Hi, you doing everybody.

I'm Ted Bikoff and welcome to the Pigs post game live.

Indiana fifty five to ten winners at Maryland in another game, it was just a straight up beat down by the Hoosiers that was exciting to watch because you're an Indiana fan, and if you're not an Indiana fan, well then why are you listening to this?

So eight one, two, three, nine three, twenty six hundred is the number.

Obviously, I am a little bit dressed up like Charlie Brown because it's Halloween, and Halloween is the Christmas a Holidays in my world and I love him.

And we're here live at Halloween party with a former Collin Shoe host to himself, John Decker, a regular caller to the show.

Iroan Decker will be joining us on Mike and we want to hear from you.

Eight one two twenty six hundred is the number.

Indiana fifty five to ten winners.

Let me know on the on the chat if you could hear me.

Okay, hopefully you can and you will get rolling Indiana on the day.

Five hundred and eighty eight yards of total offense, three hundred and sixty seven yards rushing let's just break it down like this.

Kaylon Black fourteen carries one hundred and ten yards in a touchdown.

Roman to mb eighteen carries eighty eight yards and a touchdown.

Kobe Martin eleven carries eighty yards and a touchdown.

Alberto Mendoza one carry for fifty three yards, Fernando Mendoza four carries for twenty four yards.

What do I mention all of those guys because all of them ran for more yards than Maryland's leading rusher, who carried the ball four times for twelve yards.

Maryland on the day seventeen carries for a total of thirty seven yards.

Indiana have one big play that they gave up a bust that was a long touchdown.

For this the seventh offensive touchdown that they have allowed on the season.

And in the post game, Sig said that he was very there's plenty to clean up, to say the least.

He also said that there were no major injuries coming out of this thing as well, and so that's a positive obviously as well.

Eight one, two, three, nine, three, twenty six hundred is the number.

Please join us, and you know, well well what we want to hear from you, because this is an Indiana team that is deserves every every everything they get.

This defense has been absolutely incredible, held Maryland to under three hundred yards of total offense, almost all of that through the air.

They were one dimensional on the day.

And you know it just back to this one thing from sig that we play all the time on here.

Yeah, it's pretty simple.

I win Google me, just that simple.

Eight one, two, three, nine three, twenty six hundred lines are open.

We want to hear from you again.

We're going to have some guests here.

Ryan, if you want to come on here and jump on here right now, please do, please do.

We're going to be joined here by Ryan Decker.

Michelle says on the chat, I had no idea you were Charlie Brown's twin easiest costume in the world right now.

Plus Charlie Brown is really great as well.

We are joined by Ryan Decker, who is a regular caller to the show.

Right here.

Ryan, you know you're obviously somebody who is calls in the show, pays attention very closely to the Hoosiers, and you know your football too, So just your thoughts on the game and how everything played out today.

Yeah, I mean I thought a real big takeaway for this one for me is defense is just incredible, right.

I mean, you gotta look even started the game right for Nana Mendoza has a has a tough little interception there one where it felt like there might have been a little bit of DPI.

Yeah, I thought so too.

Seem like there's a little bit of extracurricular but grab it.

Yeah.

To be able to hold them to a field goal right off the bat, that's a very good start.

And then all the way around anytime you can give up only ten points and one offensive touchdown, Uh, you know that that's a pretty good performance.

All Yeah, and you you you hit it on the head too, because Indiana started slower than they normally do.

And yeah, they're on the road, and being winning on the road in the Big Keny is difficult wherever you go.

However, we'll have you on too if you can you join us.

I've got another but it's a reunion show for the call in show here.

But you know, Indiana got off to a slow start and yet there's fifty five points and absolutely dominating.

Do it without Elijah Surratt was out of the lineup.

You had a number of different guys get banged up.

Apparently nobody is banged up real, real badly, and they just roll.

They just roll week after week after week.

They just know how to get it done.

Yeah, I mean very happy to see that people like Eidan Fisher and Sarat even though they're out for this one, they're not going to be out for the whole season.

And you know, those are people who are gonna need down the stretch, not only a Big Ten championship game, assuming we're able to get to that point, but also in the college football playoffs and so to be able to prove that we're able to not only beat a team like Maryland on the road, but also beat them in that sort of fashion is really impressive.

Without those key players.

Week after week after week, this Hoosier team just continues to put up huge numbers offensively in terms of points.

And yet Fernando Mendoza maybe doesn't put up gigantic now he's not throwing for three to fifty, he's not doing he's just deficient with the ball and makes it, makes things happen, and then plays a little over three quarters and that he's good to go.

Just the fact that they're able to to do as much as they do offensively.

I mean it's really really incredible.

Yeah, I was something I was really impressed with, even though it's garbage time is Alberto Mendoza.

He had a couple of really nice runs there.

You and I were talking about it while we were watching the game, just how much you know, he was able to get past some of these defensive backs, these linebackers who uh, those are the guys who you know should be able to be faster than the quarter back.

And you know, something that's promising for the future, especially since Feranana Mendoza is probably his last year at IU, going after going to the NFL Draft.

Well, this is this defense too, being as effective as they are when you're talking about a team that doesn't have Aiden Fisher in the lineup, there was no drop off at all.

They just just it was just the next guy up went ahead, and it just and it keeps happening, keeps happening.

Elijah Surrant, same exact thing, which also makes me believe even more that this all is very, very sustainable going forward.

