November 13, 2025 • 32 mins
Segment 1: Butler HC Thad Matta
Segment 2: IU FB RB Kaelon Black
Segment 3: IU beat writer Zach Osterman of the IndyStar
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
We know you're busy, bills to pay, mouths to feed,
and the man needs another favor. So just in case
you missed what happened, I'm a fan today, we got your.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Back, and even if you did hear it live, you
probably need to hear it again.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Here you go, all in one place and in just
one hour, the best of the best from today on
ninety three to five and one oh seven five the Fan.
This is instant replay this morning.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
I'm a fan morning show.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Butler off to and I start right now at three
and zero and we are joined now on the Payless
Lookers hotline by the head coach for the Butler Bulldog.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
That would be Fad Malach. Coach, how are you doing
this morning?
Speaker 4 (00:38):
I'm well, how are you guys doing?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
We're doing all right? Man.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
We are in it for college basketball season. Does it
feel like right smack the middle of the season for you?
Speaker 4 (00:46):
You know, it really does, and you know the hard
part of that, you really don't get an off season anymore.
But uh no, we're we're in it. And you know
we yesterday we had a stretch where we've gone ten
days just because the schedule, so the guys needed a
break and we'll get back out here this morning. But yeah,
it's were we were hot and heavy. There's no doubt about.
Speaker 5 (01:04):
That, coach.
Speaker 6 (01:05):
You transition here a little bit at SMU. Coming up
on Saturday, you guys go the Greenbrier for a couple
of other Power four games coming up next week. How
do you kind of go about the non conference schedule
when it comes to you know, where do you put
you know, the non con games in terms of a
you know, power standpoint, trying to build a resume for March.
How do you kind of view the non conference schedule?
Speaker 4 (01:27):
Well, you know, scheduling is one of the hardest parts
of college basketball, to be honest with you, I mean
it's it. Uh, you know, we knew like in the
SMU deal them being in acc school, we were trying
to do a home at home. We needed somebody that
would start at Hinkle last year, which they did, so
this is a return game there. You know, in terms
of the event and at the Greenbrier, you know that's
(01:49):
a multi team event, I think is what it's called.
And you know you're playing two quality opponents on the
neutral court, which works itself out. Well, you know, the
other team in there is we play South Carolina. Virginia
in Northwestern is also in the tournament, and we won't
play them, play them downtown in December, I believe. So
(02:11):
that's why we already know our two opponents down there.
Speaker 6 (02:14):
And then you guys, it was announced a few weeks back,
but you guys have agreed to a home and home
with North Carolina. So I think it's too Chapel Hill
if I'm not mistaken next December, and then they'll come
to Hinkle in twenty twenty seven.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
How did that one come about? You know that one?
Speaker 4 (02:30):
It's funny because Grant Line Decker Athletic ict Are kind
of facilitated that one just because of his ties to
North Carolina and he was down there for I don't
know how many years, but he sort of got with
their ad and got that one done. So that'll be
a great, big, great game for us next year.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Dad.
Speaker 7 (02:51):
Obviously, your team off to a pretty impressive start. How
do you assess progress when you're playing competition that may
not be on the same level as you, but you
look at the results and you're trying to, I guess,
glean little things from it versus just the outcome of
the score.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
Yeah. You know, it's funny because I've been very pleased
with how we've handled our business in the first three games,
and we've been able to do a lot of teaching
from those because, you know, playing the two exhibition games
against Notre Dame in Indiana State, you know, I thought
we grew and I've seen growth and development with our guys.
(03:28):
You know, my biggest thing is I don't want to
see guys make the same mistake twice in a game,
and we've had a little bit of that and and
trying to get that cleaned up and knowing, uh, you know,
your your offensive defense is always going to be a
work in progress. And you look at the last two
games that we played, just with how I U. N
D and Chicago State played, you know, we really haven't
(03:49):
had to execute offense has been more of making basketball plays,
and so I think, you know, Saturday, we'll get back
to having uh, you know, just a little bit more
where we got to call sets, we got to execs,
cut them and which hopefully we're ready for that.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Dadmuda head coach basketball, head basketball coach at Butler And
It's brought to you by Thompson Furniture and mattress and
Columbus in business since the year before hinkle Field House
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Columbus too. Thompson Furniture dot Net. And having said that, coach,
(04:27):
you got a busy week.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Week and a half coming up.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
You talked about SMU Saturday night, then you're home against
South Carolina, a lot of good stuff coming up, and
then you play Virginia as well. Talk to me about
this stretch coming up.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
Well, it's gonna be challenging, there's no question about that.
I mean, SMU is extremely talented. They're their little point guard,
maybe one of the best in the country. They ever
in twenty one points seven assists in three games right now,
and we had some trouble with them last year. But
they're an extremely talented team. There's no doubt. I think
it'll be good for us to get on the road
(05:00):
and you know, to sort of see what we're made
out down there, and you know, come home. Got a
few days to prepare and then you know, South Carolina
and like said, Virginia over the course of the next weekend.
So yeah, it's on. There's there's no thud about that.
And I think our guys are excited to go on
the road. I think we're in a good place right now.
(05:21):
We just go down and play well.
Speaker 6 (05:22):
Coach, I want to go back to something you said
a few minutes ago, and I think you touched on
this after the Chicago State game of like calling no
sets almost from the sideline. We have Rick Carlisle on
every Tuesday, and you know, he obviously has shared about
their offensive sort of approach. And I get the tyres
Albert and helps the situation, but you know, just kind
of the whole hey, freedom of flowing and just kind
of play the game and maybe not call as many
(05:44):
as stationary sets looking over the sidelines typically for you
over the course of a forty minute game, are you
a coach that likes to call a lot of sets
and kind of how does that evolve depending on what
your point guard situation is.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
Yeah, you know, a lot of it is we want
to go on on miss field goals when we got opportunity,
you know, off turnovers, or miss field goals we've got,
we'll get into our flow offense through transition and at
that point we're playing. I mean, and we've worked a
lot on that of knowing putting guys in position to
have their strengths and weaknesses.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
You know, dead.
Speaker 4 (06:20):
Balls, maybe a made field goal where we may call
something that we've seen that we think could be advantageous
for us to score. But a lot of it now
is is you know, you want your guys playing freely,
also with a lot of discipline, knowing what they can
do and what they can't do.
Speaker 7 (06:39):
One more for me, coach, and I was looking at
Finley Bizjacks Bio. He's got a lot of three on
three background. How much do you work on those types
of looks in practice? And it's a five and five game,
but how much do you think three on three, two
on two, those types of drills can help you make
quicker decisions when you're in the half court.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
That's a great question. I know this, you know, we
we go part whole a lot, but but you've got
to have the riffs with the five guys out there,
just for spacing and those types of things. I think
the three on three that Finley did for USA basketball
has really helped him because it's I don't know if
(07:22):
you guys have ever seen that, but it's such a
fast paced game. Is a twelve second shot clock, and uh,
I think that's helped Friendly tremendously and his decision making
and you know, seeing things quicker because of the pace
they have to play it. He's played it all over
the world as for sure.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Coach, always good to talk to you. You know, nice
start so far. Keep it wrong. Your team heads out
on the road. Some big games coming up. We're looking
forward to to hearing them and watching them.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Thanks all right, guys, thank you.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
It's the best of the best for today's broadcast lineup. Instead,
replay continues in a moment on Nutty three five and
one oh seven five the fan.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
This is instant replay today. One query in company.
Speaker 5 (08:15):
Welcome back. It's Greg Rexstraw filling in for j.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Querry.
Speaker 8 (08:17):
It's Querry and Company here on ninety three to five
and one oh seven five to the fan. You know,
it's been a minute since I've done much in the
way of interviews in terms of Indiana University football players.
But obviously the story over the last couple of years
has been fascinating and it continues in a positive light.
Given a remarkable drive, a remarkable pair of toe taps.
(08:38):
I have been a Sunday catch, just a Saturday catch
made by Omar Cooper, but a big part of the
Indiana Hoosiers success this season in his second year with
the program. He's now finishing up five years playing for
Kurt Signetty three at JMU and now two in Bloomington.
