Hungry and Humble: Bye Week Finds Hoosiers on The Rise
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana’s football bye week is here, and while there is rest before the Oct. 19 game against Nebraska (5-1), there is no relaxation, no regression, no loss of perspective when there is so much more left to do.
Linebacker Aiden Fisher understands that. He’s played for Curt Cignetti for three seasons, two at James Madison, one at IU. He understands the approach that has built a winning culture everywhere Cignetti has been, including this season’s 6-0 start in the head coach’s debut Hoosier season.
“The big thing that we’ve heard for the last two to six years, depending on the guys who have been here awhile, is to stay hungry and humble,” Fisher says. “You can’t let complacency settle in so that you fall from the rise you’re having.”
The rise has been steep for Fisher and the Hoosiers, the nation’s first team to become bowl eligible.
Fisher leads IU with 55 tackles, 21 more than second place and fellow linebacker Jailin Walker. He anchors a defense that allows 14.8 points and that has totaled 41 tackles for loss, one behind Big Ten leader Nebraska.
The Hoosiers have jumped to No. 18 in this week’s Associated Press poll and No. 20 in the coaches’ poll. Fisher says the Hoosiers don’t dwell on that.
“Rankings don’t mean anything to us,” he says. “It’s about getting your hard work noticed. That’s about it. (Other teams) don’t care about it, so why should we?”
Becoming bowl eligible for the first time since 2020 is, like the national ranking, not the end goal. Not with six remaining Big Ten games.
“It’s important to get to our next game,” Fisher says. “Every game is the standard -- dominate and come out with the win. Adding (bowl eligibility) is icing on the cake.”
Through it all, Fisher says he takes time to appreciate the college football opportunity, especially in the high profile Big Ten.
“Sundays are big for me to sit down and reflect,” he says. “You watch the film from the last game and have the whole day to reflect on what happened. You spend time with your family. On Monday, you’re back at it ramping up.”
Other Hoosiers ramp up with him. Take quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who shared Big Ten offensive-player-of-the-week honors after burning Northwestern for 380 passing yards and three touchdowns. He completed at least one pass to eight different receivers.
Rourke is the first Indiana quarterback with at least three touchdown passes in his first three Big Ten games since 1967, when Henry Gonso did it. He leads the conference in touchdown passes (14), passing yards (1,752), yards per attempt (10.9), and passer rating (192.1)
Then there’s defensive lineman Mikail Kamara, who sets a huge defensive tone. He has a team-leading five sacks for minus-33 yards, plus a team-high 7.5 tackles for loss for minus-39 yards. He’s forced a fumble and recovered a fumble. He also has three quarterback hits and 20 total tackles.
“He’s a game changer,” Fisher says. “The way he watches film and takes care of his body. The little things he sees on the field helps me, helps speed me up. He’s a high-motor guy. He’s very energetic when he gets out there.”
Fisher played with Kamara when both were at James Madison and has seen Kamara’s development.
“He’s evolved in all facets of his game. The biggest one is how he takes care of his body. Early in his career at JMU, he fought through all those injuries. Now, he’s in this training room more than anybody I see.
“Off-season wise, he works harder than anybody I know. It’s the little things -- pass rush moves, how to be better in the run game, working on his body. He has come a long way and looks great.”
Beyond that, Fisher says, “He's a huge leader, especially amongst the D-line. We have a lot of new faces. He’s someone other players can look up to and learn from, especially those unfamiliar with the system that we brought. He’s someone who helped bring the continuity from the staff to the players.”
Football is a punishing sport and recovery is crucial to elite performance. Sundays after games are critical. Fisher says he maximizes his time by watching film while in an ice tub. Mobility work and lifting weights are also part of the process. He credits IU’s training staff.
“You get to the most efficient way to get your body back,” he says. “As soon as the game is over, you start attacking recovery. That way, next Saturday you are 100 percent ready to go.”
IU’s two road victories came amid dramatically different settings. It played at UCLA’s iconic Rose Bowl with a seating capacity of 92,542 and then at Northwestern’s Martin Stadium, with a capacity around 15,000. Next month, the Hoosiers will play at Ohio State, one of the nation’s largest football stadiums with more than 110,000.
“At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter,” Fisher says. “We can play in a stadium of 100,000 or play in front of our parents. We’re going to go out there, do what we need to do, and execute at a high level.”