Indiana University Athletics
Quoted: Pre-Peach Bowl Offense Availability
1/5/2026 2:00:00 PM | Football
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –––– As Indiana Football's Peach Bowl matchup against Oregon on Friday (January 9) approaches, running backs Kaelon Black and Roman Hemby, wide receiver Elijah Sarratt and offensive lineman Carter Smith addressed the media inside the Don Croftcheck Football Team Room on Monday (January 5).
Below is a full transcript of the press conference, while video of the media sessions can be found on the right sidebar at IUHoosiers.com.
Kaelon Black | RB | R-Sr.
On the emphasis of breaking the opponent's will with hard running…
KB: We take a lot of pride in breaking an opponent's will. That's something we preach in practice as running backs, get our feet planted in the ground, get vertical. We can't spend too much time dancing around, going east and west. The fastest point to form a straight line is going straight. We try to get in the end zone and try to score touchdowns.
On what stands out about Oregon compared to other teams…
KB: Definitely their trenches. All great teams by the way. But the trenches, Oregon's D-line, they have a great D-line, a great linebacking corps.
Those guys seem to play really fast, especially in the back end as well. We definitely have our hands full this week. They seem to have gotten better since the last time we played them. Those improvements definitely show on tape.
On how Coach Cignetti's leadership has proven to get you where you are today…
KB: Yeah, definitely Coach Cig's leadership is one of those things that's easy to get behind. He's about his business. He's going to be serious about everything that he does football relate and even in life. He wants to see his guys improve, make those strides to become better players and better men at the end of the day.
I'm just glad that he came to IU and instilled this philosophy in this program. I feel like everyone is getting behind him. We're just going to keep getting better as we go.
On how the running back room's ball security is so effective…
KB: Just one of those things that you have to think about every play. You can't get a play started without the ball. We have our ball security circuits multiple times a week.
That's one of those things we prioritize as an offense, just making sure even when the ball is loose a little bit, you have to chin that thing and make sure you have this whole program in your hands, the whole fan base in your hands, and you can't let 'em down.
On how Coach Cignetti has influenced him on and off the field…
KB: Yeah, definitely. Just his philosophy as in, like, being disciplined and being smart and disciplined. Just making sure, like, you're staying on track, want to be better in everything you do, never being complacent in life, always wanting to get better in everything single phase, whether that's cooking, vacuuming, cleaning up the house, those certain things that you have that certain mindset from football that you learned from him. It just kind of translates to your everyday life.
On drawing internal motivation on a weekly basis…
KB: It just comes from just wanting to be better. Just being around a great group of guys, great group of teammates, you just have that 'want to 'to be better in your life and also on the football field.
I feel like it's easy to be able to do that now when you have great coaches and great staff around you. Now that we're in this position, we have no choice but to get better and I feel like that's our mentality.
On the hardest parts about moving from school to school…
KB: That's a great question. I would say the hardest thing is just like taking it all in and understanding that it's a process. Having the patience to understand that things happen for a reason. You're not going to always have the answers to make the best decisions in the moment.
Me being myself, I put my faith in God and I allow Him to shape things and see things in a different way that I haven't seen before.
On why the team has been so effective running the ball in important situations…
KB: Yeah, those are one of the things that we focus on in practice, man, those certain situations, those third downs, 40-and-shorts, third-and-mediums. We have our great scheme for that.
I give all the credit to the O-line and those tight ends and receivers who block their tails off out there, our coaching staff of putting us in the right position to be able to be successful in those certain situations.
On Coach Cignetti's mannerisms and how social media runs with them…
KB: It is one of those things I feel like everyone notices. They definitely bring it to our attention. One of those things you can't get really get away from at this point with everything being on social media.
That's just Coach Cig. He's about his business. The faces you probably see he's thinking about ways to get better or what's going on out here on this field, why aren't we doing what we're supposed to do. That's just him.
On if this year's running back room is also the "Ninja Turtles" like it was last year…
KB: I could say that we're probably the same. I feel like our camaraderie is great in our room. We always laugh and joke around together, but we also know when it is time to go, it is time to go, we are about our business.
That's one of the things I love about our room. We can flip that switch from being joking around and then when it's time to go on the field, it's time for us to lock in. We can all do that at any given point.
On how much it has helped these last two years coming over with Coach Cignetti…
KB: I feel like the transition was pretty good. Actually great with us all coming. I feel like we are all blessed to have the opportunity to come with Cig here. I feel like our culture has definitely changed.
It's also changed for the better in terms of like the smart discipline, poise, fast, physical, relentless. Being able to do it on this definitely has been definitely a blessing so far.
Just seeing these things shape, shift and turn has been great to see and be a part of.
On the 1-2 punch that him and Roman Hemby provide…
KB: Yeah, I would say we always want to make adjustments and be better than we were the last game. That game was definitely a great game. It was definitely close. I feel like as our team, as our offense, we are always going to want to make adjustments regardless of the situation.
I feel like when it comes to me and Rom, I don't want to call it like a competition. It's one of those things where we both want to help the offense improve and do anything we can to make sure that we can succeed.
On how he has improved from a year ago…
KB: Yeah, definitely I would just say thinking on that in the off-season, I just wanted to make sure I stayed as healthy as I could, changing my nutrition, changing my diet. Also doing as much as I could in the off-season as far as extra training goes, extra footwork drills, extra time on the field, extra time watching film.
Ultimately just a matter of the main thing is pretty much staying healthy. I'm thankful that my coaches believe in me. I feel like I'm really blessed to be able to have teammates who believe in me as well, so...
On how the running game has grown as the season has gone on…
KAELON BLACK: That's a great question.
I would say there's probably some thought in that. I feel like our whole year, we're always been more of a balanced team with the running backs that we have, with the quarterback that we have, our passing attack, running attack. I feel like we're more of a balanced team.
Also, I feel like that pretty much showed in the Alabama game, as well, with the way we were able to run the ball. Great O-line play, receiver play. Fernando was out there making plays as well.
I feel like it's pretty much a total team offense thing.