It is Kaylon Black that joins us, now Kaylon ten
and zero Man. Congratulations. I know all of us in
(09:00):
Indiana are still just kind of jaw dropped at how
successful this program has become. What has this fifteen to
eighteen month ride been like for you since get his
stepping foot in Bloomington, It's.
Speaker 9 (09:14):
Definitely been great. Man, just from the beginning, just Ko
Sig establishing who he is as a coach and just
trying to get guys to buy into the system, his
winning culture and his winning ways and then the same
things changed month by month. Has been great to be
a part of. And just now we're at this point
today where we're just winning out the close games and
(09:34):
Klawn and fighting as a team.
Speaker 8 (09:35):
Well obviously we touched on this off the start. This
is not year two with coach sig with you, this
is year five. What drew you to him and James
Madison back in twenty nineteen, twenty twenty.
Speaker 9 (09:50):
Definitely his winning ways, man, and just knowing that he
has a great staff around him, a lot of guys
that are bought in, everyone wants to win, and just
you can learn from the players, well, a lot of
great players. Those guys that's going to help me get
to the point that I'm at today.
Speaker 8 (10:05):
By the way, does it sink in that you've now
been doing this for I said five years, really been
six five and a half years that you've been playing
college football? Does it seem like forever ago when you
were making that decision?
Speaker 9 (10:16):
Man?
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Sometimes it does.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
Man.
Speaker 9 (10:18):
Then I realized I'm like, man, like, yeah, I don't
even know what to say, Like sometimes I don't even
really like understand how long I've really been playing football
in college.
Speaker 8 (10:29):
Well, Kaylon does not already have his bachelor's degree, So
he has you taking that time and put it to
good use. When you made the move from Virginia to Indiana,
did what sort of goals did you set for yourself?
What sort of success did you think was possibly out
there for you and those other guys that made the
move from JMU to Bloomington.
Speaker 9 (10:50):
Definitely our goals was to establish ourselves on this level
because you know, coming from the G five and also
SCS while Jamie was SCS, you know, you get looked
at differently by the guys in the P fours sometimes,
So we just wanted to come in and like let
people know, like, hey, we can play football regardless of
the level. Like we put in the same type of
(11:12):
time that you do, and we we also put in
that same grind and just coming from the program that
coach a built at James Madison, coming here kind of
made it easier, just like in terms of just knowing
the system and helping other people and get on the
same page. So it's just it's definitely been like a
pleasure just to even be here again.
Speaker 8 (11:31):
Kaylon Black is our guest. Greg Raiks run for j Query.
It's only three to five and one seven to five.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
The fan.
Speaker 8 (11:38):
You know, almost all of us just kind of expected
almost a little bit of regression on the team this year,
not because you guys are going to do wrong, because
we thought this is Indiana it can't be this good again,
and now seemingly it is even better. What was your
guys mindset going into the off season to make sure
(11:58):
that twenty twenty was even better than twenty twenty four.
Speaker 9 (12:04):
Definitely just learning from our mistakes from twenty twenty four,
taking those and applying applying pressure to our team, and
just making sure like, hey, guys, like we have the
talent and we have the means to be able to
reach the goals that we want to reach, and we
just have to go out there and work hard every
single day to get to where we want to get to.
And Kosieka's done a great job of instilling that want
(12:26):
to with that fast, physical and relivelessness that we have
to have to be great.
Speaker 8 (12:31):
Well, the thing is, you didn't make that many mistakes
last year, just so you know, I mean, the two
teams you lost too played in the National Championship Game.
But kind of to that point, how do you feel
you're a better football team this year than you were
a year ago?
Speaker 9 (12:45):
Pretty much in all phases, honestly, Like we just we
reloaded and we were able to, like like I said,
learn from our mistakes from the year before, and we
just watched the film and make those corrections and practice
hard every single day, and we just have that high
expectation just to be great.
Speaker 8 (13:01):
One of the things that strikes me in watching the
way you play on both sides of the football is
that it is such a physical brand of football, and
that is something that you feel that can travel whether
you're playing in front of fifty thousand of your fans
or playing in front of one hundred thousand of the
other guys fans as you are on Saturday. That level
(13:22):
of physicality, what sort of work do you guys put in,
if not twenty four seven, three sixty five, then literally
twelve months a year to ensure that you can go
out and do that on a given Saturday afternoon.
Speaker 9 (13:37):
We are blessed to have a great strengths coach and
a strength staff like we do with DoD leader being
Dereck Goins. Just the things that we do in the
off season, speed work and just different things that help
us to stay physical in get us stronger, and get
us faster, and help us be more agile. Is just
those things carry over over time, and he also wants
(13:57):
to make sure that we're also mobile at the same
time and never getting too stiff, and they just do
a great job with us, and it just carries on
over from months to month, and that's just how we
get physical.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
All right.
Speaker 5 (14:08):
With that?
Speaker 8 (14:09):
What's going through your mind with a minute fifty one
left to go as you take to the field, you're
down four, You're trying to keep that perfect season going,
and you're eighty yards away from the house. Kind Of
where's your headspace at as that drives about to start.
Speaker 9 (14:26):
Making sure that we're as calm as possible. These are
the things that we work on in practice all the time.
The two minute drill that we always do different situations,
whether it's a minute left, forty five seconds, a minute twenty,
a minute fifty one, just making sure that we've been
in these situations before and we felt like we were
prepared for the moment and we were able to see
(14:46):
the moment as we went out on the field and
put it.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
All together again.
Speaker 8 (14:51):
Obviously, you've got a different view than all of us
do in terms of having that sideline camera as to
see Omar make the play that he did to ensure
that that touchdown stood. What was it like watching that
happen from field level and going, oh my goodness, he
actually got both feet down.
Speaker 9 (15:10):
Man, so I was actually blocking. And the next thing,
you know, like I just see the ball get.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
Thrown and I see him catch it.
Speaker 9 (15:18):
And at first I didn't know if he had got
his footing bowns, but as I see the rev hold
his hands up, I'm like, yes, like like we needed that,
and in that moment it was just like the biggest
like sign of release because like, of course, like it's
a it's an intense situation, but at the same time,
like that man just made a great catch and it
was just crazy to see.
Speaker 8 (15:41):
I was gonna say when you back in, when you
went back and saw the footage, and obviously these days
that means when you're checking social media when you're on
your phone after the game, then what was it like
watching the acrobatics he pulled off in mid air to
make that happen.
Speaker 9 (15:54):
It was amazing, Like every single page posted it, so
you couldn't.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Scroll without seeing it.
Speaker 9 (16:00):
But it was just like every time I've seen it,
I just had to smile more and more out of
amazement because it's just like I don't think I've ever seen,
like with my two eyes on the same field, anything
like that in my life.
Speaker 8 (16:12):
All right, You and rowand Hemy are almost identical in
terms of yards. He's had just a handful of more
carries than you. What's it been like sharing kind of
the load with him this year for this football team?
Speaker 9 (16:25):
And it's been great.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Man.
Speaker 9 (16:26):
Me and Rome, like we're close, and we just push
each other to go hard east and every single day,
and even with Kobe and Slim and we all push
each other to just be as best as we can
for each other and for the team. Regardless of us
just splinning cares anything like that. We just go out
there and do what we can and make sure that
we were helping a team.
Speaker 8 (16:46):
A couple quick things and then we'll let you go again.
Kaylon Black is our guest. Greg Reichs run for j
Query ninety three to five and one O seven to
five of the Fan. If you play your cards right,
this Saturday at home against Wisconsin is the last time
that you get to play. In other words, if you
do your job, you know you're in the college football playoff,
but you're also kind of seated to a point where
you don't get a home game. You're gonna be playing
(17:08):
in a traditional bowl game come New Year's Ever. On
January the first. So if this weekend is the last time,
after two years, you get to play a home game
in Bloomington, what has this temporary home meant to you?
Speaker 9 (17:21):
It means a lot, like this is somewhere that has
helped me to elevate my game to hypes that I
needed to reach, and I feel like being on this level,
being at this program, it will never leave and it
will always have a place in my heart.
