‘Having Fun’ – Black’s Be-The-Best Teammate Approach Paying Off
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Loud noise, painful noise, noise to rattle hearing and disrupt thoughts blasts from Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium speakers. It’s a rainy, dreary late afternoon as the second-ranked Indiana Hoosiers prepare for a potential raucous crowd Saturday at Maryland, and much work is needed.
Plays are run, drills are conducted and in one moment, running back Kaelon Black busts a long run, and if defenders are not in tackle mode, if he runs through space and not contact, that misses the point, which is offensive timing is being honed for another potential big team running performance, another offensive onslaught, another victory as IU (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) seeks to continue its unbeaten push.
A raw scrape just above Black’s left elbow signifies that even non-tackling work isn’t without physical consequence in this most punishing of sports and on this most exciting of offenses, one that leads the Big Ten in scoring (45.4 points) and total yards (494.5).
“Honestly, it's so fun, man,” Black says about playing in offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan’s balanced attack. “It all starts in practice. The guys that we have and the camaraderie that we have as a team … it’s being very detail oriented, being very focused in practice, and it translates to the game.”
Black is among the catalysts. He and Roman Hemby are neck and neck for the team rushing lead. Hemby has 513 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 4.8 yards a carry. Black has 509 yards and three TDs with a 6.2-yards-per-carry average.
They rank 10th and 11th among Big Ten players, with Michigan’s Justice Haynes setting the rushing pace with 857 yards.
There is no drama between he and Hemby, Black insists.
“It’s fun. We do things together outside of football, like video games. It’s fun to be part of this with him. It’s great to be with him in the running back room.”
As far as those video games, he adds with a smile, “I’m better than him, so it’s been really fun.”
Black is not a me-first guy. He never has been, not at IU, not at James Madison before that. Black has accepted reserve roles others would have refused in these transfer portal times. Even last year, he was third in a running back rotation that featured Justice Ellison (848 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns) and Ty Son Lawton (668, 12). Still, he rushed for 251 yards and two touchdowns, and his 5.5 yards per carry average was better than Ellison (5.3) and Lawton (4.7).
Now Black shares with Hemby, and if that means fewer carries (he has 82 to Hemby’s 107), he’s fine with it.
“It’s all about being the best teammate I can. Doing the best for my team that I can and help us win, help us get to that national championship game.”
He pauses. He doesn’t want to get ahead of things.
“The next game is Maryland.”
IU ranks second in the Big Ten in rushing at 230.5 yards per game. Oregon leads at 237.0. Maryland (4-3, 1-3) allows 124.3.
Setting the Hoosiers’ rushing tone is running backs coach John Miller, who is in his sixth season with head coach Curt Cignetti. He’s helped develop all-conference running backs along the way.
“He’s a funny guy,” Black says. “He’s very laid back, but he knows when to get on you and let you know you need to pick it up.
“He has allowed me to improve. He puts trust in me to be the back that I am.”
The Hoosiers’ running game also benefits by the continued presence of Ellison, who is now part of the offensive quality control staff focused on running backs.
“He’s on us hard every day,” Black says, “but he also understands as a player what it was like, so we listen to him with open ears. Having him here has been great.”
Indiana’s unprecedented rise to No. 2 in the Associate Press and coaches’ polls is a continuation of last season’s record success, when it made the playoffs for the first time and finished 11-2, the most victories in school history.
The Hoosiers want more, Black says.
“We’re building upon it game by game. Coach Cig wants us to be humble and never get complacent. He preaches it day in, day out. That’s what we have in the back of our heads. Whatever we did before is last year. This year, it’s take it up a notch.”
IU thrives by being fundamentally sound and not beating itself. It has just five turnovers this season, and averages only four penalties a game.
That discipline, Black says, starts with Cignetti.
“He preaches that day in and day out, making sure we're being technically sound, detail-oriented, and that we limit our penalties as much as we can.”
Every coach in America tries to set high standards. Cignetti’s teams deliver, a big reason why he’s never had a losing record in 15 head coaching seasons. Black saw it at James Madison, and he sees it at IU.
“His approach, his standard, is always the same. It’s always been fast, physical, and relentless. You take it day by day, play by play. You never get complacent or get too high or too low. That’s what he is. He preaches that to us. We take it in. That helps us be where we are.”
Now comes a Maryland team that has lost three-straight games, all by four or fewer points, after winning its first four.
“They’re a very athletic team,” Black says. “We’ve seen the backs they have. Up front, they are strong and have a lot of finesse. Then have a very athletic front. Their linebackers can move. They have great DBs. That’s why it’s even more important that we are detailed oriented.
“We know the challenge that’s ahead of us. We have to stay focused and be detail oriented play in, play out. We know what’s expected. (Cignetti) puts it on us. We have to execute it.”