IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Many teams deal with injuries. Few teams deal with them like Iowa in 2015.

The Hawkeyes, unbeaten and ranked No. 9 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings, have faced major problems this season on the offensive line and at running back.

They lost a top wide receiver, Tevaun Smith, for two weeks at the start of the Big Ten season and their best defensive linemen, co-captain and emotional leader Drew Ott, for the remainder of the season in Week 6.

And somehow, Iowa is stronger from it all.

“One thing about injuries,” coach Kirk Ferentz said this week, “they force you to develop depth. The credit goes to our players who have stepped in.”

Iowa developed a next-man-up mentality in the offseason to handle the exact situation that unfolded over September and October. The Hawkeyes’ attitude in the face of adversity has served as a catalyst for this run of success, unanticipated by the college football public.

A win Saturday at Indiana (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) would match the 9-0 start of 2009, Iowa’s best ever.

“We created a close bond,” quarterback C.J. Beathard said. “I think we trust each other so much so that when a big guy like Drew Ott goes out, we all have faith that the next guy is going to do the job.”

Ott, the senior defensive end, underwent surgery two weeks ago to repair an ACL torn Oct. 10 in Iowa’s victory over Illinois.

In his place emerged redshirt freshman Parker Hesse, a former high school quarterback converted from linebacker late last season.

Seemingly, it represented a huge downgrade. But the Hawkeyes have allowed 219.5 yards per game and created nine turnovers in less than 10 quarters of action since the Ott injury.

“Iron sharpens iron,” Hesse said. “We’re always competing with each other. It raises everyone’s level of competition.”

Take, for instance, Jordan Lomax. The senior safety was bothered Saturday by an injury, unsure if he could play. Lomax gutted it out. He said he saw Beathard, the quarterback who is battling multiple lower-body injuries, as an inspirational figure.

“Look at C.J. right now, fighting,” Lomax said after the 31-15 win. “That’s a testament to our football team. Sometimes, your presence is what’s needed. Being a leader out there, I feel it’s important for me to be out there with the guys, even with my aches and pains.”

As the next men up have continued to perform, clearly their play has emboldened team chemistry.

“We’re one big family right now,” sophomore offensive tackle Boone Myers said. “We’re brothers. We’re out here battling. If somebody goes down, it’s the next guy. And they’re playing just as hard as the guy who went down.”

Iowa has used four starting tackles this season. Myers missed three games before a return against Maryland; fellow bookend Ike Boettger remains out after sitting the past two. The makeshift rotation up front has included a pair of former walk-ons, a converted tight end and James Daniels, the first true freshman to start on the line at Iowa since Bryan Bulaga in 2007.

And still, the Hawkeyes rank second to Ohio State in the Big Ten with 201.4 rushing yards per game.

Speaking of that ground attack, the opening-week starter at running back, LeShun Daniels, missed two games and scored his first touchdown in league play last week. His top replacement, Jordan Canzeri, went down Oct. 17 and has not returned.

Yet Iowa has managed to coax 1,470 yards of production from four backs. Canzeri and Akrum Wadley went over 200 yards individually in consecutive games last month, the first pair of backs to accomplish the feat in the same season for an FBS team since 1996.

“I feel like any of us who get in there are going to do our thing,” said Wadley, who got his first start of the year last week and finished with 67 yards on 19 carries.

Wadley, Daniels and Derrick Mitchell scored in the first half against the Terps.

“We hold each other accountable,” Mitchell said. “Preparation is key. That’s what we talk about. It’s not about a competition during the game. It’s about going in and getting it done. Next man in, he goes in and gets it done.”

So what happens if all four make it back to good health at the same time?

“I think it could be scary,” Mitchell said.

Iowa’s unbreakable mindset is scary, indeed, for the four Big Ten foes that stand between the Hawkeyes and a 12-0 regular-season finish this month.