Speaker 8 (17:36):
Again, Kaylon Black, our guests, all right, so you're pretty
busy with what's coming up here in the immediate future
for your football team. Do you let your mind drift
towards playing Sunday football next year? Is that at all
on your radar or will that kind of take care
of itself once whatever happens for you guys in January happens.
Speaker 9 (17:59):
Right now, it's all about just trying to win this
game on Saturday and then the game the following week.
But of course, like being a competitor that I am,
you always have that thought in the back of your
mind of playing on Sundays, but you always have to
stay stay focused and pay attention to what's in front
of you and.
Speaker 8 (18:17):
The fin thing before we let you go and again
you've now been here for the last year and a
half two years, but Virginia Beach, Virginia's is Where's home
for Kaylon? In case you don't know, what has it
been like to kind of see reaction people like me
that are just like, we've never seen this Indiana football.
I'm almost fifty years old. I remember when days were
pretty good in the late eighties, early nineties. It has
(18:38):
never been like this. And my guess is you hear
stories from people like this all of the freaking time
around campus, around Bloomington, etc. So as a guy for
kind of from the outside looking in, what's it like
to hear from so many Indiana people just want to
say thank you for doing this? What is it like
kind of living life through that prism right now?
Speaker 9 (18:59):
Man, we appreciate it. We take it all in because,
like you said, like if it was that long, I
wouldn't have known beforehand. But I just love the appreciation
from the town. Bloomington is a great place to live
and the support is going crazy. I know it's always
been a basketball school, but now that we've turned the
tide of the football program, everyone is coming out and
(19:21):
they're showing their love and support for us.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
So it's great to be a part of.
Speaker 8 (19:25):
Again, it's been an amazing ride to watch. I can't
I couldn't imagine it'd be like to be a part
of it, to be driving the roller coaster the way
that you are, keep it climbing up. We appreciate your time,
good luck on Saturday against Wisconsin.
Speaker 5 (19:37):
Thank you.
Speaker 8 (19:38):
Really enjoyed my conversation with Kaylen Black. And again thanks
to Greg Campbell, Jeff Keg the folks maya media relations
making that happen so you could hear about this story.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
It's the best of the best from today's broadcast lineup.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
Instead, replay continues in a moment on ninety three five
and one oh seven five the Fan. This is instant
replay earlier.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
This afternoon on the Ride with JMV.
Speaker 10 (20:17):
Zach Austamana the Star joins us covering IU athletics episode.
Speaker 5 (20:21):
Is okay with you.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
I can't complain about clubs.
Speaker 11 (20:24):
I got kids to put to bed tonight, I got
miles to go still before.
Speaker 10 (20:28):
So yeah, you've done the Coaches Show. Don Fisher's going
to join us, I think before the Coaches Show coming
up later off the night. In the five o'clock hour.
You know, the one thing. I'll start with the IU
basketball because they played in one against Milwaukee last night,
one on Sunday in Chicago against Marquette. I had Tucker
divreson with me on Monday, and we were talking about
just how connected this group looks, all new, but connected
(20:52):
so early in the season.
Speaker 5 (20:53):
That to me is very unusual.
Speaker 10 (20:55):
I think speaks volumes about how things are going with
that program right now.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Yeah, I think that was the question.
Speaker 11 (21:01):
I think that the fundamental question about this roster, before
you got into scheme, before you got into you know,
the offensive sets, the defensive looks.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
There's so much experience in this group.
Speaker 11 (21:10):
I mean I joke to somebody they've played a thousand games,
and then I realized they might have actually played a
thousand games between all of them because of how much
raw basketball has been played, but obviously not together. And
the question is how quickly could you get all that
individual experience, all that individual talent, you know, connected and
blended into a group that flows well, that shows that chemistry.
(21:32):
And I think the answer is very quickly.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
Now.
Speaker 11 (21:34):
The summer helped all those practices, the games in Puerto Rico,
Darren Devriez talked about you know, we.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
We we were on the beach the morning of games.
Speaker 11 (21:41):
We weren't shorting on the chemistry piece, the team bonding piece,
just to just win games in August, it didn't matter.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
But I think you can see the connection that this
group has.
Speaker 11 (21:52):
I mean, like it's a little bit tongue in cheek,
but not totally. Two games and three now you've seen
an value abo off the backboard. You know, that is
a team that is in in sync.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
That is a team that.
Speaker 11 (22:01):
Is playing instinctively together and has bought into the idea
that if we all trust the collective, the best is
going to come for everybody.
Speaker 5 (22:08):
Hey, Zach, you know what's interesting.
Speaker 10 (22:10):
I talked to Tucker on Monday and I said, I
just think they look like and this is why I
think you get the ultimate cohesion with a group is
where nobody's really thinking, everybody's just reacting and man. Normally
that is later in the season February and certainly in March.
Speaker 5 (22:27):
But to have that with this new group, you know,
veteran group or not, is fairly unusual.
Speaker 11 (22:32):
I think, Yeah, I think it's that is a trust
that has been built quickly. You know, Taton Connorway I
think said last night something the effect of, we know
we can pass up a good shot because if we
keep moving, we'll get.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
A great one.
Speaker 11 (22:45):
I talked to Darren DeVries kind of briefly after the game,
and he said, you know, he was kind.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
Of saying, hey, it's best laid plans.
Speaker 11 (22:51):
But back in the spring, we were looking for guys
who were talking to us about wanting to win, not
guys who are talking to us about wanting this role
or that role, but just saying I've got one year left,
two years left, I want to win, I want i'm
I want to come here because I want to win games.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
And it's easy to say that.
Speaker 11 (23:05):
Right every coach would love to make it almost just
kind of something you can bottle and sell, getting that
intersection of talent and chemistry so quickly. But with this group,
and I think it's also maybe the experience leads to
a lot of smart plays, which is it's really easy
to trust your teammates when you see them not making mistakes.
When you say, if I keep this ball moving, they'll
(23:26):
move it to They won't be selfish, or they won't
throw it away, they won't commit turnovers, they won't make
you know, they won't.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Commit unforced errors. It's really easy for.
Speaker 11 (23:34):
Everybody to buy in when everyone sees the collective kind
of working that way. And then I think the other
thing that, you know, we'll see where this season goes.
But when we when we get deep into the season
and we are trying to tell kind of the wider
story of it, I do wonder if we talk a
little bit about those games in Puerto Rico where they're
down twenty points and they've got to pull together, and
it would be really easy to say, hey, we don't
(23:55):
need to win tonight.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
You know, we're like the coach.
Speaker 11 (23:57):
Has even made it clear it's it's not just about
the games down here, but every one of those games
you could see them pull together. You could see them
sort of take on the physical challenge, the athletic challenge,
and so maybe that contributes to.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
It as well.
Speaker 10 (24:10):
That's Zach Awesome, one of the star covers IU Athletics.
We're talking about basketball last night. How about football coming
up on Saturday Senior Day against Wisconsin at noon?
Speaker 5 (24:20):
And I think the most often asked question of the.
Speaker 10 (24:22):
Past I don't know six or so hours for me
is Mac Rhodes and that defection deciding to leave his
post regarding the playoffs as the chair. Does that have
any profound effect in your estimation moving forward for a
team like you.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
No, I don't think so, at least not for the moment.
Speaker 11 (24:42):
You know, there's been this big debate this week about
Indiana versus Texas A and M and where all that fits.
I've said to a lot of people, I think that
matters a lot more for Texas A and M than
it does for Indiana, because if those two teams wind
up number three in the rankings after conference championship weekend,
who versus number three? I believe gets the Cotton Bowl
Because technically I think Bloomington is a little closer to
(25:03):
Dallas than it is Miami. That's obviously much more important
for Texas A and M. They like the Cotton Bowl
means something to A and M. If you're Indiana, it's
probably six and one half dozen if you want, if
you lose the Big Ten title game, the Cotton Bowl
versus the Orange Bowl for one of the other two quarterfinals.
You know, we obviously don't know what mac Rhodes was
contributing to discussion.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
Was he pro Indiana. Was he pro Texas A and M.
