IU football's Daley suffers 'serious' injury, likely out for season
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BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti told reporters Wednesday that leading pass-rusher Stephen Daley suffered a “serious” leg injury in the aftermath of the Big Ten title game and will likely miss the rest of the season.
The defender was seen exiting the field at Lucas Oil Stadium on a cart with his right leg immobilized. Per Pro Football Focus, Daley played a team-high 57 snaps for the No. 1 Hoosiers (13-0) in a 13-10 win over Ohio State and had six quarterback pressures with a sack.
The Kent State transfer was on the field with Ohio State attempting a pair of Hail Mary’s in the final seconds at the end of the game.
“I can confirm he did sustain an injury, a serious injury that will probably make him not available for the remainder of the season,” Cignetti said.
Cignetti briefly addressed IU’s injury situation on Sunday and was careful with the wording of his update while the team awaited for more information on Daley’s injury.
“There was a little more information that had to come in, and I was still processing the whole thing because it was sort of unbelievable when I heard about it,” Cignetti said. “That was why I said we had nobody hurt in the game, during the game.”
It’s a huge blow for an Indiana team that’s prepping for a matchup against the No. 8 Oklahoma-No. 9 Alabama game winner in the Rose Bowl.
Daley has been one of the most impactful defenders in the country since taking over as a starter in the wake of a season-ending injury to Kellan Wyatt. He has 5.5 sacks and 19.0 tackles for loss — second most in the FBS — with six or more quarterback pressures in four of the team’s last seven games.
Indiana doesn’t have much experience left on the bench and will likely turn to sophomore Daniel Ndukwe to get the bulk of the reps alongside Mikail Kamara.
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Indiana football’s top pass rusher will likely miss rest of the season
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