You know, SIG's going to be here and he could just continue to plug Diys in and it's working well.

When you have a backup linebacker go for a pick there, and you know you're missing You're missing your Aiden Fishers of the world.

And uh, you know, having having people like that still being able to have such an effect on the game as impressive.

It's the type of depth we've never really seen before.

At I you uh Read on on the chat, says uh Read from Atlanta, who is with us last week, he said, uh now auditioning to be interned.

Charlie's inward great considering we did it without Elijah Surratt and Aiden Fisher, And he says, starting to think we could hang with the se T SEC teams because our defense is so tough.

Oh, I think they've they proved that many many weeks ago.

This has been an absolutely incredible job by them, for sure.

Man.

I mean, I think if we haven't proved that we're you know, a top two team in the country, I don't know what else we can do.

I mean, I think I think we should be number one in the country, right And I think if we didn't have an Indiana or Hoosiers on the front of our chest, we might be because we've had them.

The more impressive you know, schedule and more impressive results, right, I don't think any team has a win as good as a win at Oregon this year, and so it's really just really impressive.

It's getting more and more difficult to ignore what's going on here in Indiana, and it's it's been a ton of fun.

Uh you know your your your final thoughts on on Indiana now nine to zero for the second straight season.

I'm just excited about it.

Man.

You know, I think Hoosiers all the way.

I'm gonna try to be there for Big Ten championship games, right, be there for college fo all playoffs, just cheer them on all the way.

Ryan Fun, thanks so much for joining man, really appreciate it.

Thanks a lot.

Ay one two, three, nine and three twenty six hundred is the number again.

We we're live at a at a Halloween party at John Decker's house here and that was Ryan Decker joining us, you know, and you know we're happy to to have you know more people join us.

Eight one two, three nine three twenty six hundred.

Does the number pick up the phone?

I know you got Game seven of the World Series going on.

You have Purdue currently on nothing nothing at Michigan, so we'll see how that that plays out.

What's up?

Yeah, come on around.

You're gonna have another guest here, all right?

We had.

Jeremy Hood says, how far have we come from McFadden getting ejected costing us the Sinsy game to being able to win by forty plus on the road with two All Americans out in sarat and Fisher is nothing sort of incredible And I don't argue that for a second.

I don't argue that for a second, you know.

And this team's resilience I think has really been something really special for this Hoosier team as well.

Again, we are joined here and I don't know your name.

What's your name, Tommy?

Tommy?

How you doing?

I'm I'm good.

Your thoughts on just how the the Hoosiers have put together their season?

And did you get a chance to watch a bunch of the game today?

I did get a chance to watch first half of the game, let's usually, and I am a fan.

I don't think Natty wants to say the whole game, but I have watched most of the first half this year because they're going up by thirty, you know.

But yeah, I got to watch it here at Ryan's house today and then wear home the Ricks and brownies.

Well, you know, okay, you're you're obviously a little bit younger.

You don't maybe know the scar tissue of other of some older fans, but you know, just the job what you've seen over the past couple of years from somebody who's younger that that perspective.

What what have you seen the way that just the attitude and the feeling on IU football has changed in this town just over the past couple of years.

I just feel like everyone is talking about I know, even my grandparents, you never go, They go to soccer games, and that they're getting a football tickets now, and that's crazy to me.

They're not really big football fans.

Besides the short lines fans go to short.

Oh I did your right?

No?

Yeah, good about a Bears fan here, so oh that's sad, honestly, Vikings fan.

We got Bears fans out, okay, the whole NFC North.

I haven't met a Packers fanny good keep oh my god.

Yeah.

But the influence around just seeing where the stadium, like how many people are there in the past two years or three years to now, It's just crazy to me.

I mean I remember watching Michael Pennix junior and this is awesome to see them go this far.

Really, Yeah, it's it's exciting times to say the least.

And now they have a game against Penn State and Wisconsin back here to close it out, and then you have Purdue in West Lofaiette after a week off.

It's going to be well, that's not really a game, is it.

Well you still got to get take care of business.

You got to go.

But yeah, I mean they'll be ready to play, to say the latest.

I do think.

Against Penn State, Drew Aller has gotten better over the past few games, and they had a big first half inns Ohio six.

Did I checked the score and I'm like, oh, shoot, they have a chance, And they did get blown out in the second half.

But that's besides the point.

There.

Team that can compete and play some American football.

Yeah, we can't go into this game thinking we're gonna win forty just because they're own four in the Big Ten.

We can't do that.

Yeah, No, that's something that SIG will make sure that they don't that they don't do that, and and that that is a game you still have to win at Penn State, and that's a tough environment.

Sure, so they're going to be up to play that one.

Yeah.

Especially there's that one game where the I forget but they had to call a time out in the first play because there was so loud.

If they bring that energy, it could really change the game.

Really well.

I appreciate you stopping by, Tommy, Thank you so much, so much.

Take care, hey, one, two, three, nine three, twenty six hundred is the number.

I love all the guests.

It's fantastic.

It's fantastic, It's it's fun.

We have Michelle says.

It says if the defense didn't play an amazing game, it would have looked a lot different.

The offense was having a bit of trouble at the beginning, and they were having a little bit of trouble at the beginning, but again, you know, they scored twenty points in the first half and then rolled after after halftime.

Fernando Mendoza fourteen of twenty one passing for two hundred and one yards and a touchdown.