Roman Hemby | RB | R-Sr.
On breaking the opponent's will…
RH: Four quarters of us playing our game, honestly. You see the guys we have up front, they work really hard. They make myself and Kaelon's job really easy. We just try to out-physical some of our opponents. We want to make it a four-quarter fight where we impose our will. At some point in the game, we feel we can potentially break the defense or make that play that helps us win.
On what stood out about Oregon compared to other teams…
RH: I feel like Oregon is a great defense. All the defenses that we played have been great. I feel like it was just the environment and the atmosphere we played in that kind of played a factor into it.
You look at their front seven, they have really good players up there. Their linebackers are really good, as well. You look in their secondary, you see that they have a lot of players that are very athletic. I feel like that presented a challenge to us the last time we played, too.
Really going back to the drawing board and making sure we have the proper game plan, we go out there at practice and work as hard as we can. We'll have what we want on Friday night if we can do those things.
On the emphasis of ball security everyday…
RH: We put a huge emphasis on ball security. We do ball security drills in practice. The running back coaches and players, we do a really good job of doing individual drills where we take care of the football. We make sure that we carry good ball security throughout practices. Hopefully we can keep that going because we know that taking care of the football is really important for our offense, really important for our team. We want to sustain drives and really not give our defense short fields to have to cover.
As much as we can take care of the football and control the clock, we'll do that.
On having Justice Ellison on the coaching staff and the insight he provides…
RH: He says a lot about his journey and how it kind of shaped him to make him the person he is. He's definitely somebody that's very influential for the running back room, and in general, just somebody that's been there. He's been on the team. He kind of sees the successes. He sees the things that maybe went wrong in the past. He kind of helps us to shape our mindset in how we kind of go about things.
He doesn't say too much about wishing he was in our shoes. He's one of those guys that you could see by how he approaches his role that he really loves this team and he does everything he can to help us be successful.
When we do individual drills and things like that, he's working us extra hard because he knows what it's like to be in our shoes. I feel like that really helps our running back room to flourish.
On having veteran communication on the field…
RH: I feel like having veterans on the field makes our job easy because we have that sense to where we've been through it before. A lot of our players have been in the situations that we're going to be in or have been in the past.
I feel like that helps us to stay grounded. You look at us in the huddle. You have guys like Pat Coogan who has been around, knows what he's talking about. You got other leaders like Fernando and players like that.
We kind of have that mentality where we won't flinch. We go in the huddle, regardless of the situation, regardless of where we are in the game, we know that all it takes is for 11 guys to do their job. We're here for a reason, because we have 11 guys that can do their job. We trust each other. We have that love for one another. When we get out there on the field, we know that we're going to put it on display.
Being older, I think it does help us to know that we've been through it. We're battle-tested. We play for one another. I feel like that really helps us to experience that grit feeling. That helps us to win those games.
On the running game becoming more established as the season went on…
RH: I definitely feel like we got better as a group. That makes sense. That's kind of how it works. We have to gel together. It takes us a little while to click on all cylinders in the facets of the run game.
It definitely was one of those things where we had to keep working towards it to get to where we want to be. Obviously we're not where we want to be. We can improve, a lot of things we can work on.
As the season went and started, we kind of had to find out what our team was about. We were testing a lot of different things. But we know that once you get into those big, meaningful games, a lot of those games are won at the line of scrimmage.
So the defensive line and offensive line have to go out there and work extra hard. They make our job easy, I say that all the time, because you look at the offensive line that we run behind, they open up those holes, they start to lean on those guys in the third and fourth quarter and make it easy.
But ultimately, as an offense, we just want to play complementary football. We want to win those games. So if we got to throw the ball a lot, we'll do that. If we have to run the ball a lot, we'll do that. We just want to win.
To the second part of that question, I don't know if we changed people's minds. We're not really in the business of trying to do that. We want to prove ourselves right. That's kind of our mantra and what we go to practice for every day.
Hopefully we did. At the end of the day, if we're winning games, we'll take it however we can.
On being the great 1-2 punch with him and Kaelon Black…
RH: We appreciate that.
Honestly, we have that brotherhood to where we kind of don't care who has the success. I say to myself kind of like we want to feed the hot hand. That's kind of how we operate. I feel like both of us have been through a lot in our careers. We're both veteran guys. Anytime we take the field, we have the trust in one another that they'll get the job done.
You can kind of see how our last game went. Kaelon set the tone for our offense in the second half. I was able to kind of ride that wave, kind of follow up on what he was able to do.
Anytime you have a good running back tandem to where both guys can stay fresh and both guys can go out there healthy and we can play for one another, that kind of gives us the ability to run hard, to not hold anything back. We're in the stretch to where we want to go win a national championship. We're not really leaving anything on the table.
Him and myself, we go out there every day with the mindset we're going to prove ourselves right and play winning football.
To your point of us having a little challenge with one another, we don't have one now. I might make one. I might start a little bet with him or something, and maybe it will make us even better in the post-season. We're not really too much worried about that right now. We just want to play our role to help our team win.
On if he could talk to himself back at that time of leaving Maryland…
RH: I would say just to trust the process, honestly. When one door closes, another door opens. It was hard for me in that moment to understand what was going on. But unwavering faith, just believing in God, it helped me to see the signs on the wall, see the things that was there for me to have success, to be open to it.
If I could go back, I would just tell myself not to cry about it, not to be upset about it, but to understand all things work for the greater good because God has His hand on everything.
When I was going through that process, a lot of things seemed shaky, a lot of things seemed not straight and narrow, but I was able to kind of make the best of my situation. I was able to make it better.
Honestly, this was definitely the best decision that I made in my life. Sometimes when you hit that door, it doesn't open, another one is opening for you. I feel like that's something I would tell myself.
On the comfort level of running the ball in situations that don't seem to be obvious running ones…
RH: I really think that that kind of shines light on Coach Shanahan. He's one of the greatest in the business. He does a great job putting us into situations to be successful.
