Indiana University Athletics
Quoted: Isaiah Jones & Carter Smith
10/13/2026 7:00:00 PM | Football
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –––– As Indiana Football's Week 7 matchup against No. 4/5 Ohio State on Saturday (Oct. 17) approaches, fifth year student-athletes Isaiah Jones and Carter Smith addressed the media inside the Don Croftcheck Football Team Room on Tuesday (October 13).
Below is a partial transcript of the press conference, while video of the media sessions can be found on the right sidebar at IUHoosiers.com.
On his dad playing at Ohio State and what the conversations have been like ahead of the game…
IJ: Yeah, no, my dad is like my biggest supporter. So, he's all IU. He's all in on, you know, my success and he had his time there and obviously growing up in Ohio, but no, he's all in, he's all in on me. He's interested in our game plan. Like, he wants nothing but the best for us and the Hoosiers.
On if big hits on key plays help amp him up…
IJ: Yeah, I mean, you're just trying to, you know, give the defense some life and give them, you know, some excitement and anyone makes a big play. You know, guys feed off that, whether, you know, if Ro makes a big play, I'm going to feed off it. You know, anyone on defense makes a big play. The other defensive players feed off, so you need those kind of plays. especially when you're in a way crowd. You know, they have the 90,000 plus, um, breathing on your neck, so when you can, you know, silence the crowd on, make a big play like that, it helps for our momentum. ?
On Tobi Osunsanmi's sack on 4th and 11 to seal the win…
IJ: Yeah, we knew it was going to come down to the defense. They were going to probably get the ball back and they're only down three, so it's not, you know, they don't need a touchdown. They need to get within field goal range. So, for us, you know, if we can go out, sacks are huge, you know, whether it's on fourth down end the game or not, but you're setting them back on the sticks. You know that they have to start pushing the ball down the field.
And we know we go out and get a stop, we're going to walk away with that game. So, um, I mean, we're on the side talking like, hey, it's on us. You know, it's on us. Offense at their point. They're part. They came back, got the points we needed. So, it's on us to go out there and, you know, finish the game out, so... And he went out there and did it. ?
On this being called the biggest home game in IU football history…
CS: It means everything to us. We pour our hearts and souls into this, and we want to give the town something special to remember. But at the end of the day, we always have to treat every game like it's just the next one. So we're just playing Ohio State this week, and that's all there is to it.
On why IU is so good at limiting penalties under Cignetti…
CS: Whenever the staff is up there, we usually get our grade sheets, and Coach Cig is going to say, "Hey, fix this. This is going to be called on Saturday." They put a little special attention into that when they break down the practice film, and that's something we know as players we need to clean up too. Staying still before the snap, holding your water, keeping your hands inside so you don't get a jersey tug and a flag thrown. It's all in the little things.
On whether beating Ohio State last year carries over…
CS: That's something Coach Cig has been preaching all year. He's trying to kill all the complacency from last year, and that carries over even into today. That's something we as players also have to do. Last year's last year, and we're full throttle onto this week.
Below is a partial transcript of the press conference, while video of the media sessions can be found on the right sidebar at IUHoosiers.com.
On his dad playing at Ohio State and what the conversations have been like ahead of the game…
IJ: Yeah, no, my dad is like my biggest supporter. So, he's all IU. He's all in on, you know, my success and he had his time there and obviously growing up in Ohio, but no, he's all in, he's all in on me. He's interested in our game plan. Like, he wants nothing but the best for us and the Hoosiers.
On if big hits on key plays help amp him up…
IJ: Yeah, I mean, you're just trying to, you know, give the defense some life and give them, you know, some excitement and anyone makes a big play. You know, guys feed off that, whether, you know, if Ro makes a big play, I'm going to feed off it. You know, anyone on defense makes a big play. The other defensive players feed off, so you need those kind of plays. especially when you're in a way crowd. You know, they have the 90,000 plus, um, breathing on your neck, so when you can, you know, silence the crowd on, make a big play like that, it helps for our momentum. ?
On Tobi Osunsanmi's sack on 4th and 11 to seal the win…
IJ: Yeah, we knew it was going to come down to the defense. They were going to probably get the ball back and they're only down three, so it's not, you know, they don't need a touchdown. They need to get within field goal range. So, for us, you know, if we can go out, sacks are huge, you know, whether it's on fourth down end the game or not, but you're setting them back on the sticks. You know that they have to start pushing the ball down the field.
And we know we go out and get a stop, we're going to walk away with that game. So, um, I mean, we're on the side talking like, hey, it's on us. You know, it's on us. Offense at their point. They're part. They came back, got the points we needed. So, it's on us to go out there and, you know, finish the game out, so... And he went out there and did it. ?
On this being called the biggest home game in IU football history…
CS: It means everything to us. We pour our hearts and souls into this, and we want to give the town something special to remember. But at the end of the day, we always have to treat every game like it's just the next one. So we're just playing Ohio State this week, and that's all there is to it.
On why IU is so good at limiting penalties under Cignetti…
CS: Whenever the staff is up there, we usually get our grade sheets, and Coach Cig is going to say, "Hey, fix this. This is going to be called on Saturday." They put a little special attention into that when they break down the practice film, and that's something we know as players we need to clean up too. Staying still before the snap, holding your water, keeping your hands inside so you don't get a jersey tug and a flag thrown. It's all in the little things.
On whether beating Ohio State last year carries over…
CS: That's something Coach Cig has been preaching all year. He's trying to kill all the complacency from last year, and that carries over even into today. That's something we as players also have to do. Last year's last year, and we're full throttle onto this week.
#NeverDaunted
Players Mentioned
Tuesday, October 13
Tuesday, October 13
Tuesday, October 13
Monday, October 12