He added four carries for twenty four yards and a touchdown.

A really nice, nice effort by by this offense to just just stay calm, and that's something I think that is really different from maybe IU teams of the past, not during Signetty's time, but IU teams of the passes.

They've really really done a great job of just continuing to go then of continuing to to just keep their eye on where where they need to do.

And it's, uh, it's really very fun to watch.

You know.

This is we've been doing the show and we've I've taken a lot of calls over the years, uh, including me and the fellow that's about to join us spent some some raw years earlier in the Kevin Wilson era.

I'm joined right now by Jeremy Ray here in the dark that we have former call in show host as well with me.

Jeremy, welcome back to the show.

And it's great to watch some fun football, isn't it.

It is great to watch some fun football.

It's also humbling to follow to high school freshmen who are better on the air than I am.

Ryan Decker was incredible, I mean just dropping straight knowledge.

And then you know, I teach sports broadcasting three point thirty three in the media school, and to see Tommy Chopra just become Tommy Chopra on the air and just bring his personality unasked onto the air, it was genuinely incredible.

But yes, the football has been been wild and frankly, it's transformed the athletic department.

I think it's helped the university immeasurably, and it's transformed the community in really powerful ways.

And to see people disenthused is genuinely incredible.

Let's talk about how it's changed athletic department.

Cause obviously you see what it is on game day Saturdays and everything that goes along with it.

But we both know that i U football in those rough years you get into November sometimes it could be you know, you're in some of those years, especially those early Kevin Wilson years when you and I were on the air together, there were some rough times.

There just have to be a little hop in everybody's step.

That's just different.

Everybody works there, walks into work two inches taller, like there's a sense of pride.

I think it's helped a lot with morale.

Obviously, it's helped with the bottom line.

Frankly, you know, selling out multiple games has changed the financial situation for the athletic department.

And you know, to harken back to Ryan Decker a couple of years ago, you could actually put a par three golf course on the sideline of our football games because no one wanted to come down there.

And now you go pregame and it's pretty impossible to navigate because all of the teams are using it as a major recruiting event and having you know, golfers toenn OFS players, prospective baseball softball players.

On the sideline.

And you look at it from a competitive standpoint, and you see volleyball ranked in the top twenty five, soccer is continually ranked, swimming and diving is dominant.

Uh, you know, softball's had back to back forty one seasons.

I think football is a huge part of that story.

And I think it's going to benefit basketball greatly too in the Darren Devreese era.

Yeah, and basketball, of course picking up a a four star commitment.

Not going to ask you about that, but it was it runs are still the rules, but you can pay them a million bucks.

But don't talk about him on the head's right.

You know that that is something that you know, it just does have this knock on effect with everything that it's just you know, it's just such a great change of change of pace.

Now every week when you're watching this, you know with this team, what impresses you the most the most about him?

I think it's the focus and I you, I mean, I've worked here for quite some time.

There would be big games that would come up on the schedule and you're like, well, if we could just win this one and we just totally change things.

They've had eighteen straight of those, and they've come prepared to play, whether it's home in the road like today, a bad start, quirky injuries, and they win fifty five to ten.

Yeah.

I'm standing on the sideline.

With coworkers and we're beating Michigan States something like thirty five to ten midway through the third quarter, and we're all like, we're not playing very well today, and like we're right talking about we're like an alternate dimension.

Just their preparedness to play every single week, I think is the biggest differentiator from years past.

Well, and I still have trouble wrapping my head around all this because we've been I've been covering.

I worked there, and I feel the same way.

Yeah, I mean, it's just like every week.

And I say that at some point you just have to believe that, oh it's gonna be Okay, it's gonna get figured out because like I said I said earlier, Surrant was you know, didn't have with in most of the day, Aiden Fisher wasn't in most of the day.

Signetty just plugged guys in and you know, just just went Those are two of the best football players of all time.

I mean, not even close.

But yeah, I've had.

To struggle mentally from we're playing really well too.

We're actually really good, like I think we are just really good.

Yes, and that's that's exactly.

This defense has only given up seven offensive touchdowns this year.

The stats in every way are just preposterous.

You know, I'm not a gambler, and I don't want to talk about it too much, but the ability to cover the.

Spread to.

Destroying ranked opponents.

I believe we're one of the first two teams in the history of the Big Ten to win multiple games by scoring fifty points in the history of the conference.

And we've now won three games scoring fifty points or more in this season alone.

And by the way, we've got Wisconsin and Produced still.

Coming up on the schedule.

I'm not circling wins, but you got to like Indiana's chances.

You have a you know, a bona fide Heisman candidate, and I do think that the national media has undersold and I don't understand why maybe the greatest coaching effort I've ever seen in college sports, when you look at what Indiana was and what Indiana is in no time, I don't understand why people aren't lining up to write the novel and get the movie rights.

Well it is.

It is just like you said, so quick, and you know, part of it could be a function of nil and the transfer with its middle management.

But you turn around, yes, it's middle management.

It's middle management.

This this hen being able to run the ball as well as they do.

Oh yeah, I mean sixty seven yards rushing today like it's insane.

And then when people try to downplay it, saying, well it's because of the transfer portal.

Oh, so your money was on Indiana being the school out of one hundred and twenty schools to master the transfer portal.

And then they're like, well, it's just you know, James Madison guys.