I feel like that's just a testament if we go out there and 11 guys do their job, every play will be successful. I feel like that's kind of really showing that. First and 20, to be able to run the ball and have success like that, that kind of shows if we were able to go out there and execute every play that Coach calls, we'll have success and we'll be where we want to be.
Just having a lot of guys go out there and take pride in doing their one-on-one job and winning their one-on-one battle, I feel like that helps us as an offense and it helps us to keep moving forward and moving the chains, because that helps us to get points.
On what his pass protection process looks like…
RH: Pass protection is something that's very important to the running back position as a whole. We had a lot of times during fall camp, spring ball, where we were working it, fine-tuning it against our defense. You guys get to see Aiden Fisher, Isaiah Jones, guys like that, that get the blitz and get home in games for our defense. We were able to go up against them, fine-tune our craft, work on things we needed to.
Our priority is taking care of the football and keeping Fernando in the pocket. We go into games doing that, we'll have success, be where we want to be.
That's something we work every day in practice. We have blitz, pickups, periods to where we have to fine-tune our craft. Coach Justice does a good job making our scout team give us realistic looks that we'll see on game day.
As a running back, that's something that helps your career. I have aspirations to play at the next level. That's one of those things that keeps you on those active rosters, keeps you on the field at the next level. I do everything I can to make sure Fernando is able to get the ball off, and I try to do everything that I can to make sure our offense is clicking in the passing game when they do blitz.
We go to work every day to make sure we can kind of take care of those things when it happens on game day. We're not perfect, but we're going to keep working it because we know that 15, if he's on his feet, he's going to make a play.
Elijah Sarratt | WR | Sr.
On what stood out about Oregon compared to other teams…
ES: Yeah, talent-wise they're right there with Ohio State, Alabama, some of the best teams in the college football world.
They didn't do too much different. They ran a lot of man against us than when we played them. Coach Shan was just telling us yesterday, I don't remember how many snaps, but about 70% of the snaps we were getting press. That's something different than what Ohio State, Alabama and them did.
It's a challenge that we're going to have to face this week, as well. This whole week throughout practice, we'll be able to go against press on scout team. Hopefully we'll be ready if they continue to do that against us.
On how he embraces press coverage challenge…
ES: Yeah, as a receiver you got to embrace it. If you can't win those one-on-one matchups against press, you're not going to make it too far in this football world.
Is definitely a challenge going against those guys because Oregon have some long, athletic DBs. It's going to be a challenge.
It's something that I take on the challenge head on and I want to do my best against it, for sure.
On why the IU receiving core doesn't drop many passes at all…
ES: Yeah, I really just think the time we put in catching passes. We catch a lot during practice. Every day after practice I'm catching a hundred. All the other receivers are catching extra passes.
It's building up those reps throughout the season. It really matters. When we get in those tight situations, it's just like another day at work catching passes. Really just the time we put in after the fact I feel like makes a big difference.
On adjustments for the second game against Oregon…
ES: Yeah, we'll of course make our adjustments, change some things that we maybe didn't do as well in the first game. I'm sure they're going to make their adjustments, as well.
Of course, we're still going to carry over some things we did like. Same for them.
We'll see as the game starts how they want to guard us, what they're giving us, and go from there.
On how he would describe Coach Cignetti's personality…
ES: Personality, real businesslike. When you come into this facility, you understand that it's time to go to work. When he comes into the team meetings, you understand what he's about, what he's saying. You believe what he's saying.
Really he's about his business and about getting better every single day. He wants to find a way to win the day every single day.
On the first few days when he met Fernando Mendoza and building that relationship…
ES: Yeah, really my first time meeting him was when he came up here on his visit. They asked me to come out to dinner with them. It was me, him, Alberto, I think Coach Shanny (Mike Shanahan) and DO (Derek Owings).
We had a great dinner. We clicked it off real good. He was more outgoing than I thought. Made sense just 'cause if you know Alberto, Alberto is super outgoing, as well.
We were cracking jokes the first time. He was trolling. Big trolls. Kind of easy to talk to them. They both funny. We clicked off well.
As he got on campus, you could see him wanting to talk to all the guys, introduce himself to everybody. It seemed genuine. Wasn't like he was trying to do too much, stepping on everybody's toes. He was just being who Fernando is. Everybody welcomed him with open arms.
On what has made Indiana such a desirable place to play at…
ES: Yeah, first, Bloomington is a great college town. One of the better college towns in the nation. That plays a big part of making yourself feel at home outside of football.
Football-wise, Coach Cig, you see the body of work that he has, the people that he develops. He's helped develop me, many other players that we have on this team. Seeing the success he's had all the way from where he's been, it's something that you want to be a part of.
Then you come to this campus and meet him, what he's saying you really believe that you can do.
One thing I can say about Coach Cig is the stuff you get in his office on a visit, he's telling you this and that, but it's actually true. You commit, you come in, and then what he's preaching is actually what you're doing.
It's not going to be easy. He's not going to say it's going to be easy. He's going to tell you you got to stack days, you got to be the best player you can be every single day. But you see the vision that he gives you, and you really believe that you can achieve it.
On developing his skill for catching fade balls…
ES: Yeah, just really the work I put in in practice, the work that we all put in in practice really. Just building that time in. We knew what kind of look they were going to give us. Coach Shanny called the play at a perfect time. O-line did a great job locking. Fernando threw a dime as usual.
We practice that all throughout the week in practice. Really the time before the game is what allows me to go in there and make those catches look so routine.
On if the team's confidence rose after beating Oregon last time…
ES: I feel like before the game we were pretty confident going into that week just 'cause we had a great week of prep going into it. We really believed we belonged there before then.
Winning that game, it definitely instills even more confidence because you're playing a great team. What were they -- I forget what they were at the time, but definitely top 10 team. Us being able to go on the road in a hostile environment, pull out a win in a game that was going back and forth like that, it definitely gives you a bit of confidence.
Winning that game in October isn't going to do anything for us coming up now on Friday. It's a whole new ballgame. We have to have a great week of practice to face this great team.
