In a perfect world, Turbo Richard would get an extra week of rest for his sprained ankle after he was hit late out of bounds on a play that sidelined him for the entire second half against Northwestern.
That world might not exist.
Instead, the world that IU is living in is one in which it has four running backs who are dealing with some sort of an injury heading into its first game away from Bloomington this year.
Does that mean a banged-up backfield could lead to IU getting upset at Rutgers? Let’s not kid ourselves. Even if Josh Hoover isn’t exactly Fernando Mendoza 2.0 yet, he should be able to win that game operating exclusively out of empty-back sets if he has to.
But another question needs to be asked.
How concerning is IU’s suddenly depleted backfield?
Just to recap, Richard’s ankle injury is the most pressing matter, though it was good to hear that he avoided serious injury.
When he went down, it gave way to Lee Beebe Jr., who casually ripped off 203 rushing yards and help IU fend off pesky Northwestern. That was needed in a game in which Khobie Martin was out because he was nursing his multi-week arm injury that he suffered in the opener against North Texas.
But then Beebe, as well as redshirt freshman running back Sean Cuono, were both listed as questionable for Saturday night’s game against Rutgers.
That’s four IU running backs who, at the very least, can be considered less than 100% heading into Game No. 2 in conference play.
That’s not ideal.
And sure, one could point out that it’s been as plug-and-play a position as any on the roster under Curt Cignetti. It’s not just that the aforementioned Beebe had a 200-yard game. That group is averaging 234 rushing yards per contest amid a herky-jerky start to 2026.
But let’s not pretend that any warm body can move the chains if IU hopes to be in the national title conversation.
Beebe had 94 yards after first contact against Northwestern. As great as IU’s receivers blocked (especially Nick Marsh), that was a game in which IU needed every bit of Beebe’s physicality to bounce off tacklers.
The UAB transfer did his best imitation of Richard, who already has 268 yards after first contact and averaged 5.36 yards after first contact. That duo is indeed proving to be every bit the 1-2 punch that IU needed to replace Kaelon Black and Roman Hemby from last year’s national championship team.
That is, as long as they’re on the field.
Speaking of last year’s national championship team, Martin was supposed to be the bridge in that running back room for this new-look offense. Not having him until midseason, according to Cignetti, is the type of thing that could be felt on Saturday.
Even if Richard, who was listed as probable, does return and play a productive game in which he doesn’t re-injure that ankle, he’s still taking hits that could impact how he feels in November. The same is true of Beebe, who was a surprise inclusion on the injury report days after his breakout game.
Both of those guys take on contact no matter who they’re playing. That won’t change even if it’s a one-sided beatdown on Saturday.
As much as IU would like to be this unstoppable machine that embraces the “next-man up” mentality as well as any team in the sport, Playoff expansion has turned this into a marathon. Being healthy at the right time — something that IU mostly was outside of the Stephen Daley injury — can be the difference in winning a title.
For now, IU’s objectives aren’t related to winning a national title
Cignetti would be the last person to reference that sort of thing because he’s aware of the long road that awaits.
But go ask 2025 Oregon what it’s like to prepare for a Playoff game with a decimated backfield. Go ask 2023 Washington how hard it is to win a national title without any healthy running back who can operate the offense. These things matter.
Maybe they won’t matter in the end for IU and this will just turn into a hot-hand approach wherein a variety of backs are forced to carry the load at different points. It’s possible.
It’s also possible that IU’s backs continue to drop like flies and a not-so-perfect world awaits the defending champs.
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