Indiana running back Khobie Martin, the guy who ran wild last season on their undefeated national championship run, is officially sidelined until “midseason” with an arm injury. This is a massive blow that came out of nowhere, even in their blowout 52-16 win against North Texas last Saturday. Losing a player of his caliber this early definitely stings.
The Brutal First Quarter Exit
Martin went down in the first quarter of Saturday’s game in Bloomington, apparently clutching his arm. He didn’t even get a single carry before leaving the field, which tells you how early this happened. The dude was out for the rest of the game, and by Sunday, an Instagram story showed him with his right arm in a sling. Head coach Curt Cignetti confirmed the bad news on Monday, stating, “Khobie Martin will be out a little bit. [We] expect him back midseason.” While we don’t know the exact specifics of the injury, it’s clear the Hoosiers will be without their star back for several weeks.
Who Steps Up in the Backfield?
This injury is a huge problem because Martin was a beast last season, racking up 505 rushing yards and seven total touchdowns during their championship run. That kind of production isn’t easy to replace. In his absence against North Texas, Lee Beebe Jr. and Turbo Richard took over the bulk of the carries. Richard, a transfer from Boston College, impressed with 58 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 15 attempts. Beebe, who missed most of last season with an ACL injury, managed 33 yards on 14 carries. Quarterback Josh Hoover still threw for 231 yards and four touchdowns in the blowout, so the offense wasn’t completely shut down, but losing Martin’s ground presence changes everything.
Now, with a critical part of their offense sidelined, Indiana has to quickly figure out how to maintain that championship form. They’re hosting Howard next Saturday, and all eyes will be on Beebe and Richard to see if they can consistently carry the load until Martin can make his return. The season just got a whole lot more complicated for the Hoosiers.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply