Likely Purdue starting quarterback Rob Henry has torn the ACL in his right knee, the school announced Wednesday.
Henry suffered the injury in a non-contact drill during Tuesday's practice. It's unclear how much time he will miss, but he will almost certainly miss the 2011 season.
"Rob Henry is a huge part of our football program; our heart goes out to him," coach Danny Hope said in an official statement. "He was voted a captain by the team in the spring, and I know he will continue to inspire and push Robert (Marve), Caleb (TerBush), Sean (Robinson) and all of his teammates forward."
Henry was thrust into a starting role last season as a redshirt freshman when Marve went down with his own knee injury. He completed 53.1 percent of his passes for 996 yards with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions and also led the team in rushing with 547 yards and four touchdowns on 104 attempts.
This injury casts doubt on Purdue's quarterback situation heading into next week's opener against Middle Tennessee State. Marve has been dealing with his own knee problems. The former Miami transfer also was implicated in the Hurricanes' current NCAA scandal, though Purdue has said there were no eligibility concerns for this season.
Brian Bennett covers the Big Ten for ESPN.com.