On what makes D'Angelo Ponds such an elite corner…
ES: First he's an athletic freak. He's super fast. 4.4 type guy, maybe 4.3 type guy when he goes and tests. 30-something, high 38, introvert. Off that, that gives you an advantage already. You beat him off the line on a goal route, he's able to catch up just 'cause of the athletic ability.
Just his feel for the game. Even when I was with him on my sophomore year, his freshman year, it seemed like he was a vet out there on the field. I still tell people outside of this facility, he was one of the best corners I've been against in college. He's one of them that I say. I say D'Angelo Ponds, is one of the first names I say.
He's a real football guy. He's a dog. Everything that you want in a football player is what he got. He may not be 6'2", the prototype corner people nowadays. But look at the tape. The tape says all you need. His game can travel anywhere against anybody.
On Omar Cooper Jr. moving to the inside this season…
ES: That's amazing to see someone who can start outside and move in within a season and do what he's doing.
It definitely takes a lot. You get a lot of different looks at slot. You got to read your line. Your nickel, your linebacker, your safety over the top, still see that corner in your peripheral. Block-in assignments are different in slot. You've got to determine one high safety, two high safety. Definitely takes a little more thinking and adjustment in that slot.
He's done a great job of taking it head on. He didn't complain when Coach had asked him to move to the slot. He did his thing.
He can continue. That's great having someone that can move in and out with us. If we go 12 personnel, he can go back to outside and do his thing. If we're in 11 personnel, he's in the slot doing his thing.
To have someone like that, it really puts stress on defenses.
Carter Smith | OL | R-Jr.
On how Oregon has changed or is similar compared to the last game…
CS: We see a lot of similarities. I think that's a team that really sticks to their DNA because it works. It's shown against other competition this year.
There's a couple schematic changes we have seen so far. It's still pretty early into the week for us. We're starting our prep today a little more in-depth. It's all about just keeping the main thing the main thing. Everyone has to be in their playbook and understand the schemes.
On the physicality the team has played with all season…
CS: Absolutely.
The biggest part of our run game is being able to break down a defense's will. I think we've done that many times on film so far this year.
We stick to our preparation. All the things that we do in practice are going to translate out onto the game field. Making sure we keep that speed and physicality throughout practice is kind of our edge setter. It is definitely one of our strengths.
Making sure that everybody's on top of that week after week after week is definitely one of the edges we have on the offense.
On what stood out about Oregon compared to other teams he has faced…
CARTER SMITH: Yeah, I think they have one of the better end corps throughout the Big Ten. I'd match them very similarly to Ohio State. They move the same. They're all very quick and very long guys. They're all very athletic, too, with a lot of good moves in their arsenal in pass pro and they know how to play the run.
There's always specifics with certain players. They were very great the first time around. It was definitely a challenge. It's going to be a challenge this time, too. I think they're going to give us their best shot, but they're going to get ours, too.
On the key to avoiding penalties…
CS: Yeah, it's all about how you practice again. Making sure that you are on top of all the little things. I had one this past week, my hand wasn't quite as inside as I wanted to when Fernando was escaping the pocket. That's something that is coachable and teachable for me to fix in order to reduce those mistakes.
I think we've done a good job of that this year.
On his work with Bob Bostad and what he means to him and the program…
CS: Yeah, I mean, he hammers the DNA of the offensive line into everybody in that room. He prides himself on preparation and repetition. Whenever he sees something that's different and something about a certain look that a defense will present, we're going to run through it like 15 to 20 times before we get into the game. That way, whatever we see it in the game, we fall back on our preparation.
When Cignetti saw that, I'm sure he was impressed with it. He has a great résumé. Been throughout the NFL and all throughout college football. He was one of the main reasons I decided to stay here, too. I knew having a great offensive line coach was what I wanted. I knew I wanted to be his offensive lineman, too.
Having those years under him, the way that he's able to restack his room, too, bringing in great guys for the room to lead, it shows just how valuable of an asset he is.
On where he has seen himself grow off the field…
CS: That's a good question.
I would say that I've tried to better myself in terms of my religion, trying to be a better man of God, become closer with my Christianity, my faith. That's really important to me. It's something that a lot of my teammates preach, as well. I think it brings good camaraderie into the locker room.
I've never been the greatest at school. I'll definitely admit that. I earned my degree this past year. That's always going to set me up for life whenever I need a job. Yeah, I guess exciting things are to come for me once everything's over.
On how Daniel Ndukwe has grown in his time here…
CS: Yeah, he's a great kid. Ever since he got in here, I'm pretty sure he was an early enrollee in the spring of 2024. That shows his commitment to the program already, wanting to come early, get into his playbook and develop as a player and as a person.
Out on the field, he breeds great competition. He's going to throw his hat down, play into your chest. He wants to get around you. A really feisty defensive lineman. He's starting to step up into a role of making plays. It shows last week. He had a lot of great plays in Alabama, a lot of great stuff.
His development is going well. I think he still has a lot more steps to take. He's definitely taken a lot of steps in the right direction, too.
On the pros and cons of enrolling early coming out of high school…
CARTER SMITH: I gave up a volleyball state championship. My team went on to win that in the spring. That wasn't the greatest.
Coming here early was definitely for the best. Going through spring ball as a true freshman was really a blessing for me before going through a fall camp. It really opened my eyes to how much more of the game I needed to learn.
I think that's something that's big for any recruit that comes in. If you decide to come early, that's a big step in your career. It's going to help you realize, like, what you need to learn six months prior to when everyone else is getting there. It gives you a head start. You're already being developed by a college strength staff. There's really no downside to it.
I would preach that to anyone who has the opportunity, should definitely give it a shot.
On the flexibility that he provides and his versatility at his position…
CS: Yeah, it allows Shanahan to scheme a little bit. We saw that a little bit last week with me in the backfield. That was a lot of fun.
But at the end of the day, it's about getting the right guys ready for the job. Damola was given that opportunity last week. He did a great job, too. The first half he was in for most of the game. He balled out. I thought he did a great job.
