Indiana may be heading into Saturday night’s Big Ten trip to Rutgers with two key pieces back in the mix.
Head coach Curt Cignetti said Monday that running back Turbo Richard and linebacker Rolijah Hardy are both trending toward availability after leaving Friday’s 29-23 win over Northwestern with injuries.
“We got really good news on Turbo, and he’ll be day-to-day,” Cignetti said. “And I’m optimistic he can play Saturday as well as Rolijah Hardy.”
Richard went down in the second quarter after being dragged out of bounds and suffering a lower leg/ankle injury. He needed help getting to the injury tent and then the locker room, and he did not return. Hardy exited later after trying to tackle Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles late in the game.
The timing matters for an Indiana team that has leaned on Richard heavily through four games. He has 50 carries for 383 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 7.7 yards per carry. With Richard out on Friday and Khobie Martin also sidelined by an arm injury, the Hoosiers turned to Lee Beebe Jr., who answered with 203 rushing yards in the win.
Hardy has been just as important on the other side of the ball. Through four games, he has 29 tackles, tied for the team lead with Isaiah Jones, and he also has an interception he returned for a touchdown against Howard.
Indiana enters the Rutgers game at 4-0, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. ET on BTN.
Cignetti also touched on a few other players and themes during his weekly press conference.
On Stephen Daley, he said, “I think he’s getting closer. He was our defensive player of the game.
Also he had a critical missed assignment on a critical play on their touchdown down near our locker room where he was supposed to rush and didn’t, but he played well. His presence in that game was felt.”
On the challenge of going on the road, Cignetti said, “We’re going on the road. Still playing on a 100-yard football field, 52 yards wide.
Got a lot of veterans on this team that have been there. It’s a business trip, so going there - we got prepare well this week and put it between the white lines.”
He also praised receiver Nick Marsh’s development through four weeks. “I think Nick is improving every week, and we’re using him in a lot of different ways.
You know, he’s a threat in the pass game and he’s also an excellent blocker. I think our receivers in general have done a pretty good job.
Blocking can still improve. Shazz Preston, you saw a key block on that one long run.
So I’m really encouraged by the way Nick is trending.”
And when asked about Rutgers running back Antwan Raymond, Cignetti was direct: “He’s a good player. He’s one of the premier backs in this conference.
You know, they’re not really fancy in their run game. They do few things in the run game really well.
He has great vision. Can stick his foot and get north and south and tremendous ball security.
They want to run the ball but they have been very explosive also now on the outside. So you’ve seen them open it up a little bit more maybe than two, three years ago.”
In Other News...
Indiana Defense Has A New Standout And A Secondary Twist
Indianas win over Northwestern came with the kind of defensive backbone the Hoosiers have been looking for, and Stephen Daley was right in the middle of it. In limited snaps, he kept showing up around the ball with multiple pressures, tackles and a forced fumble, giving Indiana a disruptive edge that helped shape the 29-23 result. The broader snap counts and grades painted a fuller picture of a defense that had some strong individual work to lean on even while the unit sorted through a few uneven stretches.
The secondary was the other part worth watching, because the review of the game suggested more than one player made a case for a bigger role moving forward. Indiana got useful contributions across the back end, but the grades also pointed to a few spots where the coverage still has room to tighten up. For a team trying to build on a hard-fought conference win, that mix of emergence and uncertainty is exactly the kind of thing that can define what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Keeps Winning But AP Voters Still Arent Buying In
Indianas latest result looked like the kind of win that usually steadies a poll position, if not lifts it. The Hoosiers survived Northwestern 29-23 to stretch their winning streak to 20 games, stay unbeaten at 4-0 and keep adding to a run that has made Memorial Stadium feel like a weekly obstacle course for visiting Big Ten teams.
Still, the AP voters were not moved much. Indiana dropped one spot to No. 6 in the latest poll despite earning a first-place vote, the second straight week the Hoosiers have slid after a close conference opener. Under Curt Cignetti, the program has banked 19 straight home wins and taken 18 of its last 19 Big Ten games, but the rankings stubbornly remain one of the few places where the respect has not quite caught up. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Faces Its First Real Test With Early Momentum On The Line
Indianas perfect start is about to get a different kind of examination. The Hoosiers head to Rutgers for their first road game of the 2026 season, taking a 4-0 record and a No. 5 or No. 6 ranking into SHI Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey, where the setting and the opponent should offer a clearer read on where this team really stands.
Rutgers is only 1-3, but Greg Schianos teams have a way of making things uncomfortable, especially in Big Ten play. With a Saturday evening kickoff and ticket information already in circulation, this one has the feel of an early checkpoint for Indiana, a chance to protect momentum before the schedule starts asking even tougher questions. [Read more 🡒]