Indiana's Curt Cignetti on Lee Beebe Jr. Injury: 'I'm Sure He'll Come Back Strong’

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — His face blank and his hands fiddling with a pen, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti's tone reflected the fragility — and cutthroat nature — of football.

During his radio show Thursday night at Hoosier Hank's in Bloomington, Cignetti addressed redshirt junior running back Lee Beebe Jr.'s season-ending non-contact knee injury suffered in the third quarter of the Hoosiers' 73-0 win over Indiana State on Sept. 12.

Beebe, who transferred from UAB to Indiana last winter, was in the midst of a quality introduction to Hoosier Nation. He exited non-conference play ranked third on the team with 27 carries, second with 209 rushing yards and, among those with at least 20 attempts, first with an average of 7.7 yards per carry.

But his hopes of helping Indiana this fall came to an abrupt end against the Sycamores. Cignetti acknowledged it's a difficult situation — again, fragile —but he and the Hoosiers can't dwell on it — again, cutthroat.

"He was doing a nice job running," Cignetti told Don Fischer on Inside Indiana Football. "Silver lining there is he'll get an extra year, so he'll have two years of eligibility remaining. He'll have surgery here in a couple weeks.

"I feel bad for him, but it's part of the game. Injuries happen, and you got to move on."

Cignetti has long adopted a "next man up" approach, and Indiana has no choice. The No. 19 Hoosiers host No. 9 Illinois at 7:30 p.m. Saturday inside Memorial Stadium, marking Indiana's first top 20 home matchup since 1987. The Hoosiers, as a ranked team, have never hosted a top 10 team.

Indiana will use redshirt freshman Khobie Martin to replace Beebe's spot in its three-headed running back trio, which features a pair of redshirt seniors in Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black.

Martin rushed 11 times for 109 yards and two touchdowns, all career highs, against Indiana State after entering with just over four minutes remaining in the third quarter.

A consensus three-star recruit from Fishers, Ind., Martin played twice in 2024, taking 14 carries for 73 yards in appearances against Western Illinois and Charlotte. He rushed twice for six yards against Kennesaw State in Week 2 this season.

During spring practice, Cignetti said the 6-foot, 208-pound Martin "showed promise" last year, and he continued his upward trajectory in fall camp.

And while Martin impressed against Indiana State, there's still a sense of uncertainty — after all, he still hasn't carried the ball against a Power Four opponent. Cignetti, however, is confident.

"Sometimes you don't really know about a guy until he gets an opportunity," Cignetti said, "because you might see him practice every day in a certain role. Guy runs (on) third and fourth team. I'm sure that, at times, guys wonder, 'When am I ever going to get a shot?' And then lo and behold, we have a guy go down.

"And now Khobie Martin's in the game as the third running back and ran well. I mean, we all saw that. He's got a good center of gravity when he runs, and he's going to play a more prominent role now in the offense. And I think he got off to a good start."

Martin's opportunity comes at the expense of Beebe's heartbreak.

The 5-foot-10, 218-pound Beebe arrived in Bloomington fresh off earning third-team All-American Athletic Conference honors at UAB. Through two-and-a-half games at Indiana, he was the most efficient runner on one of college football's best rushing offenses.

Then, to no fault of his own, it crashed.

Cignetti said the Hoosiers offer extensive support — be it mental, medical, emotional or academic help — to student athletes, which benefits Beebe. And despite the seriousness of Beebe's injury, Cignetti has no doubt his journey isn't over yet.

"He's a great kid, terrific kid," Cignetti said. "He's got a great work ethic. He has a great attitude about it, and I'm sure he'll come back strong."

Strong, and with two years of eligibility still in his back pocket — a significant long-term silver lining in a moment otherwise full of sorrow.