So you're saying, James Madison guy should come with the big ten parachute right in and completely dominate.

This is one of the great college sports stories.

Of all time.

And people will give comparisons to Barry Alvarez, first ballot Hall of Famer, Bill Snyder, first ballot Hall of Famer.

It took years we micro away to champion at Indiana.

Yeah, and and it's and Barry Alvarez also got to got to pay some players along the way way too.

I know that the sexual limitations, so you know, you can say what you want to say.

Ken, this is you know, free speech.

So you know, as we go forward, now we got Penn State, we got Wisconsin, we got Purdue, and then we have you know, whatever comes afterwards, what excites you most about the next couple of weeks and you know, just how do you how do you envision it play out?

You know, there's nothing more dangerous than a wounded animal.

And you know, Penn State's got several players that are going to play in the NFL.

They were preseason top two three team in the country.

You you better beware going there to win is never going to be a given.

So that's a really dangerous opponent.

But you know, just the idea that eleven and one, twelve and zero playing in the Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis, it's just an escapist fantasy, and it feels like it's very real.

You know, we might be leading the Boston Marathon in mile twenty four, but we still have two miles to run, two point two miles to run.

For those of those who are particular about it.

But the excitement in following these games I think is transformed, transform the town.

People are rearranging their schedules.

I mean, frankly, you came from a Halloween party, set up a table to broadcast from it.

Like people have.

Rearranged their lives around AU football and it's a really special thing.

Before I let you go, you know, this is a team and a program.

Signetti has gotten two extensions already.

He's hit the ground running.

We know that he's not going anywhere.

The fact that he is able to just push and play guys in because it's such a good system.

But it also means that there's a culture that is involved now and now it's a thing of once that starts being established.

It doesn't make a difference if the JM you guys move on, because they will because this culture is there and it's ingrained with the guys that are young.

By the way, he recruited and developed those players.

It's jmu.

He's not like he's not stealing somebody else.

That's such time that way.

I'll give you one quick story that's anecdotal, but I do think is illuminating to whatever the magic sauce is with Kurtz Signetti.

So one you go into his office, there are not pictures on the wall.

He has one yellow legal tablet and a pencil.

That's the only thing that's on his desk.

We were filming a series of videos to introduce the bis in this last spring, and so we go in there.

He's super excited about doing the bison thing, and I tell him what the script is, and you know, each video was a take off of a movie, and I'm like, this is Jaws.

You're going to be Roy Scheider on the boat.

You're gonna see this thing behind you.

You're gonna pretend to be scared and that then we'll cut.

And he's like, I'm not scared of that thing.

And I'm like, well, I know, Coach, obviously, it's just acting.

It's it's stuffed animal.

But that's the This whole dovetail perfectly into the next video, and he's like, I'm not going to pretend to be scared of that thing.

I'm not scared of it, which.

Kind of shows his unyielding approach to things, and it frankly is fearlessness, but more I think uh pointed to what is the special Kurtzignetti sauce when he was watching film.

He was legitimately watching film when we came in and I said, what game are you watching?

And he's like, it's Illinois against Akron two thousand and seven.

He was watching Juice Williams goal line offensive plays on a lazy, hot afternoon in May, on the day he was supposed to record a Bison video.

He is watching that much film, And I do think the details matter with Kurt Signet And I don't know what he was able to glean from that film watching it made no sense to me at the time, but I think that's why he is different than the other head coaches in the country.

Well, again, as somebody who's been around for a long time, Uh, you know, this has been a joy to see see me do it, and it's just been really great to see you, uh that you get to enjoy it like people like Don Fischer and people like bu.

You had postgame shows from a very sleepy Colorado Statehouse after barely beating Nickels State who had to borrow our uniforms after Hurricane Katrina.

So no one has deserved to bask in the glow of this great Indiana football a couple of years more than you can.

And I really do appreciate your support.

Oh, I appreciate you coming on.

Thanks a lot, Jeremy, Thank you, Jeremy Gray.

Uh join, it's for returning to the show.

Actually it's a little a little bit different.

Uh really excited on to have these these people join us.

It's been a ton of fun here on the chat shell.

Cracker Lover fifty eight eighty nine, I don't think that's their real name, says there's never been a story quite like the Kurt Signetti and Indiana football story.

And that's hard to argue with.

I mean, because it has been so quick of a turnaround, so incredibly impressive to see what they're able to do.

Eight one, two, three, nine three, twenty six hundred is the number I will say this much.

I was watching the broadcasts as we're joined by my more guests, watching the broadcast earlier today, and I got to tell you, Gary Danielson It bothered me because it seemed that he was taking a certain amount of glee almost in his voice, in talking about Indiana's injuries, and that bothered me more than a little bit.

And there wasn't a lot of credit being sent Indiana's way.

But that's fine, because week after week after week, Indiana is just hammering people.

At some point they are going to be taken seriously and every week just builds on that.

Eight one, two, three, nine, six hundred is the number of lines are open.

But we are joined by a guest here here at the deck or Halloween party postgame show.

How are you doing?

What's your name?

I'm Jude.

I'm doing pretty good.

Jude.

Your thoughts on on the game?

In on Indiana football.

I thought it was pretty well one game, I mean, another blowout, nothing unusual for the Hoosers, I mean, continuing the trend over the past two years.

It's lovely to have boring games, Yeah, it is.

It is there.

