IU football’s veterans aren’t changing the recipe as national title defense begins

• Zach Horwitz

• 1h ago

 

Carter Smith and Isaiah Jones remember a much different version of Indiana football.

They remember an Indiana team that needed four overtimes to escape Akron at Memorial Stadium. Jones remembers a small group of fans moving from one empty end zone to the other as the overtimes continued. Smith called it a “dark day.”

Three years later, both are preparing for their final season opener in Bloomington with Indiana coming off a national championship and season tickets sold out.

But as the Hoosiers prepare to begin the 2026 season Saturday against North Texas, neither Smith, Jones, nor defensive lineman Tyrique Tucker believes anything about Indiana’s approach should change.

“The recipe is the recipe,” Tucker said Tuesday. “We have to handle everything we have to handle and do what we have to do this week and prepare the right way. And ultimately, the next opponent is our best opponent.”

That mentality was echoed throughout Indiana’s final player media availability before the season begins.

Jones said Indiana attacked each week with a “championship mindset” before it ever became a national champion. Smith acknowledged the opener feels slightly different personally because he hasn’t played since the national championship game, but his focus quickly returned to North Texas.

“The main thing is the main thing,” Smith said. “We’re keeping everything the same approach from one week at a time. And all we have to do is beat North Texas and then we’re on the next one.”

For Smith and Jones, maintaining that mindset comes with a unique perspective.

Both have been around long enough to see Indiana before Curt Cignetti transformed the program. The Hoosiers’ four-overtime win against Akron in September 2023 served as the reference point for each when asked Tuesday about how far the program has come.

Jones remembers the lack of fans. Now, Indiana enters a season with expectations unlike anything the program faced when he arrived.

“I’ve seen it when there’s been no one in the stands,” Jones said. “So where it’s at now, that is truly something that means a lot to me, seeing where it was before.”

Smith has a similar appreciation for the transformation, even if he doesn’t spend much time looking back.

“It makes me feel like I’ve been embedded in this culture,” Smith said. “And I want to lead as much as I can and show by example that that’s not a place that we want to be at anymore.”

Leadership from players like Smith, Jones and Tucker will be especially important for an Indiana roster integrating another collection of transfers and younger players.

Smith said one of the biggest lessons newcomers have to understand is that nobody cares how they feel when practice gets difficult. Jones described Cignetti’s approach similarly, where the head coach respects players’ time, but when they are inside the building, they are expected to work.

Tucker believes the veterans’ responsibility is simpler than it is to explain.

They have to demonstrate it.

“It’s how you carry yourself every day and the work you put in,” Tucker said. “It really speaks for itself.”

That process has continued throughout fall camp, where Indiana’s offense and defense have spent weeks competing against each other without knowing exactly how good either side will be against someone else.

Smith said the offensive line has been tested daily by a talented defensive front, specifically mentioning Kansas State transfers Chiddi Obiazor and Tobi Osunsanmi along with Tucker and Mario Landino.

Jones, meanwhile, came away impressed by an Indiana offense led by TCU transfer quarterback Josh Hoover.

“He’s very comfortable in the pocket,” Jones said. “We give him a lot of stuff to look at on defense, coverage-wise and blitz-wise. And he’s comfortable in the pocket and he can stay in there and make the throw.”

Smith similarly praised Hoover’s growth as a leader and said the quarterback made several impressive deep-ball completions during camp.

Still, both sides understand that evaluations made against teammates only go so far.

“You kind of get ideas of what we have,” Tucker said. “But ultimately, though, the work always speaks for itself.”

Saturday finally provides the opportunity to find out.

For Indiana’s veterans, it also represents the beginning of one final season together in Bloomington. Smith admitted there will eventually be time to appreciate the journey and everything that has changed around the program.

Just not before kickoff.

Asked whether he planned to take in the atmosphere before his final season opener at Memorial Stadium, Smith’s answer lasted just six words.

“It’s all game action, all game action.”

The Hoosiers will open the 2026 season at Noon ET on Sept. 5 when North Texas visits Memorial Stadium.

(Photo credit: IU Athletics)

See More: Football