I imagine that everyone upstairs is thinking the same thing, keeping him in that role. He's done great for our room. He still has a lot of growth left, but he's also a young guy so he understands that. I think he'll understand his role a little later in his career.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
Below is a full transcript of the press conference, while video of the media sessions can be found on the right sidebar at IUHoosiers.com.
Kaelon Black | RB | R-Sr.
On the emphasis of breaking the opponent's will with hard running…
KB: We take a lot of pride in breaking an opponent's will. That's something we preach in practice as running backs, get our feet planted in the ground, get vertical. We can't spend too much time dancing around, going east and west. The fastest point to form a straight line is going straight. We try to get in the end zone and try to score touchdowns.
On what stands out about Oregon compared to other teams…
KB: Definitely their trenches. All great teams by the way. But the trenches, Oregon's D-line, they have a great D-line, a great linebacking corps.
Those guys seem to play really fast, especially in the back end as well. We definitely have our hands full this week. They seem to have gotten better since the last time we played them. Those improvements definitely show on tape.
On how Coach Cignetti's leadership has proven to get you where you are today…
KB: Yeah, definitely Coach Cig's leadership is one of those things that's easy to get behind. He's about his business. He's going to be serious about everything that he does football relate and even in life. He wants to see his guys improve, make those strides to become better players and better men at the end of the day.
I'm just glad that he came to IU and instilled this philosophy in this program. I feel like everyone is getting behind him. We're just going to keep getting better as we go.
On how the running back room's ball security is so effective…
KB: Just one of those things that you have to think about every play. You can't get a play started without the ball. We have our ball security circuits multiple times a week.
That's one of those things we prioritize as an offense, just making sure even when the ball is loose a little bit, you have to chin that thing and make sure you have this whole program in your hands, the whole fan base in your hands, and you can't let 'em down.
On how Coach Cignetti has influenced him on and off the field…
KB: Yeah, definitely. Just his philosophy as in, like, being disciplined and being smart and disciplined. Just making sure, like, you're staying on track, want to be better in everything you do, never being complacent in life, always wanting to get better in everything single phase, whether that's cooking, vacuuming, cleaning up the house, those certain things that you have that certain mindset from football that you learned from him. It just kind of translates to your everyday life.
On drawing internal motivation on a weekly basis…
KB: It just comes from just wanting to be better. Just being around a great group of guys, great group of teammates, you just have that 'want to 'to be better in your life and also on the football field.
I feel like it's easy to be able to do that now when you have great coaches and great staff around you. Now that we're in this position, we have no choice but to get better and I feel like that's our mentality.
On the hardest parts about moving from school to school…
KB: That's a great question. I would say the hardest thing is just like taking it all in and understanding that it's a process. Having the patience to understand that things happen for a reason. You're not going to always have the answers to make the best decisions in the moment.
Me being myself, I put my faith in God and I allow Him to shape things and see things in a different way that I haven't seen before.
On why the team has been so effective running the ball in important situations…
KB: Yeah, those are one of the things that we focus on in practice, man, those certain situations, those third downs, 40-and-shorts, third-and-mediums. We have our great scheme for that.
I give all the credit to the O-line and those tight ends and receivers who block their tails off out there, our coaching staff of putting us in the right position to be able to be successful in those certain situations.
On Coach Cignetti's mannerisms and how social media runs with them…
KB: It is one of those things I feel like everyone notices. They definitely bring it to our attention. One of those things you can't get really get away from at this point with everything being on social media.
That's just Coach Cig. He's about his business. The faces you probably see he's thinking about ways to get better or what's going on out here on this field, why aren't we doing what we're supposed to do. That's just him.
On if this year's running back room is also the "Ninja Turtles" like it was last year…
KB: I could say that we're probably the same. I feel like our camaraderie is great in our room. We always laugh and joke around together, but we also know when it is time to go, it is time to go, we are about our business.
That's one of the things I love about our room. We can flip that switch from being joking around and then when it's time to go on the field, it's time for us to lock in. We can all do that at any given point.
On how much it has helped these last two years coming over with Coach Cignetti…
KB: I feel like the transition was pretty good. Actually great with us all coming. I feel like we are all blessed to have the opportunity to come with Cig here. I feel like our culture has definitely changed.
It's also changed for the better in terms of like the smart discipline, poise, fast, physical, relentless. Being able to do it on this definitely has been definitely a blessing so far.
Just seeing these things shape, shift and turn has been great to see and be a part of.
On the 1-2 punch that him and Roman Hemby provide…
KB: Yeah, I would say we always want to make adjustments and be better than we were the last game. That game was definitely a great game. It was definitely close. I feel like as our team, as our offense, we are always going to want to make adjustments regardless of the situation.
I feel like when it comes to me and Rom, I don't want to call it like a competition. It's one of those things where we both want to help the offense improve and do anything we can to make sure that we can succeed.
On how he has improved from a year ago…
KB: Yeah, definitely I would just say thinking on that in the off-season, I just wanted to make sure I stayed as healthy as I could, changing my nutrition, changing my diet. Also doing as much as I could in the off-season as far as extra training goes, extra footwork drills, extra time on the field, extra time watching film.
Ultimately just a matter of the main thing is pretty much staying healthy. I'm thankful that my coaches believe in me. I feel like I'm really blessed to be able to have teammates who believe in me as well, so...
On how the running game has grown as the season has gone on…
KAELON BLACK: That's a great question.
I would say there's probably some thought in that. I feel like our whole year, we're always been more of a balanced team with the running backs that we have, with the quarterback that we have, our passing attack, running attack. I feel like we're more of a balanced team.
Also, I feel like that pretty much showed in the Alabama game, as well, with the way we were able to run the ball. Great O-line play, receiver play. Fernando was out there making plays as well.
I feel like it's pretty much a total team offense thing.
Roman Hemby | RB | R-Sr.
On breaking the opponent's will…
RH: Four quarters of us playing our game, honestly. You see the guys we have up front, they work really hard. They make myself and Kaelon's job really easy. We just try to out-physical some of our opponents. We want to make it a four-quarter fight where we impose our will. At some point in the game, we feel we can potentially break the defense or make that play that helps us win.