They're fun to watch, especially you know, there's not a lot of nerves involved.

There's been one game this season, and that's the Iowa game that made made you nervous, and they got got the job done.

And this defense continues to perform.

Yeah, I did.

I mean Indiana's continuing what they've been doing and keeping alive the signetti.

I mean not much else this.

I mean Indiana's just doing what they do and dominating.

I asked Tommy this question about just how, especially with guys your age, the feeling on IU football.

What are your thoughts on how IU football the perception of it has changed over the past couple of years.

I mean, it's in school, it's what people talk about a lot now.

I mean a few years ago it wasn't brought up, but now with the wins, it's a lot of times.

You meet Tommy Ryan, we all talk about it in school and it's what we like look forward to over the weekends to go to the games, watch the games.

Yea.

Do you get to go out to Memorials time?

I go a lot.

I go with my friends.

Dorosalez's okay, normally take me.

That's fantastic and it's great to see it.

Go ahead and just fill up with badi.

Have you ever made your way over to the Section nineteen crew that takes her shirt off?

And it's now become a thing in college football that started.

Here, happened today at Clemson.

Yeah, I was there, me and my older brother Noah.

Oh first week that it happened.

We were one of the first probably fifteen people in there a third row.

Okay, someone sent me a photo of me on TV.

Very nice.

Yeah, that was awesome.

Again, that's that culture that I'm talking about that you know, Signetti has it with the players, but now this culture of fans coming to the games, being there on time, doing all of that, I think makes it makes a huge difference, helps this thing kind of perpetuate itself.

Yeah, with Mendoza, he like shouted out that crew after that first game talking about thanking everything.

And I mean the fans have probably the crucial role recently.

The you know, speaking of Fernando, Mendoza obviously gets a lot of attention for Heisman voting.

His brother looks very solid.

There's not a lot of drop off when Alberto comes into the game.

And yeah, it's different because henewally he comes out in a blowout situation.

But the fact that they've been able to plug in go from Curtis Rourke, who was very good last year, to Fernando Mendoza, and you see what Alberto can be down the road.

I mean again, that's just all of those things that say this thing is going to be something that's sustainable.

Yeah, I mean, I see if we have Bernana Mendoza, if he most likely gets drafted after this year, going in the top, I presume five picks.

Now, I think we have another Mendoza who'll come up and hopefully do the same thing.

Be able to just plug and play him right in.

It should be a ton of fun.

Thanks so much for joining me, appreciate it.

Bake care another guest, love all the guests that we have here.

Eight one, two, three, nine, three, twenty six hundred is the number lines are open?

Throwing me a question in the chat that would be fine.

Midwest Boxing says, can't wait until the recruits start to follow, and that is absolutely the case that that is something that the that needs to not pick up.

That's not not the case, but they just it's coming, it's coming.

I think that a lot of people had to figure out if whether it was going to be something that was a one and done situation, if Kurt Signetti was going to be here, and it's very clear that he is going to be here and he deserves to be here, and IU I think has done a really good job of taking care of business with that.

Continuing our string of the Reunion Show.

As we continue, welcome on John Decker another former callin show or is it Burt mackin tonight?

Well, first off, thanks for hosting the party.

It's a big party, a big group of people here.

That's why we're doing it here, Ryan Decker, it suggested that we do it live out here, and I thought it was a great idea.

Well, normally we get like five people that come to our party.

Since we're doing the Collins Show.

I know that's not like ninety get on the mic and start lying.

Hey, that's the story I'm going with.

So you're another one that has watched a lot of these Indiana football over the years, from your days at Inside Indiana to uh, you know, working for different websites and just you know, working with the department, and your thought on not just today but the last couple of years and how that has gone.

You know, I think that you know, I got here, you know, to age myself.

You know, I was a freshman in the fall of nineteen eighty seven, and and for those dieharded IU football fans that know that that was the fall that we beat Ohio State, went on the road, we beat Michigan at home, and incredible experience.

You know, I came to you to say journalism and I thought, you know, working out that department.

I was excited about the idea of being around Bob Knight.

And that experience really left a mark on me because it told me that there's something incredibly special about being good at football.

Yeah, every game matters so much.

You know, you get a full week build up to every game.

And and I've told people that a lot, you know, I've I've worked at IU through some great years of basketball with Calbert Cheney, obviously Yogi and groups like that.

But I always remember that that there was nothing that was better than good at football in nineteen eighty seven.

And this is a whole different level.

You know, that was a year in which, you know, we got those two wins, we had a chance to go to the Roswell if we beat Michigan.

Satan didn't get it done.

But you know, this is you know, competing for a national championship.

This is a chance to win a Big Ten championship and truly being one of the elite teams in the country and incredibly special that.

To be honest, I don't know that I could have ever imagined this happening.

So it's been incredibly rewarding and exciting to be a part of.

It because it was so far out of the realm of possibility.

When you spend your years trying to circle six wins and how do you get to a bowl?

How do you get to a bowl?

Have him into a bowl in fourteen years back in two thousand and seven, can we get to play thirteen?

This is so far from that.

We've actually Indiana Football's actually had some pretty damn good years over the past six seven years.

Of twenty nineteen season, I think they went eight and five.

You had the COVID year, they did well in that, then you had a couple of down years, and then the last two years, the idea of competing for a Big Ten championship or a national championship was bananas.

