Barry Lunney Jr. and Illinois are going ahead without one of their core running backs. Sophomore Josh McCray will not play Friday against Indiana.

McCray suffered a knee injury during last Saturday’s game at Wyoming and was ruled out by Bret Bielema on Tuesday. Lunney – the Illini OC – discussed the situation ahead of Friday’s game.

“We know he’s different, so does it change? Yeah, maybe a little bit,” admitted Lunney on Wednesday. “We’re certainly going to miss him. There are some things he brings to the table that are probably unique to the room, but we’ve got a lot of good depth.”

McCray totaled 10 touches and 40 yards in Illinois’ 38-6 victory over the Cowboys. Primary running back Chase Brown led the Illini with 19 carries for 151 yards and 2 touchdowns.

McCray’s loss at 6-foot-1, 240-pounds is a dent in Illinois’ rushing attack. As a freshman, he ran for 549 yards (4.9 ypc) and 2 touchdowns.

The positive is Indiana didn’t win a conference game last season. Head coach Brett Bielema might be able to weather the storm for now.