Indiana Football Injury Report at Oregon: IU Freshman DB to Miss 6th Straight Game

EUGENE, Ore. — No. 7 Indiana football will be without three players when it faces No. 3 Oregon at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday at Autzen Stadium in Eugene.

The Hoosiers ruled out freshman safety Byron Baldwin, senior safety Byron Bonds and redshirt junior running back Lee Beebe Jr. on the Big Ten pre-game availability report.

Bonds and Beebe are out for the season with knee injuries. Bonds sustained his injury in a 27-14 win over Old Dominion in Week 1, while Beebe went down in the third quarter of the Hoosiers' 73-0 victory over Indiana State in Week 3.

Baldwin, the Hoosiers' highest-rated recruit in the 2025 class, still hasn't played this season due to an undisclosed injury. He was a standout during fall camp, and both senior linebacker Aiden Fisher and junior safety Amare Ferrell said Baldwin could make an impact on the Hoosiers' defense this fall.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said Baldwin was "day-to-day" after Week 1, but he's yet to take the field for the Hoosiers.

Without Baldwin and Bonds, the Hoosiers' safety depth is thin. Indiana starts Ferrell and senior Louis Moore on the back line with another senior, Devan Boykin, at rover, which Cignetti groups into the safety position.

Still, Indiana's starting secondary will be at full strength Saturday, as All-American cornerback D'Angelo Ponds is slated to play after missing the Hoosiers' 20-15 win over Iowa on Sept. 27 with an undisclosed injury.

Ponds is particularly crucial for an Indiana secondary aiming to limit Oregon quarterback Dante Moore Jr., who's been among the nation's best through the first six weeks.

"It's huge," Fisher said Tuesday about Ponds' return. "Obviously, a great player, a really good leader for our team and our defense. So, getting him back is kind of like a little confidence boost for our defense. It's just good to have his presence there, just suit it up.

"Just having your leader back in the secondary, stepping up and having him back healthy is always a good sign."

Oregon will be without five players in receiver Evan Stewart, defensive back Trey McNutt, linebacker Brayden Platt, receiver Dillon Gresham and receiver Jack Ressler. Defensive back Daylen Austin is questionable.

Indiana and Oregon will go to battle at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday in Eugene.