College Football Playoff: Alabama vs. Indiana Wednesday injury report revealed for Rose Bowl

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 pm ET Thursday in the Rose Bowl national quarterfinal from Pasedena, 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 the 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.

No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide

• DL Jeremiah Beaman – OUT
• DB Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. – OUT
• LB Jah-Marien Latham – OUT

No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers

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

After two weeks off for the holidays, Alabama is as healthy as it’s been since the start of the season with only three players ruled out this week’s injury report, including suspended defensive back Dre Kirkpatrick Jr.. That means the Crimson Tide’s injury-riddled offense is back to full strength for the first time in months, including all three leading rushers in senior Jam Miller, sophomore Daniel Hill and redshirt freshman Kevin Riley, who missed Alabama’s last three games with a broken jaw. The trio have combined to rush for 997 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season despite all missing multiple games apiece. Star senior tight end Josh Cuevas is also fully heathly after returning from a three-game absence to haul in three receptions in the CFP first-round game against Oklahoma on Dec. 19.

Defensively, this week saw the return of senior defensive end LT Overton, who has missed the last two games with an undisclosed illness. Overton has been an integral part of the Tide defense the past two seasons, including accounting for 35 total tackles and a career-high six tackles for loss and four sacks.

Meanwhile, Indiana has already ruled out four defensive standouts, including star defensive end Stephen Daley, who suffered a surprise season-ending leg injury while celebrating with fans following the Big Ten title game earlier this month. Daley’s injury came after he played a team-high 57 snaps in the 13-10 win over the Buckeyes in Indianapolis. The Hoosiers also ruled out running back Lee Beebe Jr., defensive back Bryson Bonds, defensive end Kellan Wyatt, each of whom have been absent much of the season.

The biggest question mark for Indiana in the Rose Bowl is the status of starting kicker Brendan Franke, who has been listed as “probable” through the first two availability reports after sitting out the past five games with a lower-body injury. With Franke out, Indiana has turned to sophomore Nico Radicic, who is 15-of-16 on field goals in 13 games this season.