On what stood out about Oregon compared to other teams…
RH: I feel like Oregon is a great defense. All the defenses that we played have been great. I feel like it was just the environment and the atmosphere we played in that kind of played a factor into it.
You look at their front seven, they have really good players up there. Their linebackers are really good, as well. You look in their secondary, you see that they have a lot of players that are very athletic. I feel like that presented a challenge to us the last time we played, too.
Really going back to the drawing board and making sure we have the proper game plan, we go out there at practice and work as hard as we can. We'll have what we want on Friday night if we can do those things.
On the emphasis of ball security everyday…
RH: We put a huge emphasis on ball security. We do ball security drills in practice. The running back coaches and players, we do a really good job of doing individual drills where we take care of the football. We make sure that we carry good ball security throughout practices. Hopefully we can keep that going because we know that taking care of the football is really important for our offense, really important for our team. We want to sustain drives and really not give our defense short fields to have to cover.
As much as we can take care of the football and control the clock, we'll do that.
On having Justice Ellison on the coaching staff and the insight he provides…
RH: He says a lot about his journey and how it kind of shaped him to make him the person he is. He's definitely somebody that's very influential for the running back room, and in general, just somebody that's been there. He's been on the team. He kind of sees the successes. He sees the things that maybe went wrong in the past. He kind of helps us to shape our mindset in how we kind of go about things.
He doesn't say too much about wishing he was in our shoes. He's one of those guys that you could see by how he approaches his role that he really loves this team and he does everything he can to help us be successful.
When we do individual drills and things like that, he's working us extra hard because he knows what it's like to be in our shoes. I feel like that really helps our running back room to flourish.
On having veteran communication on the field…
RH: I feel like having veterans on the field makes our job easy because we have that sense to where we've been through it before. A lot of our players have been in the situations that we're going to be in or have been in the past.
I feel like that helps us to stay grounded. You look at us in the huddle. You have guys like Pat Coogan who has been around, knows what he's talking about. You got other leaders like Fernando and players like that.
We kind of have that mentality where we won't flinch. We go in the huddle, regardless of the situation, regardless of where we are in the game, we know that all it takes is for 11 guys to do their job. We're here for a reason, because we have 11 guys that can do their job. We trust each other. We have that love for one another. When we get out there on the field, we know that we're going to put it on display.
Being older, I think it does help us to know that we've been through it. We're battle-tested. We play for one another. I feel like that really helps us to experience that grit feeling. That helps us to win those games.
On the running game becoming more established as the season went on…
RH: I definitely feel like we got better as a group. That makes sense. That's kind of how it works. We have to gel together. It takes us a little while to click on all cylinders in the facets of the run game.
It definitely was one of those things where we had to keep working towards it to get to where we want to be. Obviously we're not where we want to be. We can improve, a lot of things we can work on.
As the season went and started, we kind of had to find out what our team was about. We were testing a lot of different things. But we know that once you get into those big, meaningful games, a lot of those games are won at the line of scrimmage.
So the defensive line and offensive line have to go out there and work extra hard. They make our job easy, I say that all the time, because you look at the offensive line that we run behind, they open up those holes, they start to lean on those guys in the third and fourth quarter and make it easy.
But ultimately, as an offense, we just want to play complementary football. We want to win those games. So if we got to throw the ball a lot, we'll do that. If we have to run the ball a lot, we'll do that. We just want to win.
To the second part of that question, I don't know if we changed people's minds. We're not really in the business of trying to do that. We want to prove ourselves right. That's kind of our mantra and what we go to practice for every day.
Hopefully we did. At the end of the day, if we're winning games, we'll take it however we can.
On being the great 1-2 punch with him and Kaelon Black…
RH: We appreciate that.
Honestly, we have that brotherhood to where we kind of don't care who has the success. I say to myself kind of like we want to feed the hot hand. That's kind of how we operate. I feel like both of us have been through a lot in our careers. We're both veteran guys. Anytime we take the field, we have the trust in one another that they'll get the job done.
You can kind of see how our last game went. Kaelon set the tone for our offense in the second half. I was able to kind of ride that wave, kind of follow up on what he was able to do.
Anytime you have a good running back tandem to where both guys can stay fresh and both guys can go out there healthy and we can play for one another, that kind of gives us the ability to run hard, to not hold anything back. We're in the stretch to where we want to go win a national championship. We're not really leaving anything on the table.
Him and myself, we go out there every day with the mindset we're going to prove ourselves right and play winning football.
To your point of us having a little challenge with one another, we don't have one now. I might make one. I might start a little bet with him or something, and maybe it will make us even better in the post-season. We're not really too much worried about that right now. We just want to play our role to help our team win.
On if he could talk to himself back at that time of leaving Maryland…
RH: I would say just to trust the process, honestly. When one door closes, another door opens. It was hard for me in that moment to understand what was going on. But unwavering faith, just believing in God, it helped me to see the signs on the wall, see the things that was there for me to have success, to be open to it.
If I could go back, I would just tell myself not to cry about it, not to be upset about it, but to understand all things work for the greater good because God has His hand on everything.
When I was going through that process, a lot of things seemed shaky, a lot of things seemed not straight and narrow, but I was able to kind of make the best of my situation. I was able to make it better.
Honestly, this was definitely the best decision that I made in my life. Sometimes when you hit that door, it doesn't open, another one is opening for you. I feel like that's something I would tell myself.
On the comfort level of running the ball in situations that don't seem to be obvious running ones…
RH: I really think that that kind of shines light on Coach Shanahan. He's one of the greatest in the business. He does a great job putting us into situations to be successful.
I feel like that's just a testament if we go out there and 11 guys do their job, every play will be successful. I feel like that's kind of really showing that. First and 20, to be able to run the ball and have success like that, that kind of shows if we were able to go out there and execute every play that Coach calls, we'll have success and we'll be where we want to be.
