Ohio State head coach Ryan Day initially didn't sound overly optimistic about the six Buckeyes starters who were held out of the team's 45-16 win over Maryland all making it back for the Indiana game.
On Monday, though, Day sang a much different tune.
Day sounded optimistic that most of the players missing against the Terrapins would be back for a season-defining clash with the Hoosiers in Bloomington.
That list includes right tackle Phillip Daniels, right guard/tackle Austin Siereveld, nickelback Jay Timmons, linebacker Christian Alliegro, and receivers Devin McCuin and Brandon Inniss.
Day alluded to some non-football things coming up among that group last week that have since been cleared.
“I don't know if we'll get them all back, but I’m hoping to get the majority of these guys back. We'll see how they come in tomorrow,” Day said on the Buckeye Roundtable show on the Ohio State Sports Network (h/t Eleven Warriors). “It was kind of a strange week, with some strange things, a few non-football-related issues that popped up. So we just had to manage it the best we could. But yeah, I don't think we'll get all of them back, but we should get a good portion of them back for Indiana.”
Ohio State's depth as a program could be tested against Indiana
Even if most of the team will be in the lineup for the Indiana game, Ohio State will be carrying injured bodies into the matchup.
The Hoosiers, by contrast, come into Week 7 in good health.
Two of Curt Cignetti and Co.'s starters, defensive end Daniel Ndukwe and cornerback A.J. Harris, just made their comeback against Nebraska in a come-from-behind 20-17 win in Lincoln. Harris had been out for a month prior.
This could be a big week for the Buckeyes' backups. There won't be a bigger game to prove their worth than against IU.
Marching into Bloomington and picking up a win would effectively make any standout performers heroes in Columbus. There's been anxiety since blowing the lead to the Longhorns, and it's felt like no results are good enough.
Even the most jaded of the Scarlet and Gray faithful would be satisfied with a win over the Hoosiers on Saturday afternoon.
Curt Cignetti is not overlooking Ohio State in Week 7
The last person who'd overlook this matchup is Cignetti.
While Indiana has seemingly looked past most of its opponents, leading to a close call with the Huskers and Northwestern, this is the ultimate prove-it game for its place in the sport.
Cignetti noted the cultural relevance of OSU in his respectful pregame comments. He wants that for his football program.
Cignetti wants to be to Bloomington, Indiana, what Nick Saban was (and still is) to Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Saban built his legacy by beating the LSUs and Georgias of the world. Cignetti has a win over the Buckeyes to his name, but he'll need to keep the winning up to reach the ambitions he yearns for.
A wounded Ohio State is Cignetti's opportunity to get the first signature win of his team's championship defense year.
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