After enjoying a much-needed bye week, the Indiana Hoosiers are set to take the field again in Week 11. Indiana hosts USC on Saturday afternoon in Bloomington in a game that could heavily impact the Big Ten race and College Football Playoff picture.
The 4th-ranked Hoosiers find themselves as 8.5-point favorites over the 18th-ranked Trojans, but as we've seen before this season, Indiana has a habit of playing in close games. Looking for a decisive victory on its home turf, Indiana could be without some key playmakers.
For the most part, the Hoosiers have stayed healthy this season. Curt Cignetti has an effective strategy in place to keep his team healthy, which includes managing practice workloads, prioritizing player recovery, and emphasizing proper nutrition and conditioning to minimize the risk of injuries. But no matter how effective that plan is, we are still talking about football here. Unfortunately, injuries are a regular sight.
Indiana Football Week 11 injury report: Several big games appear dealing with injury designations
Heading into Week 11 against USC, Indiana has several big names that are currently listed on the Big Ten availability report. Most notably, Turbo Richard, Kellan Wyatt, and Joe Brunner have already been ruled out.
Here is a look at the full Week 11 injury report for the Hoosiers:
OUT
RB Turbo Richard
DL Kellan Wyatt
OL Joe Brunner
QUESTIONABLE
LB Rolijah Hardy
PROBABLE
CB A.J. Harris
On the offensive side of the ball, being without Richard and Brunner are tough losses to say the least. Richard is IU's leading rusher this season, as he's racked up 745 yards and 6 touchdowns on 113 carries.
With Richard out, Lee Beebe Jr. figures to take on a leading role in the Hoosier backfield once again. Beebe stepped up in a big way when Richard was down with injury, and has been a reliable threat on the ground. In total, Beebe has 715 rushing yards to go along with 4 touchdowns on 134 attempts.
Veteran OL Joe Brunner is also out. Brunner is a seasoned offensive lineman in his fifth season of college football, and has played a vital role on the Hoosier offensive line this season. He has started all nine games at right guard, and this is the first time he has popped up on the injury report. In his absence, freshman Sam Simpson could see more playing time, unless Cignetti switches things up and moves some names around.
LB Rolijah Hardy is listed as questionable, and not having him on the field would be a tough loss for the Hoosiers against a dangerous USC offensive attack. Hardy is second on the team with 58 tackles this season.
CB A.J. Harris is listed as probable. Harris has already missed time this season, and has appeared on the injury report several times. USC has a solid passing offense, so getting Harris in the mix would bode well for Indiana's chances of victory.
Kick-off between the Hoosiers and Trojans is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.
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