Just having a lot of guys go out there and take pride in doing their one-on-one job and winning their one-on-one battle, I feel like that helps us as an offense and it helps us to keep moving forward and moving the chains, because that helps us to get points.
On what his pass protection process looks like…
RH: Pass protection is something that's very important to the running back position as a whole. We had a lot of times during fall camp, spring ball, where we were working it, fine-tuning it against our defense. You guys get to see Aiden Fisher, Isaiah Jones, guys like that, that get the blitz and get home in games for our defense. We were able to go up against them, fine-tune our craft, work on things we needed to.
Our priority is taking care of the football and keeping Fernando in the pocket. We go into games doing that, we'll have success, be where we want to be.
That's something we work every day in practice. We have blitz, pickups, periods to where we have to fine-tune our craft. Coach Justice does a good job making our scout team give us realistic looks that we'll see on game day.
As a running back, that's something that helps your career. I have aspirations to play at the next level. That's one of those things that keeps you on those active rosters, keeps you on the field at the next level. I do everything I can to make sure Fernando is able to get the ball off, and I try to do everything that I can to make sure our offense is clicking in the passing game when they do blitz.
We go to work every day to make sure we can kind of take care of those things when it happens on game day. We're not perfect, but we're going to keep working it because we know that 15, if he's on his feet, he's going to make a play.
Elijah Sarratt | WR | Sr.
On what stood out about Oregon compared to other teams…
ES: Yeah, talent-wise they're right there with Ohio State, Alabama, some of the best teams in the college football world.
They didn't do too much different. They ran a lot of man against us than when we played them. Coach Shan was just telling us yesterday, I don't remember how many snaps, but about 70% of the snaps we were getting press. That's something different than what Ohio State, Alabama and them did.
It's a challenge that we're going to have to face this week, as well. This whole week throughout practice, we'll be able to go against press on scout team. Hopefully we'll be ready if they continue to do that against us.
On how he embraces press coverage challenge…
ES: Yeah, as a receiver you got to embrace it. If you can't win those one-on-one matchups against press, you're not going to make it too far in this football world.
Is definitely a challenge going against those guys because Oregon have some long, athletic DBs. It's going to be a challenge.
It's something that I take on the challenge head on and I want to do my best against it, for sure.
On why the IU receiving core doesn't drop many passes at all…
ES: Yeah, I really just think the time we put in catching passes. We catch a lot during practice. Every day after practice I'm catching a hundred. All the other receivers are catching extra passes.
It's building up those reps throughout the season. It really matters. When we get in those tight situations, it's just like another day at work catching passes. Really just the time we put in after the fact I feel like makes a big difference.
On adjustments for the second game against Oregon…
ES: Yeah, we'll of course make our adjustments, change some things that we maybe didn't do as well in the first game. I'm sure they're going to make their adjustments, as well.
Of course, we're still going to carry over some things we did like. Same for them.
We'll see as the game starts how they want to guard us, what they're giving us, and go from there.
On how he would describe Coach Cignetti's personality…
ES: Personality, real businesslike. When you come into this facility, you understand that it's time to go to work. When he comes into the team meetings, you understand what he's about, what he's saying. You believe what he's saying.
Really he's about his business and about getting better every single day. He wants to find a way to win the day every single day.
On the first few days when he met Fernando Mendoza and building that relationship…
ES: Yeah, really my first time meeting him was when he came up here on his visit. They asked me to come out to dinner with them. It was me, him, Alberto, I think Coach Shanny (Mike Shanahan) and DO (Derek Owings).
We had a great dinner. We clicked it off real good. He was more outgoing than I thought. Made sense just 'cause if you know Alberto, Alberto is super outgoing, as well.
We were cracking jokes the first time. He was trolling. Big trolls. Kind of easy to talk to them. They both funny. We clicked off well.
As he got on campus, you could see him wanting to talk to all the guys, introduce himself to everybody. It seemed genuine. Wasn't like he was trying to do too much, stepping on everybody's toes. He was just being who Fernando is. Everybody welcomed him with open arms.
On what has made Indiana such a desirable place to play at…
ES: Yeah, first, Bloomington is a great college town. One of the better college towns in the nation. That plays a big part of making yourself feel at home outside of football.
Football-wise, Coach Cig, you see the body of work that he has, the people that he develops. He's helped develop me, many other players that we have on this team. Seeing the success he's had all the way from where he's been, it's something that you want to be a part of.
Then you come to this campus and meet him, what he's saying you really believe that you can do.
One thing I can say about Coach Cig is the stuff you get in his office on a visit, he's telling you this and that, but it's actually true. You commit, you come in, and then what he's preaching is actually what you're doing.
It's not going to be easy. He's not going to say it's going to be easy. He's going to tell you you got to stack days, you got to be the best player you can be every single day. But you see the vision that he gives you, and you really believe that you can achieve it.
On developing his skill for catching fade balls…
ES: Yeah, just really the work I put in in practice, the work that we all put in in practice really. Just building that time in. We knew what kind of look they were going to give us. Coach Shanny called the play at a perfect time. O-line did a great job locking. Fernando threw a dime as usual.
We practice that all throughout the week in practice. Really the time before the game is what allows me to go in there and make those catches look so routine.
On if the team's confidence rose after beating Oregon last time…
ES: I feel like before the game we were pretty confident going into that week just 'cause we had a great week of prep going into it. We really believed we belonged there before then.
Winning that game, it definitely instills even more confidence because you're playing a great team. What were they -- I forget what they were at the time, but definitely top 10 team. Us being able to go on the road in a hostile environment, pull out a win in a game that was going back and forth like that, it definitely gives you a bit of confidence.
Winning that game in October isn't going to do anything for us coming up now on Friday. It's a whole new ballgame. We have to have a great week of practice to face this great team.
On what makes D'Angelo Ponds such an elite corner…
ES: First he's an athletic freak. He's super fast. 4.4 type guy, maybe 4.3 type guy when he goes and tests. 30-something, high 38, introvert. Off that, that gives you an advantage already. You beat him off the line on a goal route, he's able to catch up just 'cause of the athletic ability.
