Indiana football defeated then-No. 1 Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship game Dec. 6 to secure the program’s first-ever No. 1 ranking and first Rose Bowl berth since 1967.
However, the Hoosiers lost a key contributor during postgame celebrations. Senior defensive lineman Stephen Daley suffered a “serious injury,” Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti announced during a Zoom press conference Wednesday. He said the injury will “probably” make Daley unavailable for the rest of the season.
Daley underwent imaging Sunday and an evaluation Monday. His injury appeared to occur while high-fiving fans beyond the north end zone in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, according to an X video posted Tuesday. Daley was later seen being carted to the locker room with an apparent air cast on his right leg.
“This postgame was a little different than most,” Cignetti said. “So, I didn’t get into the coaches room probably until 45 minutes after the game, and that was the first I had heard about it and then we were walking to my press conference.”
Cignetti said he was still waiting for imaging to come back during his Sunday press conference. The situation was “sort of unbelievable” when Cignetti heard about it. So, when he gave an injury update Sunday, Cignetti said there was nothing that happened “in the game” that would impact the Rose Bowl.
Daley, who transferred to Indiana last spring after spending three seasons at Kent State University, notched 5.5 tackles for loss and 13 total tackles through Indiana’s first six games of the season.
But he was thrust into a greater role when senior defensive lineman Kellan Wyatt went down with a knee injury against Michigan State on Oct. 18. Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti said two days later he wasn’t sure if Wyatt would return this season. However, Wyatt was listed as “out for season” on the Big Ten availability report Nov. 1.
Daley emerged as a premier pass rusher in Wyatt’s absence.
The Winchester, Virginia, native accumulated 13.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and 25 total tackles over the final six games of the regular season and the Big Ten Championship game. He led the Big Ten with 19 tackles for loss while notching 5.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and 38 total tackles.
Daley is now the fifth Hoosier out for the season due to injury, joining senior receiver Tyler Morris, sixth-year senior safety Bryson Bonds, redshirt junior running back Lee Beebe Jr. and Wyatt.
Defensive coordinator Bryant Haines now faces an important decision in replacing Daley’s production. The Broyles Award finalist could opt to switch a current starter’s role to become a pure pass rusher, or he could turn to sophomore defensive lineman Daniel Ndukwe to fill Daley’s role.
Whichever Haines decides, the Hoosiers look to remain a team that can pressure opposing quarterbacks as they have all season. The Cream and Crimson notched 11 total sacks against then-No. 3 Oregon on Oct. 11 and then-No. 1 Ohio State.
Indiana will face the winner of the Dec. 19 College Football Playoff first-round matchup between the No. 8 University of Oklahoma and No. 9 University of Alabama in the Rose Bowl, which is slated for 4 p.m. EST Jan. 1 in Pasadena, California.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and columnist Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa and qmrichar@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
