Defending champion Indiana expects RB Khobie Martin to be out until midseason

The defending national champion Indiana Hoosiers expect running back Khobie Martin to be out until about midseason with an arm injury he sustained during the first quarter of Saturday's 52-16 victory over North Texas.

Injured starting cornerbacks A.J. Harris and Jamari Sharpe are listed day to day, coach Curt Cignetti said Monday during his weekly news conference Monday. They have undisclosed injuries, and Cignetti had said Saturday that Martin would “miss a little bit of time” and that the cornerbacks' injuries were “not long-term deals.”

“I talked to our trainer yesterday, but have not spoken with him yet today,” the two-time Associated Press Coach of the Year said. “Khobie Martin will be out for a little bit, and we expect him back sometime around midseason.”

The timeline means Martin could return in time for the Oct. 17 matchup against No. 1 Ohio State.

Cignetti did not talk about the cut across quarterback Josh Hoover's nose. The bloodied Hoover did not miss a play on the series and wound up going 13 of 16 for 231 yards with four touchdowns and no turnovers in his Hoosiers debut. The transfer from TCU is replacing 2025 Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza.

Overall, Cignetti was pleased with Hoover's debut.

“Obviously, it was a good start,” he said. “Four touchdown passes, great catch by (Nick) Marsh on the first one and he made some nice throws, some good decisions. He got away with one that he's not going to get away with in Big Ten play, and the one long touchdown to Charlie (Becker), he's got to step into that throw better and get it out there and get it up and down. And the one he got his helmet ripped off, he flipped the protection and really shouldn't have, so he became unprotected to the side of the blitz. But then he responded and threw a touchdown shortly thereafter.”

Martin was supposed to play a key role in a three-man rotation featuring Turbo Richard, the transfer from Boston College, and Lee Beebe Jr., who played in three games for last season's national champions.

Richard had 15 carries for 58 yards and two touchdowns in his Indiana debut Saturday. Beebe had 14 carries for 33 yards and returned the opening kickoff 67 yards to set up Indiana's first score.

Martin, Harris and Sharpe all left in the first quarter and did not return. Harris is a transfer from Penn State. Share's late interception in Miami sealed the national championship game victory over the Hurricanes.

Ryland Gandy and Jaylen Bell played most of the rest of the game in place of Harris and Sharpe, and Cignetti said he thought both played well.

Indiana faces Howard on Saturday. The Hoosiers have won 17 straight games, the longest active winning streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision and are a perfect 16-0 at home under Cignetti. The 16-game home winning streak is also the FBS' longest active streak.

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