Just his feel for the game. Even when I was with him on my sophomore year, his freshman year, it seemed like he was a vet out there on the field. I still tell people outside of this facility, he was one of the best corners I've been against in college. He's one of them that I say. I say D'Angelo Ponds, is one of the first names I say.
He's a real football guy. He's a dog. Everything that you want in a football player is what he got. He may not be 6'2", the prototype corner people nowadays. But look at the tape. The tape says all you need. His game can travel anywhere against anybody.
On Omar Cooper Jr. moving to the inside this season…
ES: That's amazing to see someone who can start outside and move in within a season and do what he's doing.
It definitely takes a lot. You get a lot of different looks at slot. You got to read your line. Your nickel, your linebacker, your safety over the top, still see that corner in your peripheral. Block-in assignments are different in slot. You've got to determine one high safety, two high safety. Definitely takes a little more thinking and adjustment in that slot.
He's done a great job of taking it head on. He didn't complain when Coach had asked him to move to the slot. He did his thing.
He can continue. That's great having someone that can move in and out with us. If we go 12 personnel, he can go back to outside and do his thing. If we're in 11 personnel, he's in the slot doing his thing.
To have someone like that, it really puts stress on defenses.
Carter Smith | OL | R-Jr.
On how Oregon has changed or is similar compared to the last game…
CS: We see a lot of similarities. I think that's a team that really sticks to their DNA because it works. It's shown against other competition this year.
There's a couple schematic changes we have seen so far. It's still pretty early into the week for us. We're starting our prep today a little more in-depth. It's all about just keeping the main thing the main thing. Everyone has to be in their playbook and understand the schemes.
On the physicality the team has played with all season…
CS: Absolutely.
The biggest part of our run game is being able to break down a defense's will. I think we've done that many times on film so far this year.
We stick to our preparation. All the things that we do in practice are going to translate out onto the game field. Making sure we keep that speed and physicality throughout practice is kind of our edge setter. It is definitely one of our strengths.
Making sure that everybody's on top of that week after week after week is definitely one of the edges we have on the offense.
On what stood out about Oregon compared to other teams he has faced…
CARTER SMITH: Yeah, I think they have one of the better end corps throughout the Big Ten. I'd match them very similarly to Ohio State. They move the same. They're all very quick and very long guys. They're all very athletic, too, with a lot of good moves in their arsenal in pass pro and they know how to play the run.
There's always specifics with certain players. They were very great the first time around. It was definitely a challenge. It's going to be a challenge this time, too. I think they're going to give us their best shot, but they're going to get ours, too.
On the key to avoiding penalties…
CS: Yeah, it's all about how you practice again. Making sure that you are on top of all the little things. I had one this past week, my hand wasn't quite as inside as I wanted to when Fernando was escaping the pocket. That's something that is coachable and teachable for me to fix in order to reduce those mistakes.
I think we've done a good job of that this year.
On his work with Bob Bostad and what he means to him and the program…
CS: Yeah, I mean, he hammers the DNA of the offensive line into everybody in that room. He prides himself on preparation and repetition. Whenever he sees something that's different and something about a certain look that a defense will present, we're going to run through it like 15 to 20 times before we get into the game. That way, whatever we see it in the game, we fall back on our preparation.
When Cignetti saw that, I'm sure he was impressed with it. He has a great résumé. Been throughout the NFL and all throughout college football. He was one of the main reasons I decided to stay here, too. I knew having a great offensive line coach was what I wanted. I knew I wanted to be his offensive lineman, too.
Having those years under him, the way that he's able to restack his room, too, bringing in great guys for the room to lead, it shows just how valuable of an asset he is.
On where he has seen himself grow off the field…
CS: That's a good question.
I would say that I've tried to better myself in terms of my religion, trying to be a better man of God, become closer with my Christianity, my faith. That's really important to me. It's something that a lot of my teammates preach, as well. I think it brings good camaraderie into the locker room.
I've never been the greatest at school. I'll definitely admit that. I earned my degree this past year. That's always going to set me up for life whenever I need a job. Yeah, I guess exciting things are to come for me once everything's over.
On how Daniel Ndukwe has grown in his time here…
CS: Yeah, he's a great kid. Ever since he got in here, I'm pretty sure he was an early enrollee in the spring of 2024. That shows his commitment to the program already, wanting to come early, get into his playbook and develop as a player and as a person.
Out on the field, he breeds great competition. He's going to throw his hat down, play into your chest. He wants to get around you. A really feisty defensive lineman. He's starting to step up into a role of making plays. It shows last week. He had a lot of great plays in Alabama, a lot of great stuff.
His development is going well. I think he still has a lot more steps to take. He's definitely taken a lot of steps in the right direction, too.
On the pros and cons of enrolling early coming out of high school…
CARTER SMITH: I gave up a volleyball state championship. My team went on to win that in the spring. That wasn't the greatest.
Coming here early was definitely for the best. Going through spring ball as a true freshman was really a blessing for me before going through a fall camp. It really opened my eyes to how much more of the game I needed to learn.
I think that's something that's big for any recruit that comes in. If you decide to come early, that's a big step in your career. It's going to help you realize, like, what you need to learn six months prior to when everyone else is getting there. It gives you a head start. You're already being developed by a college strength staff. There's really no downside to it.
I would preach that to anyone who has the opportunity, should definitely give it a shot.
On the flexibility that he provides and his versatility at his position…
CS: Yeah, it allows Shanahan to scheme a little bit. We saw that a little bit last week with me in the backfield. That was a lot of fun.
But at the end of the day, it's about getting the right guys ready for the job. Damola was given that opportunity last week. He did a great job, too. The first half he was in for most of the game. He balled out. I thought he did a great job.
I imagine that everyone upstairs is thinking the same thing, keeping him in that role. He's done great for our room. He still has a lot of growth left, but he's also a young guy so he understands that. I think he'll understand his role a little later in his career.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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Tuesday, January 06
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Tuesday, January 06
FB: D'Angelo Ponds Media Availability (1/6/26)
Tuesday, January 06