IU football made it through Minnesota with a win, but the injury toll kept growing all afternoon and into overtime.
The Hoosiers were already shorthanded before kickoff in their ninth straight game to open the 2026 season, with edge rusher Kellan Wyatt and receiver Davion Chandler both ruled out ahead of the matchup. Then the problems started stacking up almost immediately.
Starting linebacker Rolijah Hardy went down during pregame warmups with a non-contact injury, forcing a late change to the defense before the game even began.
“That was like a shock,” IU coach Curt Cignetti said postgame. “Something popped in his back in pregame.
They tried to take care of him, but didn’t work. That was like a 20-minute-before-kickoff adjustment we had to make.”
Hardy remained in uniform and spent the game on the sideline with a massage tool, trying to work through the issue, but he never took the field. True freshman Jacob Savage stepped into the starting role for the first time in his career and delivered a strong outing, finishing with four tackles, a tackle for loss and two pass breakups. Jeff Utzinger also took on a bigger role, filling Savage’s third linebacker spot against 12 personnel and contributing two tackles and a tackle for loss.
The hits kept coming on offense. Quarterback Josh Hoover took a blind-side shot from a Minnesota player after a tipped-pass interception late in the first half and stayed down for a while.
That play appeared to be the reason Grant Wilson came in for the second half, though Cignetti didn’t spell that out. Hoover stayed on the sideline after halftime with his helmet in hand, though that may have simply been so he could hear the play calls.
Then came another concern at running back. Turbo Richard picked up 15 yards on Indiana’s first play of the second half, and that was it for him. He did not get another carry, and according to the CBS broadcast, he went to the locker room after the run for X-rays on his shoulder.
Richard did return to the field for Minnesota’s final kickoff, which at least suggested he was available to some degree, even if there was no clear indication he was ever meant to return the kick.
With Richard sidelined, Khobie Martin got his first carries of the season after missing time with a broken arm in week one. He’s still wearing a large pad on his right forearm. Lee Beebe, Jr. helped steady the backfield with 15 carries for 84 yards.
Indiana’s defense took another hit late in regulation when starting cornerback A.J. Harris was injured on Minnesota’s final drive while trying to shed a block.
His right ankle was rolled up when Mario Landino fell on it. Harris looked to be in significant pain, but he managed to walk off under his own power, though with a limp.
Even with Harris out, the Hoosiers still found a way to get the stop they needed in overtime, with second-year cornerback Jaylen Bell on the field alongside Savage and Utzinger.
Now comes the break Indiana badly needs. The Hoosiers get a bye week before returning to face USC in Bloomington on Nov. 14.
“I’m really excited for this week,” wideout Charlie Becker said. “Really, really excited. I think we’ve got a lot of guys that are going to benefit from this, and then on to USC.”
In Other News...
Indiana Stayed Unbeaten But Exposed A Problem Fans Cant Ignore
Indiana escaped Minnesota 23-16 in overtime in a game that felt far more precarious than the record suggests, surviving a wild finish after both teams drilled 60-yard field goals in the final 22 seconds of regulation. The Hoosiers still found a way to win behind a defense that kept bending without breaking, with Lee Beebe Jr. and Nick Marsh among the players helping steady things when the game tightened late.
Josh Hoovers health concerns forced a halftime change to Grant Wilson, and the quarterback shuffle only sharpened the bigger question hanging over Indianas unbeaten start. The Hoosiers have shown they can win in different ways, but this one also made clear how fragile the offense can look when the plan gets disrupted, leaving plenty for fans to monitor even after the victory. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Escaped Minnesota But A Bigger Question Just Took Over
Indianas overtime escape at Minnesota had all the ingredients of a Big Ten survival test, from the late drama to the kind of kicking display that can turn a routine finish into a stadium-wide gasp. Both teams traded 60-yard field goals in the final seconds of regulation, then Indiana struck immediately in overtime with a touchdown before holding Minnesota near the goal line to close it out and move to 8-1.
Josh Hoovers night, though, is the part that lingers beyond the final score. He was replaced at halftime because of injury and ineffective play, and the way Indiana navigated the second half only sharpened the question of what comes next at quarterback. For a team still pushing through the heart of its season, the win was huge, but the uncertainty under center may end up mattering just as much. [Read more 🡒]
Curt Cignetti Explains Indianas Wildest Decisions In Minnesota Comeback
Curt Cignetti had plenty to unpack after Indianas 23-16 overtime win at Minnesota, and the postgame conversation quickly turned to the sequence of decisions that helped the Hoosiers survive a shaky afternoon and still leave with a conference road victory. The head coach walked through the moments that shaped the comeback, including the choice to turn to Grant after Josh was injured, along with the broader feel of a game Indiana had to grind through possession by possession.
The final stretch brought its own set of questions, from the late injury to Hardy to the call to kick a field goal on fourth and one. Cignetti also addressed the sequence before Minnesotas field goal, giving a clearer picture of how Indiana handled the pressure as the game tightened late, and why the Hoosiers ultimately trusted their defense and execution in overtime to finish the job. [Read more 🡒]