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PASADENA, Calif. — Indiana has plenty of depth at the wide receiver position, and it's been put to the test in the second half of the season.

First, top receiver Elijah Sarratt missed a month with a hamstring injury, and then running mate Omar Cooper Jr. left the Big Ten Championship Game with Ohio State in the first quarter, out with a lower leg injury.

The first of official daily injury reports was released on Monday, and Cooper was not on it. Cooper was seen practicing at full strength over the weekend in Bloomington, and seems good to go for Thursday's Rose Bowl showdown with Alabama.

The Hoosiers listed four players as ''out'' on the official injury report, and none were a surprise.

Defensive lineman Kellan Wyatt, defensive back Bryson Bonds and running back Lee Beebe Jr. have been unavailable for months after season-ending injuries. Defensive lineman Stephan Daley was the only newcomer. Daley was injured while celebrating the Hoosiers' victory over Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game. Indiana also listed kicker Brendan Franke as ''probable.''

Alabama had three players as ''out'' on their injury report, linebacker Jah-Marien Latham, defensive back Dre Kirkpatric Jr. and defensive lineman Jeremiah Beeman. Crimson Tide.

Cooper, a junior from Indianapolis, leads the Hoosiers with 58 catches for 804 yards, both team highs. He has 11 touchdown catches, just one behind Sarratt.  He had the catch of the year in college football, getting his toes down for a touchdown at Penn State to keep Indiana's unbeaten season alive in the closing seconds.

Cooper played for Tom Allen as a freshman, and then stayed around when Cignetti was hired. He's blossomed into one of the best receivers in the country now. Indiana offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan, who is also Cooper's position coach, raves about him.

“Omar, he does a really good job down the field, his explosiveness, his ability after the catch,” Shanahan told reporters on Saturday. “We don’t necessarily design crazy routes for him. We've just got to give him the ball, and knowing that he can break tackles, make things happen on his own. He’s done an excellent job of that this year.”

Sarratt, who has 51 catches for 687 yards, missed games at Maryland and Penn State, and the final home game vs. Wisconsin. He came back for the Old Oaken Bucket game — a 56-3 win over Purdue on Nov. 28 in West Lafayette — and had three catches for 41 yards in limited action. He had three catches for 37 yards in the win over No. 1 Ohio State, including the game-winning touchdown catch in the corner of the end zone. 

"They have a great defense totally, but they’ve got some experienced guys back there,'' Sarratt said of Alabama. "They like to play a lot of zone, but last week they mixed it up, played a little bit more man against Oklahoma, so we’ll see what they do against us.

"It’s an exciting challenge going against a group like that. I know they’re great, I know they fly around, they run to the ball, the D-line’s great, the linebackers are great. It’s an exciting challenge for us, but we’re ready.''

Sixth-year senior E.J. Williams is healthy, too. He's had a solid year, with 34 catches for 416 yards and five scores. Sophomore Charlie Becker has played a huge role for the Hoosiers, stepping up with injuries first took down Sarratt, and then Cooper in the Big Ten title game.

Becker had back-to-back 100-yard games against Penn State and Wisconsin, and has a great ability to stretch the field. He had a 53-yard grab at Penn State that was huge, and he beat the Wisconsin secondary for a 48-yard gain.

When Cooper went down against Ohio State, Becker slid right in and had six catches for 126 yards, including a perfectly thrown bomb from quarterback Fernando Mendoza that went for 51 yards. He's blossomed in his sophomore year, and has turned into a real threat, especially downfield. The former state track champion from Nashville, Tenn. can fly.

"Charlie, that's my dog right there," Sarratt said earlier this year. "I'm excited to see him score. He's made tremendous jumps from last year to this year, and he's only getting better every single day."

With all four receivers healthy for the first time since mid-October, it's going to be interesting to see how the Hoosiers attack through the air. 

Kickoff is at 4 p.m. ET. Weather might be an issue on game day, with rain in the forecast for much of New Year’s Day. 

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Tom Brew is the National Editor-in-Chief at Roundtable Sports. You can follow him in Twitter (X) @tombrewsports

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