You're just trying to find six wins, and now it's you know, it's what is the ceiling?

Without a doubt?

You know, I think that you know a lot of value fans.

You know, with the old Big Ten split of the divisions, it was always a challenge and I think a lot of us sat down at the beginning of the year and thought, well, can't win at Ohio State.

You know, beating in Michigan home incredibly difficult.

You know, this is the year where Michigan State's really good, right, It's going to be tough, and like those days and these last two years are gone.

I mean, you know, I think that probably most IU fans sat down at the start of the year and we're like, well, at Oregon and at Penn State are going to be incredibly difficult.

I'm probably going to go and pencil those in his losses.

And that is not how this coaching staff thinks.

That's not how these players think.

And in a lot of ways, I think fans like we need to catch up with how they think, right, because they go into every game, go into every season clearly with their track record, expecting that there's no game on the schedule that they do not expect to win.

And they're proving that.

For Daniel Mendoza, as efficient as he has been, just your thoughts on the way he's handled himself as the spotlight.

He's gotten brighter and brighter this.

Year incredibly well.

You know, I think he's a fun person to be around, a fun person to listen to.

You know, I think that I mean somebody that obviously goes way out of his way to credit as coaches credit his teammates, and there's no doubt that that resonates with them.

But you know, I think that he's another example obviously a phenomenal quarterback, incredibly efficient, incredibly accurate, but needed to be at the right place, with the right offensive line, with the right coaches, with the right wide receivers to play at this level because this is a completely different level for him.

And but but I think the coach Signetti thought he was very capable of that.

So it's it's exciting.

You know, I was around when Anthony Thompson was very much in the running to win the Heisman and didn't get that done.

So it's it's just achieving on the highest level in every way for this football team.

And as they keep stacking wins, that just draws more and more attention, UH to him.

But you also know that you have sig in that coaching staff that's going to make sure he stays grounded without a doubt.

I think whenever you whenever you hear them talk, it's it's very clear that they believe what they say.

And certainly, you know, players go out and they say the right things, but they don't necessarily always feel that way.

I think that there's no doubt that this team understands what they're trying to do.

I think that they understand that if they're successful in those efforts, that all the individual things will come with that, and so it's it's it's great.

To see from a player standpoint.

I wanted to bring up Indiana's run game again.

They run for your total of three hundred and sixty seven yards today, Black Hemby and Kobe Martin, three guys that are basically the same types of runners.

All of them run so hard and finish off runs for the point that in my eyes, Roman Hemby might be third on that list or to be just because Black you get in the ball, you know he's going to pick up yards.

Henby the same way he doesn't get it.

Doesn't go for a lot of losses either.

But they all run so hard and when you could have your starting running back be a guy that there is zero drop off when you're talking about bringing in the guy, the backup, the third stringer, it's incredible.

Yeah, and I think this is you know, obviously it's building depth.

It's the kind of thing that we've seen many many IU teams in which they've had, you know, one to two to three to four critical players that you're like, if you lose somebody, it's going to be such a drop off.

And this team is building that depth.

And and the running back position is one that is very clear.

And also I think when it's it's a little bit like Mendoza.

As far as you know, Kurt Signetti needs an incredible amount of credit for his ability to identify players.

He was able to identify the James Madison players that could compete ten level because he had a number of very good players that James Madison who did not come with him.

I mean, obviously we talk about all the Aiden Fishers of the World and the Kaylon Blacks, but other good ones that didn't come that that obviously he didn't think could compete at the big ten level.

And he's hit on those guys, and I think he's he's hit with the transfer Portal people.

And obviously you know himby is somebody who's done great things.

But like you said, if he leaves, you got Calon Black and you just go right down the list.

And from a culture standpoint, again, now that you have this defense that again has given up seven offensive touchdown that that is a mind boggling stat in modern football to me, that you have a defense that is that consistent and the mistakes that have been made have been big busts.

So it's you don't have a lot of grinded out kind of think that somebody makes a mistake and then and then it falls apart.

But it's happened like four times this year.

I mean, it's it's when you have that culture to where now it isn't that you're just playing for yourself.

It's also you have a standard that isn't just what the coaches are telling you to do, your teammates are expecting it.

That makes things a lot different.

Yeah, you know, I think we have a culture of you know, obviously we've had a lot of games have gotten a little bit you know, out of hand, and I think from the defensive standpoint, it's not as if we're comfortable when you get ahead of UCLA that we're comfortable.

Well, if they score a couple of eight touchdowns and went fifty six to that.

That's okay.

Right, No, I mean they have everything that they do.

They really do go with the mindset, you know, it's it's zero zero, you know, and it's displayed forget about the last one, don't think about the next one, and it's it's been incredibly rewarding to see.

When you're roaring through opponents where your starting quarterback can come out after three quarters and you're you're you're very, very comfortable.

That also means some decent playing time for guys that are going to be that next generation.

The experience they're getting in these bloat and these blots are are incredible.

Without a doubt.

You know, I think that, you know, I think we we aiden Fisher somebody.

It's been so critical to this team.

And obviously you wanted to get healthy, you want to get back.

But the opportunity for some people to play a linebacker, you know, and obviously it's played a lot this year, but Isaiah Jones, you know how good he's been.

And you get a chance to see some of these people and see how that they can, you know, fill in and and fit in once some of the James Madison, the older players are gone.

It's gonna pay off as we look ahead to you know, the postseason.

