EVANSTON, Ill. — Indiana football took a 41-24 victory over Northwestern on Saturday at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium, but the Hoosiers lost one of their defensive leaders in the process.
Senior linebacker Jailin Walker exited the game late in the first half and did not return. Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti said postgame Walker’s status moving forward is uncertain.
“We’ll see how Jailin is on Monday,” Cignetti said. “He’s had some injuries in the past that the medical staff didn’t think he’d play again and was back in two weeks.”
When Indiana entered the locker room at halftime, Walker did not have his jersey or shoulder pads, and his right arm was tight to his side, unmoved by his strides.
Walker joined the Hoosiers on the sideline for the second half, but he didn’t return to the field until a few plays after the third quarter began. He remained without his helmet and pads, sporting a white cut-off shirt and the same white sleeves he wore while playing.
The 6-foot-1, 218-pound Walker watched the end of the game on the sidelines with his defensive teammates.
In Walker’s place, the Hoosiers turned to redshirt sophomore linebacker Isaiah Jones, who played at least 12 defensive snaps in four of the first five games. In packages with three linebackers on the field, freshman linebacker Rolijah Hardy took the field.
Cignetti said after the game nothing changed in how Indiana executed its defense without Walker.
“We call what we call,” Cignetti said. “We call what’s best for that down and distance.”
Walker started Saturday as Indiana’s second-leading tackler with 31, while his two tackles for loss ranked tied for sixth. The Richmond, Virginia, native also had three passes defended, which was tied for second best on the team.
Indiana (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) has two weeks before its next game, as it hosts Nebraska on Oct. 19 at Memorial Stadium.
Follow reporters Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) and Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and columnist Jhett Garrett (@jhettgarrett) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
