‘Handle Business’ -- Hoosiers Excited for First Big Ten Test
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Elijah Sarratt contemplates opportunity from a Memorial Stadium Team Room chair. A moment that once seemed as likely as a trip to Jupiter is just a few days away, and while the junior receiver knew it was coming, this trip to the iconic Rose Bowl to play UCLA, from the day he committed to Indiana after transferring from James Madison, it still resonates as something special.
“It’s a blessing,” he says. “To be here now, all I can do is give thanks.”
Indiana (2-0) will play UCLA (1-0) in Pasadena, California, in a nationally televised Saturday afternoon game. For a player out of the FCS and the Sun Belt Conference approaching his first Big Ten game, a receiver once so lightly regarded he lost all his scholarship offers, this is an opportunity of a lifetime, and if it comes with don’t-make-it-bigger-than-it-is perspective, don’t underestimate its effectiveness in ensuring Sarratt and all the Hoosiers are focused.
“I’m excited, of course,” he says, “but it’s the same thing as if we’re playing Western Illinois. Go out there and do my thing.”
Mikail Kamara knows how special this game is. It’s also the junior defensive lineman’s first contest against a Big Ten opponent. Like Sarratt, he transferred from James Madison to get this shot. He wants to blow away any thoughts that small-school players can’t handle the Power 4 spotlight.
“I’m really excited. This is a big opportunity for me. It’s not just me. I think everyone wants to prove we’re supposed to be here.”
He pauses.
“This is a big game. It’s on TV. It’s a big opportunity.”
Head coach Curt Cignetti pushes a stay-focused message, that this is a business trip and not a sight-seeing adventure, that victory will require relentless effort, toughness, and attention to detail.
Distraction will get you beat.
“He wants us to keep the main thing the main thing,” Sarratt says. “Eliminate the clutter. Handle business. Concentrate on one play at a time.”
Sarratt is all in.
“We know what we are going there for. We are there to handle business, but you always have to appreciate the moments that you are in. I try to do that every single day, because I don't know the next time I am going to be in the Rose Bowl stadium. I'm just trying to take in the moments and enjoy them while I can.”
Sarratt has always done that. His appreciation for his college opportunity runs deep. He says before every game, he goes into an end zone, takes in the stadium and is thankful for where he is and the chance his has.
Kamara is just as thankful. He believes in his ability to disrupt offenses, and Indiana’s potential to rock the Big Ten. He thrived at James Madison (17.5 tackles for loss last year, 21 overall) and is doing it now as a Hoosier (a team-leading three sacks). The Dukes won big under Cignetti and IU is having the same success, outscoring Florida International and Western Illinois, 108-10.
Cignetti was hired to restore the winning in the Hoosier program and so far, so good. Yes, IU lacks a marquee victory, but beating UCLA will change the narrative.
“This is a game where we prove to everybody that this is real,” Kamara says. “I feel like we've had two warmup games and people still might be a little bit skeptical about us. I think going in there, doing what we need to do against UCLA, can start this change that we're looking for.”
For those who continue to dismiss the Hoosiers, Kamara has a message.
“That’s just clutter. We have to prove it to them on Saturday.”
Hoosier preparation includes Cignetti’s this-is-just-another-game approach.
“We're definitely buying into that,” Kamara says. “The whole we're-going-to-be-in-L.A. thing, the UCLA thing, the play-in-the-Rose-Bowl thing, it is cool, it is a great experience, but at the end of the day, football is football. Once the pads are on, once the ball is kicked, it's football. It doesn't matter what state we're in. Football is football. As long as you keep that your priority, you’ll be able to switch your mindset to it.”