WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana (Ticker) -- No. 22 Purdue begins life without leading rusher Joey Harris on Saturday when it opens the season against Bowling Green of the Mid-American Conference.
Harris ran for 1,115 yards last season, but the senior will not play this year after being declared academically ineligible in August.
The move jolted the program and left coach Joe Tiller scrambling for a replacement.
Tiller could go with Brandon Jones, Purdue's second-leading rusher last season with 668 yards. Also in the running is Jerod Void, who ran for 127 yards on 18 carries in a preseason scrimmage. Void was used in short-yardage situations last season and led all Purdue running backs with 10 touchdowns.
Kyle Orton, the Most Valuable Player in Purdue's victory over Washington in the Sun Bowl, is beginning his third season as the Boilermakers' starting quarterback.
The Boilermakers, who have been to a bowl game in each of Joe Tiller's six seasons as coach, also have their top two receivers back. John Standeford set a school record with 1,307 receiving yards last season, while Taylor Stubblefield accounted for 789 yards despite missing the first three games after suffering a fractured skull in a non-football related incident in the summer.
Bowling Green (1-0) opened its season in impressive fashion last week, rolling up 644 yards of total offense in a 63-13 drubbing of Eastern Kentucky. The Falcons passed for 422 yards and rushed for 222 yards in Gregg Brandon's coaching debut.
Josh Harris completed 18-of-26 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns and P.J. Pope rushed for three touchdowns. Pope scored on runs of one, three and 13 yards in the first half as Bowling Green built a 35-7 lead at the intermission.
Bowling Green won the only previous meeting between the teams, 17-14, in West Lafayette in 1972.
The is the first of two games against the Big Ten Conference this year for the Falcons, who visit Ohio State in two weeks.
