When No. 1 Indiana football dominated No. 5 Oregon in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Peach Bowl on Jan. 9, the Hoosiers had a pair of players tended to on the field with injuries during the game.
However, none of the ailments sustained against the Ducks will impact any Hoosier’s status for the CFP National Championship game against the No. 10 University of Miami at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 19 inside Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
“We came out really good,” Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti said during a Zoom press conference Monday, “and everybody that played in the last game will play in this game.”
Sixth-year senior defensive lineman Mikail Kamara was the primary Hoosier in question after the Peach Bowl. Indiana’s training staff tended to him a couple of times against the Ducks with undisclosed injuries, but he’s seemingly set to play against the Hurricanes.
Junior safety Amare Ferrell was checked out my the training staff after the game’s opening kickoff, but he returned soon after.
The Hoosiers have four players who remain out with season-ending injuries: senior defensive linemen Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt, sixth-year safety Bryson Bonds and redshirt junior running back Lee Beebe Jr.
Sixth-year senior kickoff specialist Brendan Franke was originally listed as “out” in the first availability report released three days before the Peach Bowl before being upgraded to “doubtful” the following two days. He was a “game-time decision” against the Ducks but didn’t play. He hasn’t taken to the field since Oct. 25, when he suffered a lower-body injury against UCLA.
Update on injured Hurricanes
Much like Indiana, No. 10 Miami exited its Fiesta Bowl victory over the No. 6 University of Mississippi similarly to how it started in terms of injuries.
Sixth-year redshirt senior defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor, who’s totaled 15.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks this season, suffered an elbow injury against the Rebels. However, Miami head coach Mario Cristobal said during a Zoom press conference Monday that Mesidor is in “great condition.”
Cristobal also described redshirt junior defensive lineman Ahmad Moten Sr. as “full throttle.” The fourth-year Hurricanes head coach said sophomore defensive back OJ Frederique Jr. is “good to go.” Frederique suffered a leg injury in the CFP quarterfinal at the Cotton Bowl against Ohio State on Dec. 31 and played just five snaps against Ole Miss.
Redshirt sophomore defensive back Damari Brown, who hasn’t played in the CFP, remains “day-by-day,” Cristobal said, while sophomore tight end Elija Lofton’s game-day status is unclear. The latter was seen spitting up blood on the sideline after a hit on the field against the Rebels and was later carted to the locker room.
“That (Lofton) would be the one that's in question,” Cristobal said. “Aside from that, I actually feel really good about the rest.”
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.
