INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana linebacker Isaiah Jones insists there’s no real secret to the Hoosiers defensive success.
They prepare hard, follow coaches’ instructions, stick to the fundamentals and trust one another to do their jobs. It’s as old-school as it gets, hardly a surprise in coach Curt Cignetti’s program.
But No. 1 Indiana is here, one win away from playing for its first national championship because the players remain motivated to prove something to themselves — and to the college football world.
“You’re always chasing that perfect game as a defense and for us that chip will always be there,” Jones said Tuesday. “A lot of these guys had chips (on their shoulders) before they got to Indiana and so did I. So having that chip is what got us here, and I don’t think it’s ever going to go away.”
These Hoosiers have been trying to show their values to a wider audience for years.
Jones grew up in central Ohio but didn’t get much attention from his home state Buckeyes. Linebacker Aiden Fisher landed at James Madison as a zero-star recruit. Defensive end Mikail Kamara joined him with the Dukes after receiving several other scholarship offers from smaller schools, and cornerback D’Angelo Ponds grew weary of hearing constant questions about his 5-foot-9 frame.
And even though Stephen Daley suffered a right leg injury that will keep him out of Friday night’s Peach Bowl against No. 5 Oregon, he didn’t let anyone deter his journey from 230-pound, two-way star to all-conference defensive linemen. Yes, the guy his local fans once compared to Derrick Henry because he qualified for the Virginia state track and field championships in the 100-meter dash, as the anchor of the 4×100-meter relay and, yes, in the discus, started his career at Kent State and created one of the sport’s most unusual one-year transitions — going from the 0-12 Golden Flashes in 2024 to the top-ranked and still unbeaten 14-0 Hoosiers this year.
Together, they’ve formed one of the nation’s stingiest defenses — one still trying to demonstrate its stifling performance in October’s 30-20 win at Oregon was no fluke. The Ducks (13-1) understand the challenge.
“Obviously, they have great players,” Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq said. “Second to that, they have great schemes. So, I mean, when you look at the stunts they do, the same pressures, all those things, just even players winning their one-on-ones on the edges, the edges do a great job.”
Current and former coaches have often praised Indiana’s defense for its uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time on almost every play. That’s by design.
But the Ducks defense also has something to prove after losing twice in the past 13 months.
In last January’s Rose Bowl rematch against Ohio State, the Buckeyes jumped out to a 34-0 lead and avenged their only loss of the season with a 41-21 rout over No. 1 and previously unbeaten Oregon, the Big Ten champs.
Then in October, Oregon took advantage of a Pick-6 thrown by Indiana’s first Heisman Trophy winner, Fernando Mendoza, to tie the score at 20 in the fourth quarter — only to watch Mendoza march the Hoosiers right down the field for the tiebreaking touchdown on Indiana’s next series.
Oregon certainly would like to steal a page out of Ohio State’s playbook in this rematch with the Big Ten champs.
The Ducks (13-1) certainly have the bodies to get the job done.
Nearly half of Oregon’s defensive starters are projected to be NFL draft picks. They also might have the most frustrated player on the field in Atlanta — second team Associated Press All-American safety Dillon Thieneman, a transfer from Purdue who grew up in suburban Indianapolis.
Not only did he endure this year’s only loss, Thieneman also was on the field when Indiana dealt Purdue its most lopsided loss in school history, 66-0, in the 2024 regular-season finale. Naturally, he hasn’t forgotten.
“Props to them for what they’ve done. I definitely have my own kind of feelings about the (Oregon) game and that team and stuff,” he said before cracking a smile. “I know a few guys on that team. Just coming from Purdue, I think you know how I feel about them, don’t need to say it.”
But this game won’t be decided simply by who wants it more, especially with the stakes so high.
Instead, it will come down to matchups, game plans and, of course, the most basic element of all in football — execution. It’s a message that seems tailor made for the blunt-talking Cignetti, who uses short phrases and quick quips to make his point.
Implementing that message is up to the Hoosiers as they try to defy history one more time.
“They’ve improved drastically. So for me, I’m scouting a whole new team,” Fisher said. “To me, it’s two teams seeing each other for the first time, in my mind. You treat it like that. You prepare for it like that. I can speak for a lot of guys with that, our coaches, too. We’re treating it like it’s the biggest game of the year because it’s the next one and you’ve got to prepare for it like that.”
