 7 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 29 |
After its game against Wisconsin, Purdue traveled to Columbus to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes. In the previous meeting, Purdue upset Ohio State by a score of 26-23 in overtime.

### Vs. Minnesota

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Boilermakers | 7 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
| • Golden Gophers | 14 | 20 | 10 | 0 | 44 |
After its game against Ohio State, Purdue traveled to Minneapolis, Minnesota to play the Minnesota Golden Gophers. In the previous meeting, Purdue defeated Minnesota by a score of 45-17.

### Vs. Penn State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Nittany Lions | 10 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 34 |
| Boilermakers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
After its game against Minnesota, Purdue returned home to play the Penn State Nittany Lions. In last years meeting, Penn State defeated Purdue 23-18.

### Vs. Iowa

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Boilermakers | 7 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 27 |
| Hawkeyes | 0 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 24 |
After its game against Penn State, Purdue travels to Iowa City, Iowa to play the Iowa Hawkeyes. In last years meeting, Iowa defeated Purdue by a score of 31-21.

### Vs. Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Boilermakers | 0 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 20 |
| Fighting Illini | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
After its game against Iowa, Purdue traveled to Champaign, Illinois to play the Illinois Fighting Illini. In last years meeting, Purdue defeated Illinois by a score of 21-14.

### Vs. Indiana

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hoosiers | 7 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
| • Boilermakers | 14 | 0 | 21 | 21 | 56 |
After its game against Illinois, Purdue returned home to play the Indiana Hoosiers in the "Battle for the Old Oaken Bucket". In last years meeting, Purdue defeated Indiana by a score of 33-25.

### Vs. Oklahoma State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Boilermakers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| • Cowboys | 14 | 14 | 17 | 13 | 58 |