Speaker 11 (25:27):
Who knows, But I think really, as long as Indiana
keeps winning, at least in the way the Committee has
treated them so far, I think it's almost more than
The Committee just sees Indiana as basically part of a
group of teams at the top end of the rank,
firmly in control of their destiny, even if they were
to lose the Bigden Championship game, provided you know Rhodes
did say Tuesday night, a heavy loss in a championship
(25:49):
game would have to enter into the committee's thinking. But
if Indiana goes to Indianapolis twelve to zero and loses
twenty one to seventeen, I don't think the Committees dropping
Indiana out of the top five.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
And again, at that point, you're.
Speaker 11 (26:01):
Not really worried about where are we relative to Texas
A and M, because you're both probably in by situations
no matter what.
Speaker 5 (26:09):
Yeah, it's funny.
Speaker 10 (26:10):
I know that he was asked this by Fox before
the game last week about you know, going to Penn
State never winning there, and his response was, you know
this group has never played here, and you know, now
we got to be ready or whatever you think they
ever consider the fact, and not recently, but in the past,
just the ass weapons and the running up the school
the Wisconsin's football program has put on this one.
Speaker 5 (26:31):
I mean, they go through anybody's mind here.
Speaker 10 (26:34):
Maybe it does with the older school people that were
here prior to Kurt, I guess, but to me it
does because I'm thinking about I want to see him
running up coming up on Saturday.
Speaker 11 (26:43):
Yeah, I mean listen, I would be stunned if there's
not somebody in that department that remembers eighty three to
twenty or.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
Something, maybe the ad, Yeah, sixty two to fourteen.
Speaker 11 (26:54):
I don't think Kurt Signetti thinks about it really that way.
I mean, truthfully, I've kind of banged this from this season.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
I don't think he's been running scores up.
Speaker 11 (27:01):
He was last year, and you know, Indiana can can
claim that, they can deny it. Indiana was running scores
up last year. When they're running a fake punt on
fourth down up thirty eight to nothing in the bucket game,
you're trying to score as many as you can. But
you're doing that because last year, if you're Kurt Signetti,
you know we don't have the quality wins that other
playoff contenders have. The way we prove our worth to
(27:23):
the committee is by winning these games so impressively this year.
I mean, for Nana Mendoza in the six games that
were not in doubt in the fourth quarter, he's throwing
nine passes. Mind Indiana is not running the score up,
They're simply just running the ball and that's still yielding touchdowns.
I don't think Kurt Signetti is thinking about these games
that way, but you are kind of maybe at the
(27:45):
time of year where if you can build a little rhythm,
it doesn't hurt, if that makes sense, whether it's a quarterback,
whether it's offensive line play. We've seen some players have
to step in because of injuries. If a young guy
gets a few more reps, that can't hurt. Or maybe
at that time of year where you're thinking a little
bit about, you know, limiting snapcounts.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
For some guys, but also looking at some guys.
Speaker 11 (28:05):
That saying wouldn't help if he got a few more Here,
while we still have a little bit of runway before
the championship game.
Speaker 10 (28:10):
Injury situations coming up for Saturday, return still not go
to return.
Speaker 5 (28:14):
What are we looking at here?
Speaker 11 (28:16):
Aiden Fisher was back at the pistate game, by all accounts,
came through fine.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
You had to.
Speaker 5 (28:20):
You almost have to like lock that guy down, not
for him to go out time.
Speaker 11 (28:24):
Elijah Surrat is very day to day, and I think
that's one especially with a hamstring, because we you know,
anybody who's watched football knows all it takes is one
moment and you can really aggravate something like that. This
is a game that you should feel like you can
win without Elijah Surrat if you don't need to. Now,
it's not gonna be a cold on Saturday, which consideration
muscle injur.
Speaker 2 (28:46):
Warm loose up. Youah. By the other side of this,
the two.
Speaker 11 (28:51):
Game on a Friday night, so that's a slightly compressed week.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
You know this is this is just an educated guest.
Speaker 11 (28:57):
I wouldn't be shocked if they still play it safe
with Surrat. Drew Evans, we will not see Kurtzgetti has
made it clear to left guard we're not going to
see him for a while. Seems like it's either gonna
be Zen Mahalski or adding Amla Johnny, who's the young player,
the red shirt freshman from Speedway in that spot.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
But Sarat, as you.
Speaker 11 (29:13):
Said, is the big one where I think we're all
going to be watching closely. How much is he warming up,
what parts of warm up is he participating with or
participating in, etc.
Speaker 10 (29:23):
So Zach Austaman of The Star is joining us as well.
So in closing Mendoza Heisman Trophy race right now, where
would you covering this team slot him compared to those
from other schools at this point of the season.
Speaker 11 (29:39):
Yeah, I think he's as much of a front runner
as anyone. And you know, one of the flaws of
the Heisman, admittedly, is that it does sometimes kind of
become a bit narrative driven, Like we get to a
point where we decide it's clearly got to be this player,
It's clearly got to be these players. One of the
narratives I think it's fair to say it's built around
the Heisman Trophy this year has been that the Big
(29:59):
Ten Champions Game is kind of going to be the decider.
It's going to be the moment that splits Julian saying
in f Nanda Mendoza, I still think Diego Pavi has
got something to say about it. I still think ty
Simpson's got something to say there. I don't think It's
fair that Jeremiah Smith doesn't seem to be as involved
as he is because he might be the best peer
player in the country. But it seems hard for me
to see him getting into that race. I do think it, though,
(30:21):
it feels like saying Julian saying in Ohio State on
one side, who has unknihably got more metrics on his side,
efficiency on his side. Nana Mendoza, whose numbers are still
really good. He still leads the country in total touchdowns
or at least the Power four. He's second only to
say In in passer rating. He's top ten in a
whole bunch of the categories you'd want to be top
ten in. But he also has the moments, you know,
(30:41):
I think the number on those three game winning drives
at Iowa, at Oregon at Penn State is twelve of
twenty twelve of nineteen, if you don't count the spike
two hundred and fifteen yards and three touchdowns.
Speaker 2 (30:50):
It's not Saying's fault that he hasn't played in those games.
Speaker 11 (30:52):
Ohio State just hasn't played the same schedule. But Heisman
voters do remember moments. That is, you know, people rolling
their eyes at the Gus Johnson, give them Heisman now
will listen. The reason Gus Johnson says that is because
he knows Heisman voters. They see numbers, but they also
remember moments, and for Nanda Mendoza has those on his
resume in a way that, at least for the moment,
Julian Sayin does not. I would argue, and I think
(31:13):
the sports books more or less have him.
Speaker 2 (31:15):
Neck and neck.
Speaker 11 (31:16):
I would argue, that's probably about where they are and
whether it's fair on a Ty Simpson, a Diego Pavia,
a Jeremiah Smith anybody else. I would not be shocked
if we do wind up in a place. Heisman votes
are due two days after Championship weekend Championship Saturday, specifically,
I would not be shocked if a lot of people
are waiting to watch that Big Ten Championship game on
Saturday night before having their vote in on Monday.
Speaker 5 (31:36):
I'm not trying to send anybody to your house.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
Where do you live around here? We live down south.
We actually live out in the county like work.
Speaker 5 (31:43):
Oh did you like smith Ville?
Speaker 2 (31:45):
You live down there?
Speaker 3 (31:45):
Uh?
Speaker 2 (31:46):
Not quite that far?
Speaker 5 (31:47):
Oh okay, I got you. So there's Eric Deezer.
Speaker 10 (31:50):
It's a very incredibly famous home follow right there, bids
in the house at the upstairs probably man, thanks for
coming out, Thanks for having much for a while.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
I got for an interview.
Speaker 5 (32:02):
That's awesome Zach Awesomer at the Star.
Speaker 10 (32:04):
We only him a great deal because he always comes
on and he's a good dude.
Speaker 5 (32:07):
Upstairs Bop is our location today. Thank you Zach for
stopping by.
Speaker 1 (32:12):
Thanks again for listening to Instant Replay, because second helpings
are always best when the main course is still fresh.
