Rose Bowl injury report: Alabama TE Josh Cuevas added as game-time decision prior to College Football Playoff quarterfinal

A new addition to the Alabama injury report just hours before gametime could be cause for concern for the Crimson Tide. Tight end Josh Cuevas now appears on the list and is listed as a game-time decision.

He’s obviously a huge part of the offense for Alabama. But he has battled injuries in the second half of the season.

The veteran tight end has been instrumental in providing an easy outlet for quarterback Ty Simpson this season. He has logged 33 catches for 376 yards and four touchdowns. He’s even carried it once out of the backfield, gaining seven yards.

You can view the updated injury reports for both teams below. As noted, Cuevas’ addition is new.

No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide

• DL Jeremiah Beaman – OUT
• DB Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. – OUT
• LB Jah-Marien Latham – OUT
• TE Josh Cuevas – GAME TIME DECISION

No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers

• DB Bryson Bonds –OUT
• RB Lee Beebe Jr. – OUT
• DL Stephen Daley – OUT
• DL Kellan Wyatt – OUT
• K Brendan Franke – OUT

Rose Bowl Preview

The Granddaddy of Them All will once again host one of the premier College Football Playoff matchups of the postseason when No. 1 Indiana takes on No. 9 Alabama at 4 p.m. ET Thursday in the Rose Bowl national quarterfinal from Pasadena, Calif. But, unlike most years, weather is expected to be an issue with heavy rain forecast throughout the area Thursday.

The top-ranked Hoosiers (13-0) are nearly four weeks removed from winning the program’s first Big Ten Championship since 1967 with a 13-10 upset of defending national champion Ohio State (12-1) on Dec. 6 in Indianapolis. That victory secured Indiana’s first-ever undefeated season in just the second year under head coach Curt Cignetti, a disciple of legendary former Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban. Cignetti served as Alabama’s receivers coach through Saban’s first five seasons, during which Alabama won the first two of Saban’s six national titles in 17 year tenure in Tuscaloosa.

It’s that Crimson Tide connection that makes the Rose Bowl all the more intriguing, especially with Saban now two years into retirement and Alabama now led by second-year head coach Kalen DeBoer, who is 20-7 so far in Tuscaloosa. DeBoer and the ninth-ranked Tide (11-3) are coming off an impressive comeback effort to beat No. 8 Oklahoma, 34-24, in their first-round matchup Dec. 19 in Norman. After falling behind 17-0 early in the second quarter, Alabama rolled off 27 straight points before the Sooners found the end zone again and held on in the fourth quarter to secure DeBoer’s first CFP victory.

On3’s Alex Byington also contributed to this report.