It's gonna certainly pay it, you know as we look ahet the next year.

It's gonna be a team that's just going to continue to be, i think, competing at an incredibly high level.

John, thank you so much for having me, for joining me.

I'm glad to have you back on the mic.

And uh, I'll let you get back to your party, all right, appreciate it.

Thank you so much.

Hey, one Dwode three nine three, twenty six hundred is a number.

We haven't gotten a call tonight.

And that's that's okay, That's not the end of the world.

Uh, there's a lot going on.

Game seven of the World Series is starting up here.

Indiana's on the road, So I'm not done by by any of it.

But it is exciting to uh to to have it, you know, be a you know, just such a great night for Indiana to move to nine and zero on the season, fifty five ten winners over Maryland, and that is, you know, the main thing that you want out of the day.

As you were going to have another guest joining me, Now, this one is somebody else that's also a familiar name.

This is our very favorite hot dog who also is Doug Wilson, who is another former IU media guy who covered some bad football over the years.

Doug, how are you doing.

I've doing great, Dan.

It's good to see you here, and good to be talking at this time about A You football, that's for sure.

Well, and and seeing how just the town and the fans and everybody have kind of rallied around this.

This program has been really really incredible.

Yeah, it has.

You know, I used to cover the team for the whole time.

Long before that.

I was an I You fan.

I was one of the people who grew up in town watching it.

You know, I'm sixty now, so I started watching I You football and really going to pretty much all the games in the.

Early the course of years.

Yeah.

So I've seen all the coaches come through and just it's amazing to me and to so many people to see something like this happening.

Now, what's it like to be on this side of things?

You know, there's some programs this happens every year.

Yeah, and you know, I'm still wrapping my head around and we're in year two of this.

But I mean, how does it feel to me on this side of it?

Shocking?

I mean, Honestly, I'm getting to where I don't reflexively expect the worst to happen right much as I always have, but I mean that's been our experience over the years.

Okay, the big game comes, so.

The big moment comes, at the end of the game, Yep, things go bad.

I mean, it's just it's just been so much a part of the Ice football experience over the years.

It's just incredible what's happening.

And we're not even getting to that big moment having an opportunity to happen.

Yeah, because they're they're handling business.

In the first half for God's sake, Domin I mean, and watching the game today and so many of the games now, one of the things that really stands out to me is the way they dominate the line of scrimmage both sides of the ball.

I just never thought i'd really see that because in recent years, even when I had good teams, it's because they have.

Good skilled players.

Largely it's I mean, you talk with assistant coaches on the team and they would tell you things like, well, we need to have a running quarterback at I use because we're never gonna be able to recruit a level where we can put that offensive line right, they're on a consistent basis, so that defensive line together on a consistent basis.

And I mean, you know you and I started covering the team together during the half new year.

Yeah, I think Terry have very good code, very successful at a lower level.

But you remember the bubble screen.

They used to do the bubble screen because they couldn't run the ball right.

Once they got against a good team, running game.

Not work right.

And it's just amazing to watch what they do now and dominate the running game in the way.

That they have both sides of the ball.

It's shocking.

I love it well.

And not only are they getting that push, but like I said earlier, the running backs are just there's no drop off from one to the next.

Yeah, that to me has been just an incredible part of this.

Yeah.

You Kobe Martin said you'd like to see him more, do Yeah, for sure for sure.

And you know that he will be around to go ahead and and to help out.

Uh and and if somebody goes down, next guy steps up.

And again that is a culture thing.

It is and the coaching is obviously a huge part of.

All of this.

The scheme and the way they play and the way they make their blocks, and the way the guys are all in the right place and there disciplined.

But you know, to me, one of the big fears coming into this season was, Okay, these guys are obviously really talented.

Coaching staff obviously is very successful and knows.

What they're doing.

But I'm concerned because you know, they're not as deep as as the Ohio States and the States and the Oregons and some of those teams.

They haven't had the years to recruit in that way, and I'm just I'm concerned that if any didn't Fisher goes down, or if other key players go down, they just won't have the guys to really step up, because that's always been the experience that I use, right, and it's been amazing how okay they have had some guys go down once you know what is going to happen, and they haven't missed a beat with him so far.

Yeah.

They they even lost a couple of linemen today that went out for a time.

Some guys came back, but there was no drop off.

You have you have a couple of linemen that you little bit a disruption in your O line three hundred and sixty seven yards rushing.

Remarkable, It really really is.

So you know, as we move forward over the next couple of weeks and into the next year, obviously the results on the field are really important.

The contract extension for SAG was huge because it locks them in and everybody knows he's going to be here.

What's the next steps in your view for this program?

It's so hard to tell, you know, it's all beyond my comprehension because my next fear is that they're going to lose assistant coaches or lose Gordon, right it just seems like that has to happen at some point.

Some of these guy's going to be hit handed head coaching jobs.

They just they have to the way this is going.

But from what we've seen so far, they're going to have a plan, They're going to figure it out.

They're going to make it work.

I mean, you would.

Think we need to talk about the future, but who knows what's going to happen this season?

Right Still, we have a guy that calls in every week and he says, what's the limit for this team?

And at this point, sky is the limit?

Do you remember Terry happen I used to tell us that all the time.

When we'd ask him questions, he'd say, I'm not going to put in the limitation right on this team.

And that feels real now, ye me.