Instant Replay on ninety three five and one oh seven
five The Fan
We know you're busy, bills to pay, mouths to feed,
and the man needs another favor. So just in case
you missed what happened, I'm a fan today, we got your.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Back, and even if you did hear it live, you
probably need to hear it again.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Here you go, all in one place and in just
one hour, the best of the best from today on
ninety three to five and one oh seven five the Fan.
This is instant replay this morning.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
I'm a fan morning show.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Butler off to and I start right now at three
and zero and we are joined now on the Payless
Lookers hotline by the head coach for the Butler Bulldog.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
That would be Fad Malach. Coach, how are you doing
this morning?
Speaker 4 (00:38):
I'm well, how are you guys doing?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
We're doing all right? Man.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
We are in it for college basketball season. Does it
feel like right smack the middle of the season for you?
Speaker 4 (00:46):
You know, it really does, and you know the hard
part of that, you really don't get an off season anymore.
But uh no, we're we're in it. And you know
we yesterday we had a stretch where we've gone ten
days just because the schedule, so the guys needed a
break and we'll get back out here this morning. But yeah,
it's were we were hot and heavy. There's no doubt about.
Speaker 5 (01:04):
That, coach.
Speaker 6 (01:05):
You transition here a little bit at SMU. Coming up
on Saturday, you guys go the Greenbrier for a couple
of other Power four games coming up next week. How
do you kind of go about the non conference schedule
when it comes to you know, where do you put
you know, the non con games in terms of a
you know, power standpoint, trying to build a resume for March.
How do you kind of view the non conference schedule?
Speaker 4 (01:27):
Well, you know, scheduling is one of the hardest parts
of college basketball, to be honest with you, I mean
it's it. Uh, you know, we knew like in the
SMU deal them being in acc school, we were trying
to do a home at home. We needed somebody that
would start at Hinkle last year, which they did, so
this is a return game there. You know, in terms
of the event and at the Greenbrier, you know that's
(01:49):
a multi team event, I think is what it's called.
And you know you're playing two quality opponents on the
neutral court, which works itself out. Well, you know, the
other team in there is we play South Carolina. Virginia
in Northwestern is also in the tournament, and we won't
play them, play them downtown in December, I believe. So
(02:11):
that's why we already know our two opponents down there.
Speaker 6 (02:14):
And then you guys, it was announced a few weeks back,
but you guys have agreed to a home and home
with North Carolina. So I think it's too Chapel Hill
if I'm not mistaken next December, and then they'll come
to Hinkle in twenty twenty seven.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
How did that one come about? You know that one?
Speaker 4 (02:30):
It's funny because Grant Line Decker Athletic ict Are kind
of facilitated that one just because of his ties to
North Carolina and he was down there for I don't
know how many years, but he sort of got with
their ad and got that one done. So that'll be
a great, big, great game for us next year.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Dad.
Speaker 7 (02:51):
Obviously, your team off to a pretty impressive start. How
do you assess progress when you're playing competition that may
not be on the same level as you, but you
look at the results and you're trying to, I guess,
glean little things from it versus just the outcome of
the score.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
Yeah. You know, it's funny because I've been very pleased
with how we've handled our business in the first three games,
and we've been able to do a lot of teaching
from those because, you know, playing the two exhibition games
against Notre Dame in Indiana State, you know, I thought
we grew and I've seen growth and development with our guys.
(03:28):
You know, my biggest thing is I don't want to
see guys make the same mistake twice in a game,
and we've had a little bit of that and and
trying to get that cleaned up and knowing, uh, you know,
your your offensive defense is always going to be a
work in progress. And you look at the last two
games that we played, just with how I U. N
D and Chicago State played, you know, we really haven't
(03:49):
had to execute offense has been more of making basketball plays,
and so I think, you know, Saturday, we'll get back
to having uh, you know, just a little bit more
where we got to call sets, we got to execs,
cut them and which hopefully we're ready for that.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Dadmuda head coach basketball, head basketball coach at Butler And
It's brought to you by Thompson Furniture and mattress and
Columbus in business since the year before hinkle Field House
opened in nineteen twenty seven. Lazy Boy, Indiana, Maate Smith
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to entire Indianapolis metro area. It's worth to drive to
Columbus too. Thompson Furniture dot Net. And having said that, coach,
(04:27):
you got a busy week.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Week and a half coming up.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
You talked about SMU Saturday night, then you're home against
South Carolina, a lot of good stuff coming up, and
then you play Virginia as well. Talk to me about
this stretch coming up.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
Well, it's gonna be challenging, there's no question about that.
I mean, SMU is extremely talented. They're their little point guard,
maybe one of the best in the country. They ever
in twenty one points seven assists in three games right now,
and we had some trouble with them last year. But
they're an extremely talented team. There's no doubt. I think
it'll be good for us to get on the road
(05:00):
and you know, to sort of see what we're made
out down there, and you know, come home. Got a
few days to prepare and then you know, South Carolina
and like said, Virginia over the course of the next weekend.
So yeah, it's on. There's there's no thud about that.
And I think our guys are excited to go on
the road. I think we're in a good place right now.
(05:21):
We just go down and play well.
Speaker 6 (05:22):
Coach, I want to go back to something you said
a few minutes ago, and I think you touched on
this after the Chicago State game of like calling no
sets almost from the sideline. We have Rick Carlisle on
every Tuesday, and you know, he obviously has shared about
their offensive sort of approach. And I get the tyres
Albert and helps the situation, but you know, just kind
of the whole hey, freedom of flowing and just kind
of play the game and maybe not call as many
(05:44):
as stationary sets looking over the sidelines typically for you
over the course of a forty minute game, are you
a coach that likes to call a lot of sets
and kind of how does that evolve depending on what
your point guard situation is.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
Yeah, you know, a lot of it is we want
to go on on miss field goals when we got opportunity,
you know, off turnovers, or miss field goals we've got,
we'll get into our flow offense through transition and at
that point we're playing. I mean, and we've worked a
lot on that of knowing putting guys in position to
have their strengths and weaknesses.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
You know, dead.
Speaker 4 (06:20):
Balls, maybe a made field goal where we may call
something that we've seen that we think could be advantageous
for us to score. But a lot of it now
is is you know, you want your guys playing freely,
also with a lot of discipline, knowing what they can
do and what they can't do.
Speaker 7 (06:39):
One more for me, coach, and I was looking at
Finley Bizjacks Bio. He's got a lot of three on
three background. How much do you work on those types
of looks in practice? And it's a five and five game,
but how much do you think three on three, two
on two, those types of drills can help you make
quicker decisions when you're in the half court.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
That's a great question. I know this, you know, we
we go part whole a lot, but but you've got
to have the riffs with the five guys out there,
just for spacing and those types of things. I think
the three on three that Finley did for USA basketball
has really helped him because it's I don't know if
(07:22):
you guys have ever seen that, but it's such a
fast paced game. Is a twelve second shot clock, and uh,
I think that's helped Friendly tremendously and his decision making
and you know, seeing things quicker because of the pace
they have to play it. He's played it all over
the world as for sure.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Coach, always good to talk to you. You know, nice
start so far. Keep it wrong. Your team heads out
on the road. Some big games coming up. We're looking
forward to to hearing them and watching them.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Thanks all right, guys, thank you.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
It's the best of the best for today's broadcast lineup. Instead,
replay continues in a moment on Nutty three five and
one oh seven five the fan.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
This is instant replay today. One query in company.
Speaker 5 (08:15):
Welcome back. It's Greg Rexstraw filling in for j.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Querry.
Speaker 8 (08:17):
It's Querry and Company here on ninety three to five
and one oh seven five to the fan. You know,
it's been a minute since I've done much in the
way of interviews in terms of Indiana University football players.
But obviously the story over the last couple of years
has been fascinating and it continues in a positive light.
Given a remarkable drive, a remarkable pair of toe taps.
(08:38):
I have been a Sunday catch, just a Saturday catch
made by Omar Cooper, but a big part of the
Indiana Hoosiers success this season in his second year with
the program. He's now finishing up five years playing for
Kurt Signetty three at JMU and now two in Bloomington.
