‘We’re not leaving anything on the table’: Black, Hemby anchor Indiana’s tight-knit backfield
- Josh Pos
- Jan 7, 2026 8:10 am
Ahead of last season’s Nebraska game, Kaelon Black gave Indiana’s running back room a fitting nickname: the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Black cast himself as the feisty Raphael, with Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton filling the roles of Leonardo and Michelangelo, a trio that powered Indiana’s ground game.
A year later, despite turnover in the room, Black insists the identity hasn’t changed.
“I could say that we’re probably the same,” Black said. “I feel like our camaraderie is great in our room. We always laugh and joke around together.”
That continuity shows up daily on the practice field.
At practice, Ellison roams around, but gravitates towards his former position group. He’s all smiles like he was in pads last year, then turns into a coach and mentor on a dime.
“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,” Black said. “We can all do that at any given point.”
“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,” Hemby added.
The production Black and Hemby have delivered through an undefeated 14-game stretch has matched, if not surpassed, last season’s output. Indiana’s ground attack ranks 11th nationally, averaging 214.8 rushing yards per game.
Even in passing downs, Indiana offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan dials up run plays that more often than not are successful.
In the second quarter of the team’s 38-3 beatdown of Alabama in the Rose Bowl, Indiana was 1st & 20 after a holding penalty. Hemby got the ball on the ensuing play and rushed 21 yards for a first down. It shifted momentum, ultimately resulting in a touchdown a few plays later.
It’s being trusted in abnormal situations that not only builds confidence in the running back room, but also boosts trust in the five-plus blockers in front.
“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 helps us as an offense,” Hemby said. “It helps us to keep moving forward and moving the chains, because that helps us to get points.”
They share similar stats through 14 games, too. Hemby rushed for 1,008 on 194 carries while Black accumulated 898 on 157 touches. Despite fewer opportunities, Black has one more touchdown (8) than Hemby (7).
It appears as if the two seniors are fighting for snaps, but they don’t see it that way. Everything they do on and off the field is for the betterment of the Hoosiers’ offense.
“I feel like when it comes to me and Rom, I don’t want to call it a competition,” Black said. “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.”
Throughout the season, Indiana has made its name by breaking its opponents’ will in the second half. Every week, Cignetti identifies a particular play that led to a change in physicality on the other sideline.
Last week, Black and Hemby played a pivotal role in solidifying Alabama’s fate. Both evaded would-be tacklers en route to fourth-quarter touchdown rushes of 18 and 25 yards, respectively.
“We take a lot of pride in breaking an opponent’s will,” Black said. “That’s something we preach in practice as running backs: get our feet planted in the ground, get vertical.”
As the College Football Playoff semifinal against Oregon looms, Indiana continues to combat complacency.
The rematch with the Ducks gives the two running backs a chance to one-up their outing in Autzen. The duo combined for 101 yards on 26 carries, including Hemby’s two touchdowns.
As in the first meeting between the Big Ten heavyweights, Friday night’s outcome will be decided in the trenches — a challenge the Hoosiers embrace as they chase the program’s first national championship.
For the senior running backs, it’s simply another chance to prove themselves on the national stage.
“We’re in the stretch to where we want to go win a national championship,” Hemby said. “We’re not really leaving anything on the table.”
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