Willis to Miss WMU Game with Ankle Injury

Bloomington – According to IU’s updated injury report, redshirt freshman running back Darius Willis will miss tomorrow’s game with Western Michigan due to an ankle injury.

The most heralded member of the Hoosiers’ 2008 recruiting class, Willis had hopes of putting last week’s three-carry, six-yard, one-fumble debut in the rearview mirror with a bounce back performance against the Broncos. But that chance will have to wait at least another week.

In Willis’ absence, Trea Burgess and Bryan Payton should see more action on Saturday in a back-up role to starter Demetrius McCray.

While the Willis news isn’t good for an IU team that has to figure out a way to run the ball better than it did against Eastern Kentucky, it did get some good news with the return of starting left guard Justin Pagan to the practice field. Pagan missed the opener with his own ankle injury, but he’s been upgraded to probable for tomorrow’s contest.

Absent from the injury report, meanwhile, is freshman kicker Mitch Ewald. Ewald missed a majority of fall camp and the season opener with an oblique injury, but is now returning to a point where he is able to compete with Nick Freeland for the placekicking job.

Other players on the Hoosiers’ weekly injury report include: Alex Perry (out-ACL); Kyle Kozak (out-shoulder); Fred Jones (out-foot); Zach Davis-Walker (out – shoulder); Aaron Burks (questionable – ankle); Nick Ford (questionable – hamstring); and Donnell Jones (questionable – hamstring).