It is Kaylon Black that joins us, now Kaylon ten
and zero Man. Congratulations. I know all of us in
(09:00):
Indiana are still just kind of jaw dropped at how
successful this program has become. What has this fifteen to
eighteen month ride been like for you since get his
stepping foot in Bloomington, It's.
Speaker 9 (09:14):
Definitely been great. Man, just from the beginning, just Ko
Sig establishing who he is as a coach and just
trying to get guys to buy into the system, his
winning culture and his winning ways and then the same
things changed month by month. Has been great to be
a part of. And just now we're at this point
today where we're just winning out the close games and
(09:34):
Klawn and fighting as a team.
Speaker 8 (09:35):
Well obviously we touched on this off the start. This
is not year two with coach sig with you, this
is year five. What drew you to him and James
Madison back in twenty nineteen, twenty twenty.
Speaker 9 (09:50):
Definitely his winning ways, man, and just knowing that he
has a great staff around him, a lot of guys
that are bought in, everyone wants to win, and just
you can learn from the players, well, a lot of
great players. Those guys that's going to help me get
to the point that I'm at today.
Speaker 8 (10:05):
By the way, does it sink in that you've now
been doing this for I said five years, really been
six five and a half years that you've been playing
college football? Does it seem like forever ago when you
were making that decision?
Speaker 9 (10:16):
Man?
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Sometimes it does.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
Man.
Speaker 9 (10:18):
Then I realized I'm like, man, like, yeah, I don't
even know what to say, Like sometimes I don't even
really like understand how long I've really been playing football
in college.
Speaker 8 (10:29):
Well, Kaylon does not already have his bachelor's degree, So
he has you taking that time and put it to
good use. When you made the move from Virginia to Indiana,
did what sort of goals did you set for yourself?
What sort of success did you think was possibly out
there for you and those other guys that made the
move from JMU to Bloomington.
Speaker 9 (10:50):
Definitely our goals was to establish ourselves on this level
because you know, coming from the G five and also
SCS while Jamie was SCS, you know, you get looked
at differently by the guys in the P fours sometimes,
So we just wanted to come in and like let
people know, like, hey, we can play football regardless of
the level. Like we put in the same type of
(11:12):
time that you do, and we we also put in
that same grind and just coming from the program that
coach a built at James Madison, coming here kind of
made it easier, just like in terms of just knowing
the system and helping other people and get on the
same page. So it's just it's definitely been like a
pleasure just to even be here again.
Speaker 8 (11:31):
Kaylon Black is our guest. Greg Raiks run for j Query.
It's only three to five and one seven to five.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
The fan.
Speaker 8 (11:38):
You know, almost all of us just kind of expected
almost a little bit of regression on the team this year,
not because you guys are going to do wrong, because
we thought this is Indiana it can't be this good again,
and now seemingly it is even better. What was your
guys mindset going into the off season to make sure
(11:58):
that twenty twenty was even better than twenty twenty four.
Speaker 9 (12:04):
Definitely just learning from our mistakes from twenty twenty four,
taking those and applying applying pressure to our team, and
just making sure like, hey, guys, like we have the
talent and we have the means to be able to
reach the goals that we want to reach, and we
just have to go out there and work hard every
single day to get to where we want to get to.
And Kosieka's done a great job of instilling that want
(12:26):
to with that fast, physical and relivelessness that we have
to have to be great.
Speaker 8 (12:31):
Well, the thing is, you didn't make that many mistakes
last year, just so you know, I mean, the two
teams you lost too played in the National Championship Game.
But kind of to that point, how do you feel
you're a better football team this year than you were
a year ago?
Speaker 9 (12:45):
Pretty much in all phases, honestly, Like we just we
reloaded and we were able to, like like I said,
learn from our mistakes from the year before, and we
just watched the film and make those corrections and practice
hard every single day, and we just have that high
expectation just to be great.
Speaker 8 (13:01):
One of the things that strikes me in watching the
way you play on both sides of the football is
that it is such a physical brand of football, and
that is something that you feel that can travel whether
you're playing in front of fifty thousand of your fans
or playing in front of one hundred thousand of the
other guys fans as you are on Saturday. That level
(13:22):
of physicality, what sort of work do you guys put in,
if not twenty four seven, three sixty five, then literally
twelve months a year to ensure that you can go
out and do that on a given Saturday afternoon.
Speaker 9 (13:37):
We are blessed to have a great strengths coach and
a strength staff like we do with DoD leader being
Dereck Goins. Just the things that we do in the
off season, speed work and just different things that help
us to stay physical in get us stronger, and get
us faster, and help us be more agile. Is just
those things carry over over time, and he also wants
(13:57):
to make sure that we're also mobile at the same
time and never getting too stiff, and they just do
a great job with us, and it just carries on
over from months to month, and that's just how we
get physical.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
All right.
Speaker 5 (14:08):
With that?
Speaker 8 (14:09):
What's going through your mind with a minute fifty one
left to go as you take to the field, you're
down four, You're trying to keep that perfect season going,
and you're eighty yards away from the house. Kind Of
where's your headspace at as that drives about to start.
Speaker 9 (14:26):
Making sure that we're as calm as possible. These are
the things that we work on in practice all the time.
The two minute drill that we always do different situations,
whether it's a minute left, forty five seconds, a minute twenty,
a minute fifty one, just making sure that we've been
in these situations before and we felt like we were
prepared for the moment and we were able to see
(14:46):
the moment as we went out on the field and
put it.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
All together again.
Speaker 8 (14:51):
Obviously, you've got a different view than all of us
do in terms of having that sideline camera as to
see Omar make the play that he did to ensure
that that touchdown stood. What was it like watching that
happen from field level and going, oh my goodness, he
actually got both feet down.
Speaker 9 (15:10):
Man, so I was actually blocking. And the next thing,
you know, like I just see the ball get.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
Thrown and I see him catch it.
Speaker 9 (15:18):
And at first I didn't know if he had got
his footing bowns, but as I see the rev hold
his hands up, I'm like, yes, like like we needed that,
and in that moment it was just like the biggest
like sign of release because like, of course, like it's
a it's an intense situation, but at the same time,
like that man just made a great catch and it
was just crazy to see.
Speaker 8 (15:41):
I was gonna say when you back in, when you
went back and saw the footage, and obviously these days
that means when you're checking social media when you're on
your phone after the game, then what was it like
watching the acrobatics he pulled off in mid air to
make that happen.
Speaker 9 (15:54):
It was amazing, Like every single page posted it, so
you couldn't.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Scroll without seeing it.
Speaker 9 (16:00):
But it was just like every time I've seen it,
I just had to smile more and more out of
amazement because it's just like I don't think I've ever seen,
like with my two eyes on the same field, anything
like that in my life.
Speaker 8 (16:12):
All right, You and rowand Hemy are almost identical in
terms of yards. He's had just a handful of more
carries than you. What's it been like sharing kind of
the load with him this year for this football team?
Speaker 9 (16:25):
And it's been great.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Man.
Speaker 9 (16:26):
Me and Rome, like we're close, and we just push
each other to go hard east and every single day,
and even with Kobe and Slim and we all push
each other to just be as best as we can
for each other and for the team. Regardless of us
just splinning cares anything like that. We just go out
there and do what we can and make sure that
we were helping a team.
Speaker 8 (16:46):
A couple quick things and then we'll let you go again.
Kaylon Black is our guest. Greg Reichs run for j
Query ninety three to five and one O seven to
five of the Fan. If you play your cards right,
this Saturday at home against Wisconsin is the last time
that you get to play. In other words, if you
do your job, you know you're in the college football playoff,
but you're also kind of seated to a point where
you don't get a home game. You're gonna be playing
(17:08):
in a traditional bowl game come New Year's Ever. On
January the first. So if this weekend is the last time,
after two years, you get to play a home game
in Bloomington, what has this temporary home meant to you?
Speaker 9 (17:21):
It means a lot, like this is somewhere that has
helped me to elevate my game to hypes that I
needed to reach, and I feel like being on this level,
being at this program, it will never leave and it
will always have a place in my heart.
