Indiana RB Suffered Non-Contact Injury vs. Indiana State, Curt Cignetti Says

For as much went right during No. 22 Indiana football's 73-0 win over Indiana State on Friday night, the Hoosiers may have suffered a consequential loss.

With nine-and-a-half minutes remaining in the third quarter and his team leading 52-0, Indiana redshirt junior running back Lee Beebe Jr. ran around the left side of the Hoosiers' offensive line and gained nine yards.

But Beebe didn't immediately get up. Laying flat on Indiana's sideline, Beebe clutched his right knee and received attention from Indiana's trainers. It prompted a media teammate, and Beebe didn't return to the game.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti didn't have an immediate answer regarding Beebe's injury and future availability, but his initial prognosis seemed gloomy.

"I think it was noncontact," Cignetti said postgame. "And we'll find out more Sunday or Monday, I guess."

Beebe, who transferred to Indiana from the University of Alabama at Birmingham last winter, entered Friday ranked second on the team with 163 rushing yards, and he led the Hoosiers with an average of 7.4 yards per carry.

Prior to his injury, Beebe rushed five times for 46 yards with a long of 21. He also added a seven-yard reception.

Indiana collectively ran for 301 yards and three touchdowns on 37 attempts Friday. The Hoosiers were the only team in the FBS to eclipse 300 rushing yards in their first two games and added another tally to finish the non-conference slate.

Redshirt freshman Khobie Martin led Indiana with 11 rushes for 109 yards and two touchdowns. His first touch came with 4:13 remaining in the third quarter, when the Hoosiers led 59-0.

Roman Hemby, Indiana's top ball-carrier through the first two weeks with 32 touches, received only four carries for 25 yards. Redshirt senior Kaelon Black, who was second on the team with 27 total carries in Weeks 1 and 2, gained 68 yards on seven attempts Friday. Freshman running back Sean Cuono made his debut and finished with two carries for 17 yards.

During his radio show Wednesday night, Cignetti said he liked Indiana's trio of running backs — Hemby, Black and Beebe each eclipsed 20 carries in wins over Old Dominion and Kennesaw State — and noted the value in splitting touches between three ball-carriers.

"When you got three of them, you can roll it," Cignetti said. "It keeps them fresh, keeps the hits off, too. So, really like what's going on there. And got to keep going."

Indiana relied heavily on two running backs — Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton — last season. Both graduated, but with Black returning and Hemby and Beebe arriving in the transfer portal, Cignetti hoped he'd have a deeper, more balanced rotation.

The severity of Beebe's injury remains unknown. But if he's forced to miss time, Cignetti and his staff will have to decide whether to put Martin in the rotation, or limit carries to Hemby and Black.

And the stakes of Cignetti's answer only grows more significant with No. 9 Illinois heading to Bloomington for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff Sept. 20 inside Memorial Stadium.