Pray that the rumors aren't true. \n Because if seniors Kemp Rasmussen, Devin Schaffer and Justin Smith, three key members of the defense, are injured and unable to play a complete game Saturday against Ohio State (1-1), things are going to be ugly for the Hoosiers (0-2). \nThe threesome totals 29 combined tackles in IU's two non-conference games. But Saturday's 11:10 a.m. game is the Hoosiers' Big Ten opener, and the Buckeyes have totaled 414 total yards in its first non-conference match-ups. \n Linebackers Schaffer and Smith each suffered injuries in the home-opener against Utah. Coach Cam Cameron said Schaffer injured his ankle in the first quarter, and Smith's knee was hurt at an unknown point during the game. Both finished the game, and ended with a combined total of 10 tackles.\nRasmussen, the team's co-captain, has had a mild concussion since the NC State game, and is also plagued by an ankle injury.\n"So, in all likelihood, we will go into today's practice and plan on none of those three guys playing," Cameron said Tuesday.\nReports that the three practiced sparingly were confirmed by sources close to the team, but members of the team have rebutted reports that three won't be participating in Saturday's game.\n"They've played long enough that if they are hurt, they are going to compensate for it, and get the job done," junior tight end Kris Dielman said. "They'll play."\nJunior cornerback Sharrod Wallace agreed, saying the entire defense has some injury or another, but nothing that will alter the starting line-up.\n"Some guys may be nicked up, but that's just naturally going to happen during the long season," Wallace said. "Nope, there is going to be no loss of (Devin, Justin or Kemp) on Saturday."\nThe trio was not available to comment on their status.
Double duty\nBryan Robertson, a true freshman, will be taking over kicking duties Saturday. Robertson replaces sophomore Adam Braucher, who's missed field goal attempts and extra points have been massive factors in the Hoosiers 0-2 record.\nAfter the Utah game, Cameron said if IU had gotten the opportunity to kick a field goal, Robertson would be the one kicking. \n"If he didn't have the talent, we wouldn't have asked him to (handle all the kicking)," Cameron said. "But he'll do extra points, field goals and punts. Adam (Braucher), at this point, will still do our kickoffs."\nRobertson got his first kicking opportunity in the Utah game after replacing sophomore punter Ryan Hamre. Hamre had a disastrous opening against NC State, with two blocked punts, and two others that traveled 29 yards total.\nAgainst Utah, Robertson had two punts that went 79 yards combined. Cameron describes Robertson as an athletic player that has shows signs of maturing into a "good kicker."\n"He's doing good things that can help us win games," Wallace said. "He's a great young kicker. He can kick long field goals, and he's got good accuracy, so he should be a great contributor to the team."
Facing Familiar Foes\nWhen Kris Dielman takes the field Saturday, the tight end will be lining up against fellow Ohio natives. \nDielman moved to Troy, Ohio before his freshman year of high school, and the Buckeye opponents are nothing more than Big Ten rivals, Dielman said. \n"I know a couple of the running backs that I played against in high school," said Dielman, a South Bend native and Notre Dame fan, said. "Other than that, there is nobody else I know on a personal basis."\nDielman was recruited by the Buckeyes, but by the time the offer came down, Dielman had already committed to IU. But Dielman said he probably wouldn't have played there anyway.\n"(Kris) was a kid we started recruiting from the middle of his high school career," Cameron said. "We had him in camp and thought he would be an excellent football player. We didn't know if he would be at tight end or defensive end. He is just a hard-nosed, good football player. He gets a little bit better every snap he takes"
