Joe Brunner out for Indiana vs. USC after practice injury
TLDR: Indiana starting right guard Joe Brunner, a 33-start veteran who hasn't missed a game since becoming a starter, is out for Saturday's game against USC after getting hurt in Thursday's practice.
Wednesday's availability report didn't have Brunner on it. Thursday night's did, and Hoosier Twitter noticed within about 5 minutes.
Indiana football corner A.J. Harris upgraded to probable, but starting right guard Joe Brunner listed as out on tonight's availability report. Believe this will be the first game in his career he missed as a starter from injury.
That last line is the big one. Brunner came over from Wisconsin, where he became a starter in 2024, and he hasn't missed a game since. He has started all 9 games at right guard for an 8-1 Indiana team and is tied for the team lead with 542 offensive snaps. Indiana had used the same 5 starters on the offensive line in every game this season, and that run is now over going into one of the biggest games left on the schedule.
There was good news in the same report. Cornerback A.J. Harris moved up from questionable to probable, which matters against a USC passing game. Linebacker Rolijah Hardy is still questionable. So the defense got a little healthier and the offensive line, the one unit that had been fully healthy all year, took the hit.
The next question was who replaces him, and the beat writers ran through the depth chart pretty quickly.
Redshirt sophomore Austin Leibfried (22 career games played) is the most logical option to start in place of Joe Brunner against USC. Redshirt frosh Baylor Wilkin and true frosh Sam Simpson could also be options, though Leibfried is by far IU's most experienced backup OL. #iufb
Leibfried is the pick from most people for a reason: he's played in IU's jumbo package and has taken snaps at left guard and center. Sam Simpson is the other name to watch. The true freshman has played 23 snaps at right guard this season, all in blowouts, so that's real game time but not against anyone in a close game. A first career start against a ranked USC defensive front, with a Playoff spot on the line, is a lot for a freshman. Matt Marek and right tackle Adedamola Ajani have also come up as possible fill-ins.
Meanwhile the USC side had nothing new to report, which tells you how one-sided this update was.
Big addition to #Indiana's injury report as starting right guard Joe Brunner, who has 33 career starts, is now listed as OUT and will not play against #USC. Trojans injury report remains the same as Wednesday.
By late Thursday night there was also an answer on how it happened. This wasn't something left over from the last game that the staff had been managing quietly. It happened at practice that day.
That's about as bad as the timing gets: a 2-day turnaround to rework an offensive line that has played together all season, against a USC team coming in with momentum. Indiana is the defending national champion and still in control of its own Playoff path, so whoever plays right guard, most likely Leibfried or Simpson, is the matchup Curt Cignetti's staff has to cover for on Saturday. Keep an eye on the pregame warmups for who's taking first-team reps, and on whether Indiana gives the new guard extra help with chips and keeps the tight ends in to block early.
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