As I speculated earlier in the week, running back Darius Willis' injury was worse than the team was letting on. As IDS football beat writer Geoffrey Miller reported earlier, Willis will miss the remainder of the season because a patella tendon rupture will force the sophomore to undergo surgery.
Something just didn't smell right about this injury. We talked to Willis after practice last Tuesday and everything seemed fine. Willis sat out of practice the rest of the week and missed last Saturday's game at Ohio State.
When exactly did this injury occur? The team claims it has been a lingering thing that initially took place during training camp. I don't know how true that is either because I have talked to Willis almost every week this season and he has never had the look of a good fighting a serious injury.
Willis' injury is detrimental to the Hoosiers in several ways. Here are some of them:
1. No clear favorite in the running game...That's the obvious impact. Willis was the team's leading rusher and was in the backfield for the majority of snaps. On the bright side, young guys like Nick Turner will get more of an opportunity to show what they can do.
2. Less protection for QB Ben Chappell...There were several reasons Chappell had little to no time to throw against the Buckeyes last weekend. One was Ohio State's defense is really, really good. Another had to be that IU was missing multiple guys on the offensive line.
But Willis' absence also had a lot to do with Chappell running for his life. The 6-0, 224-pound running back is a great pass blocker and probably has more of an impact in that role than he does as a runner.
3. Who knows when Willis will be back?...This is the toughest part about this injury, the part that will keep Willis off the football field for an extended period of time. You have to feel bad for guys who do everything they can to get on the field but continue to suffer injuries over and over again.
Colts safety Bob Sanders would be an example.
Willis missed three full games a season ago because of an assortment of injuries. Now, with this injury featuring a recover period of 6-12 months, it's hard to imagine Willis getting back on the field before the 2012 season.
Keep in mind, Willis has already used his redshirt year so that is not an option going forward.
In a column earlier this year, I said Willis would be the key to the Hoosiers' season if he stayed healthy.
I knew that was a giant IF at the time. Thursday's news just proved every IU fan's greatest fear to be true.