Speaker 8 (17:36):
Again, Kaylon Black, our guests, all right, so you're pretty
busy with what's coming up here in the immediate future
for your football team. Do you let your mind drift
towards playing Sunday football next year? Is that at all
on your radar or will that kind of take care
of itself once whatever happens for you guys in January happens.
Speaker 9 (17:59):
Right now, it's all about just trying to win this
game on Saturday and then the game the following week.
But of course, like being a competitor that I am,
you always have that thought in the back of your
mind of playing on Sundays, but you always have to
stay stay focused and pay attention to what's in front
of you and.
Speaker 8 (18:17):
The fin thing before we let you go and again
you've now been here for the last year and a
half two years, but Virginia Beach, Virginia's is Where's home
for Kaylon? In case you don't know, what has it
been like to kind of see reaction people like me
that are just like, we've never seen this Indiana football.
I'm almost fifty years old. I remember when days were
pretty good in the late eighties, early nineties. It has
(18:38):
never been like this. And my guess is you hear
stories from people like this all of the freaking time
around campus, around Bloomington, etc. So as a guy for
kind of from the outside looking in, what's it like
to hear from so many Indiana people just want to
say thank you for doing this? What is it like
kind of living life through that prism right now?
Speaker 9 (18:59):
Man, we appreciate it. We take it all in because,
like you said, like if it was that long, I
wouldn't have known beforehand. But I just love the appreciation
from the town. Bloomington is a great place to live
and the support is going crazy. I know it's always
been a basketball school, but now that we've turned the
tide of the football program, everyone is coming out and
(19:21):
they're showing their love and support for us.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
So it's great to be a part of.
Speaker 8 (19:25):
Again, it's been an amazing ride to watch. I can't
I couldn't imagine it'd be like to be a part
of it, to be driving the roller coaster the way
that you are, keep it climbing up. We appreciate your time,
good luck on Saturday against Wisconsin.
Speaker 5 (19:37):
Thank you.
Speaker 8 (19:38):
Really enjoyed my conversation with Kaylen Black. And again thanks
to Greg Campbell, Jeff Keg the folks maya media relations
making that happen so you could hear about this story.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
It's the best of the best from today's broadcast lineup.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
Instead, replay continues in a moment on ninety three five
and one oh seven five the Fan. This is instant
replay earlier.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
This afternoon on the Ride with JMV.
Speaker 10 (20:17):
Zach Austamana the Star joins us covering IU athletics episode.
Speaker 5 (20:21):
Is okay with you.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
I can't complain about clubs.
Speaker 11 (20:24):
I got kids to put to bed tonight, I got
miles to go still before.
Speaker 10 (20:28):
So yeah, you've done the Coaches Show. Don Fisher's going
to join us, I think before the Coaches Show coming
up later off the night. In the five o'clock hour.
You know, the one thing. I'll start with the IU
basketball because they played in one against Milwaukee last night,
one on Sunday in Chicago against Marquette. I had Tucker
divreson with me on Monday, and we were talking about
just how connected this group looks, all new, but connected
(20:52):
so early in the season.
Speaker 5 (20:53):
That to me is very unusual.
Speaker 10 (20:55):
I think speaks volumes about how things are going with
that program right now.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Yeah, I think that was the question.
Speaker 11 (21:01):
I think that the fundamental question about this roster, before
you got into scheme, before you got into you know,
the offensive sets, the defensive looks.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
There's so much experience in this group.
Speaker 11 (21:10):
I mean I joke to somebody they've played a thousand games,
and then I realized they might have actually played a
thousand games between all of them because of how much
raw basketball has been played, but obviously not together. And
the question is how quickly could you get all that
individual experience, all that individual talent, you know, connected and
blended into a group that flows well, that shows that chemistry.
(21:32):
And I think the answer is very quickly.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
Now.
Speaker 11 (21:34):
The summer helped all those practices, the games in Puerto Rico,
Darren Devriez talked about you know, we.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
We we were on the beach the morning of games.
Speaker 11 (21:41):
We weren't shorting on the chemistry piece, the team bonding piece,
just to just win games in August, it didn't matter.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
But I think you can see the connection that this
group has.
Speaker 11 (21:52):
I mean, like it's a little bit tongue in cheek,
but not totally. Two games and three now you've seen
an value abo off the backboard. You know, that is
a team that is in in sync.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
That is a team that.
Speaker 11 (22:01):
Is playing instinctively together and has bought into the idea
that if we all trust the collective, the best is
going to come for everybody.
Speaker 5 (22:08):
Hey, Zach, you know what's interesting.
Speaker 10 (22:10):
I talked to Tucker on Monday and I said, I
just think they look like and this is why I
think you get the ultimate cohesion with a group is
where nobody's really thinking, everybody's just reacting and man. Normally
that is later in the season February and certainly in March.
Speaker 5 (22:27):
But to have that with this new group, you know,
veteran group or not, is fairly unusual.
Speaker 11 (22:32):
I think, Yeah, I think it's that is a trust
that has been built quickly. You know, Taton Connorway I
think said last night something the effect of, we know
we can pass up a good shot because if we
keep moving, we'll get.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
A great one.
Speaker 11 (22:45):
I talked to Darren DeVries kind of briefly after the game,
and he said, you know, he was kind.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
Of saying, hey, it's best laid plans.
Speaker 11 (22:51):
But back in the spring, we were looking for guys
who were talking to us about wanting to win, not
guys who are talking to us about wanting this role
or that role, but just saying I've got one year left,
two years left, I want to win, I want i'm
I want to come here because I want to win games.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
And it's easy to say that.
Speaker 11 (23:05):
Right every coach would love to make it almost just
kind of something you can bottle and sell, getting that
intersection of talent and chemistry so quickly. But with this group,
and I think it's also maybe the experience leads to
a lot of smart plays, which is it's really easy
to trust your teammates when you see them not making mistakes.
When you say, if I keep this ball moving, they'll
(23:26):
move it to They won't be selfish, or they won't
throw it away, they won't commit turnovers, they won't make
you know, they won't.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Commit unforced errors. It's really easy for.
Speaker 11 (23:34):
Everybody to buy in when everyone sees the collective kind
of working that way. And then I think the other
thing that, you know, we'll see where this season goes.
But when we when we get deep into the season
and we are trying to tell kind of the wider
story of it, I do wonder if we talk a
little bit about those games in Puerto Rico where they're
down twenty points and they've got to pull together, and
it would be really easy to say, hey, we don't
(23:55):
need to win tonight.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
You know, we're like the coach.
Speaker 11 (23:57):
Has even made it clear it's it's not just about
the games down here, but every one of those games
you could see them pull together. You could see them
sort of take on the physical challenge, the athletic challenge,
and so maybe that contributes to.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
It as well.
Speaker 10 (24:10):
That's Zach Awesome, one of the star covers IU Athletics.
We're talking about basketball last night. How about football coming
up on Saturday Senior Day against Wisconsin at noon?
Speaker 5 (24:20):
And I think the most often asked question of the.
Speaker 10 (24:22):
Past I don't know six or so hours for me
is Mac Rhodes and that defection deciding to leave his
post regarding the playoffs as the chair. Does that have
any profound effect in your estimation moving forward for a
team like you.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
No, I don't think so, at least not for the moment.
Speaker 11 (24:42):
You know, there's been this big debate this week about
Indiana versus Texas A and M and where all that fits.
I've said to a lot of people, I think that
matters a lot more for Texas A and M than
it does for Indiana, because if those two teams wind
up number three in the rankings after conference championship weekend,
who versus number three? I believe gets the Cotton Bowl
Because technically I think Bloomington is a little closer to
(25:03):
Dallas than it is Miami. That's obviously much more important
for Texas A and M. They like the Cotton Bowl
means something to A and M. If you're Indiana, it's
probably six and one half dozen if you want, if
you lose the Big Ten title game, the Cotton Bowl
versus the Orange Bowl for one of the other two quarterfinals.
You know, we obviously don't know what mac Rhodes was
contributing to discussion.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
Was he pro Indiana. Was he pro Texas A and M.
Speaker 11 (25:27):
Who knows, But I think really, as long as Indiana
keeps winning, at least in the way the Committee has
treated them so far, I think it's almost more than
The Committee just sees Indiana as basically part of a
group of teams at the top end of the rank,
firmly in control of their destiny, even if they were
to lose the Bigden Championship game, provided you know Rhodes
did say Tuesday night, a heavy loss in a championship
(25:49):
game would have to enter into the committee's thinking. But
if Indiana goes to Indianapolis twelve to zero and loses
twenty one to seventeen, I don't think the Committees dropping
Indiana out of the top five.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
And again, at that point, you're.
Speaker 11 (26:01):
Not really worried about where are we relative to Texas
A and M, because you're both probably in by situations
no matter what.
Speaker 5 (26:09):
Yeah, it's funny.
Speaker 10 (26:10):
I know that he was asked this by Fox before
the game last week about you know, going to Penn
State never winning there, and his response was, you know
this group has never played here, and you know, now
we got to be ready or whatever you think they
ever consider the fact, and not recently, but in the past,
just the ass weapons and the running up the school
the Wisconsin's football program has put on this one.
Speaker 5 (26:31):
I mean, they go through anybody's mind here.
Speaker 10 (26:34):
Maybe it does with the older school people that were
here prior to Kurt, I guess, but to me it
does because I'm thinking about I want to see him
running up coming up on Saturday.
Speaker 11 (26:43):
Yeah, I mean listen, I would be stunned if there's
not somebody in that department that remembers eighty three to
twenty or.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
Something, maybe the ad, Yeah, sixty two to fourteen.
Speaker 11 (26:54):
I don't think Kurt Signetti thinks about it really that way.
I mean, truthfully, I've kind of banged this from this season.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
I don't think he's been running scores up.
Speaker 11 (27:01):
He was last year, and you know, Indiana can can
claim that, they can deny it. Indiana was running scores
up last year. When they're running a fake punt on
fourth down up thirty eight to nothing in the bucket game,
you're trying to score as many as you can. But
you're doing that because last year, if you're Kurt Signetti,
you know we don't have the quality wins that other
playoff contenders have. The way we prove our worth to
(27:23):
the committee is by winning these games so impressively this year.
I mean, for Nana Mendoza in the six games that
were not in doubt in the fourth quarter, he's throwing
nine passes. Mind Indiana is not running the score up,
They're simply just running the ball and that's still yielding touchdowns.
I don't think Kurt Signetti is thinking about these games
that way, but you are kind of maybe at the
(27:45):
time of year where if you can build a little rhythm,
it doesn't hurt, if that makes sense, whether it's a quarterback,
whether it's offensive line play. We've seen some players have
to step in because of injuries. If a young guy
gets a few more reps, that can't hurt. Or maybe
at that time of year where you're thinking a little
bit about, you know, limiting snapcounts.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
For some guys, but also looking at some guys.
Speaker 11 (28:05):
That saying wouldn't help if he got a few more Here,
while we still have a little bit of runway before
the championship game.
Speaker 10 (28:10):
Injury situations coming up for Saturday, return still not go
to return.
Speaker 5 (28:14):
What are we looking at here?
Speaker 11 (28:16):
Aiden Fisher was back at the pistate game, by all accounts,
came through fine.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
You had to.
Speaker 5 (28:20):
You almost have to like lock that guy down, not
for him to go out time.
Speaker 11 (28:24):
Elijah Surrat is very day to day, and I think
that's one especially with a hamstring, because we you know,
anybody who's watched football knows all it takes is one
moment and you can really aggravate something like that. This
is a game that you should feel like you can
win without Elijah Surrat if you don't need to. Now,
it's not gonna be a cold on Saturday, which consideration
muscle injur.
Speaker 2 (28:46):
Warm loose up. Youah. By the other side of this,
the two.
Speaker 11 (28:51):
Game on a Friday night, so that's a slightly compressed week.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
You know this is this is just an educated guest.
Speaker 11 (28:57):
I wouldn't be shocked if they still play it safe
with Surrat. Drew Evans, we will not see Kurtzgetti has
made it clear to left guard we're not going to
see him for a while. Seems like it's either gonna
be Zen Mahalski or adding Amla Johnny, who's the young player,
the red shirt freshman from Speedway in that spot.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
But Sarat, as you.
Speaker 11 (29:13):
Said, is the big one where I think we're all
going to be watching closely. How much is he warming up,
what parts of warm up is he participating with or
participating in, etc.
Speaker 10 (29:23):
So Zach Austaman of The Star is joining us as well.
So in closing Mendoza Heisman Trophy race right now, where
would you covering this team slot him compared to those
from other schools at this point of the season.
Speaker 11 (29:39):
Yeah, I think he's as much of a front runner
as anyone. And you know, one of the flaws of
the Heisman, admittedly, is that it does sometimes kind of
become a bit narrative driven, Like we get to a
point where we decide it's clearly got to be this player,
It's clearly got to be these players. One of the
narratives I think it's fair to say it's built around
the Heisman Trophy this year has been that the Big
(29:59):
Ten Champions Game is kind of going to be the decider.
It's going to be the moment that splits Julian saying
in f Nanda Mendoza, I still think Diego Pavi has
got something to say about it. I still think ty
Simpson's got something to say there. I don't think It's
fair that Jeremiah Smith doesn't seem to be as involved
as he is because he might be the best peer
player in the country. But it seems hard for me
to see him getting into that race. I do think it, though,
(30:21):
it feels like saying Julian saying in Ohio State on
one side, who has unknihably got more metrics on his side,
efficiency on his side. Nana Mendoza, whose numbers are still
really good. He still leads the country in total touchdowns
or at least the Power four. He's second only to
say In in passer rating. He's top ten in a
whole bunch of the categories you'd want to be top
ten in. But he also has the moments, you know,
(30:41):
I think the number on those three game winning drives
at Iowa, at Oregon at Penn State is twelve of
twenty twelve of nineteen, if you don't count the spike
two hundred and fifteen yards and three touchdowns.
Speaker 2 (30:50):
It's not Saying's fault that he hasn't played in those games.
Speaker 11 (30:52):
Ohio State just hasn't played the same schedule. But Heisman
voters do remember moments. That is, you know, people rolling
their eyes at the Gus Johnson, give them Heisman now
will listen. The reason Gus Johnson says that is because
he knows Heisman voters. They see numbers, but they also
remember moments, and for Nanda Mendoza has those on his
resume in a way that, at least for the moment,
Julian Sayin does not. I would argue, and I think
(31:13):
the sports books more or less have him.
Speaker 2 (31:15):
Neck and neck.
Speaker 11 (31:16):
I would argue, that's probably about where they are and
whether it's fair on a Ty Simpson, a Diego Pavia,
a Jeremiah Smith anybody else. I would not be shocked
if we do wind up in a place. Heisman votes
are due two days after Championship weekend Championship Saturday, specifically,
I would not be shocked if a lot of people
are waiting to watch that Big Ten Championship game on
Saturday night before having their vote in on Monday.
Speaker 5 (31:36):
I'm not trying to send anybody to your house.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
Where do you live around here? We live down south.
We actually live out in the county like work.
Speaker 5 (31:43):
Oh did you like smith Ville?
Speaker 2 (31:45):
You live down there?
Speaker 3 (31:45):
Uh?
Speaker 2 (31:46):
Not quite that far?
Speaker 5 (31:47):
Oh okay, I got you. So there's Eric Deezer.
Speaker 10 (31:50):
It's a very incredibly famous home follow right there, bids
in the house at the upstairs probably man, thanks for
coming out, Thanks for having much for a while.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
I got for an interview.
Speaker 5 (32:02):
That's awesome Zach Awesomer at the Star.
Speaker 10 (32:04):
We only him a great deal because he always comes
on and he's a good dude.
Speaker 5 (32:07):
Upstairs Bop is our location today. Thank you Zach for
stopping by.
Speaker 1 (32:12):
Thanks again for listening to Instant Replay, because second helpings
are always best when the main course is still fresh.
Instant Replay on ninety three five and one oh seven
five The Fan
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