It's like, I mean, I never thought it could be number two.

I don't know what we can do.

We can't do it, yeah, And what we're doing to these teams that have always been somewhat of a challenge to where like Maryland was a team that you know, maybe you were going to be to maybe weren't.

Michigan Michigan State was the same way Iowa.

At times.

I've always said that I wanted Indiana football to be like Iowa, where every couple of years you're really good, but then you had a couple of years you're still good to a Bowl, but you're he skipped a step, Yeah he has.

When you watch the team, they're that good.

Yes, it's for real.

I mean, like you say, they're not just eating people right, killing people?

What was happening last year.

There were people who are very skeptical who said, oh, you know, the schedule is not that tough and whatever, But if you watched them, if you watched how they block, if you watched how they played.

Oh yeah, they're that good without a doubt, and they were just killing people, you know, until some things happened at the end of the season.

Uh, they're they're for real.

They were last year, I think, and they are they are this year for sure, and I don't know what the future brings.

But it's really exciting.

Yeah, it's just crazy.

It really is.

It really is, and I'm not used to it.

I don't want to get used to it, be honest with you.

Jeremy was talking about earlier about people having making a movie about this.

Yeah, I mean, yeah, why not.

It's it's it's an ex level and just going to the games now experience.

I mean, it's you know, I started off talking to you about how what it was like growing up going to the games, and what it was largely about was camaraderie.

With people who went to the games.

We kind of all suffered together year after year.

And I think I'll probably fans of a lot of football teams know that experience.

Right.

You know, you're not the best, but it's all your friends that are there and you have a good time, can kind of commisserate over how it goes.

And it was just amazing.

Experience in the season like that that Illinois game this year.

Yeah, just an incredible experience.

One of the most amazing sporting events I've ever been to.

A lot of ways at night, how excited, Yeah, everyone was, and just oh, this is gonna be a tough game.

We're finally gonna see what they're about to kill.

I mean, they just took.

Them sixty three ten from beginning to end, and it's sixty so just out the top of my head.

Let's see, they put seventy plus on Indiana State, sixty three on Illinois, fifty plus on I think fifty six, they put on UCLA, fifty five on Maryland.

Uh, and uh we beat the hell out of Kansas State too.

I can be quite a good team, yes, and that's that's the and od Odu has been good too for their level.

And that one there was only a twenty seven.

They only scored twenty seven on that one, and you know, Mendoza was kind of working out some bugs in his his game.

Just extraordinary.

Yeah, no, Doug, thanks so much for joining us.

Really appreciate good saying, yeah, yeah you too, for sure, Thanks so much.

All right, thank you our hot dog right there, eight one two, three, nine three, twenty six hundred is the number we will uh be going ahead and uh and bringing up uh Kurt Signetti and his postgame press conference as we add in there uh every single week on with uh with that.

It's a ton of fun to uh hear what SIGG has to say trying to see if that that video is uh currently available for download uh not from the official I you one, but that does not mean that we can't ut uh get that from the pigs dot com.

Uh fat, So I will pull that up right now and download it while we're doing this.

Eight one, two, three, nine three twenty six hundred is the number.

We don't get any calls, We're going to us and the SIG and then we'll we'll kind of shut it down.

But just a the next couple and the next week, I think is going to be a very very interesting game because they are at at Penn State, and that is a Penn State team that is has a lot to play for, that wants to prove that they belong and so Indiana is going to have to be ready to play when that comes.

That comes along, But from what we've seen everything that there is, there's there's just no doubt that that is something that is going to bend up being the case.

So, without further ado, let's hear what Kurt Signetti had to say during his postgame press conference following the Maryland wind.

All Right, it's hard to win on a road.

Good win.

You know, did start out great, you know with the turnover.

Defense did a great job of holding the three points and the second drive, the offense didn't do a whole lot either.

Defense held him again and at the end of the day, the defense created five turnovers.

This was the number one team in the country and turnover ratio going in the game, offense ran the ball for three hundred and seventy yards.

I think Maryland ran for twenty five.

So it's hard to win on the roads.

Really good win, Yes, Kurt first or any of those injuries, like, were there any serious injury concerns?

No, we came out good.

I mean surratt hamstring tightened up on him a little bit, and uh, you know, we've got some guys with some bumps and bruises, and you know, as the week went on, it didn't look real good for Fisher playing, so there was no surprise there, and uh, you know, Drew Evans, Uh, you know will be out for a few weeks.

So, uh, we came out pretty good.

Now we got some guys that are sore.

Uh if you know, we played a few games in a row now, but it came out good.

I guess I just all you talked about the way the defense held early, the complimentary football this team plays.

How much does that start to feed on itself with this group?

But the defense understands the offense will pick them up if they need.

The offense knows it can go a couple empty drives cause the defense isn't gonna cave.

Just how much does confidence does that give this group?

Uh?

Well, I mean that from my standpoint, the thing I'm most proud of is the way that they listened to the message about playing one play at the time, regardless of circumstances.

Uh.

And you see that in the fourth quarter.

But the defense has uh all your long risen to the occasion U when their backs are against the wall.

Now, it wasn't perfect to night defensively, trust me.

Openfield tackling went very good.

They had some explosive plays, but there's a lot of good things there on tape and it's a good win.

Yeah, coach, I wanted to get your thoughts on your authensive lines play.

Obviously Evans isn't there yet.

You guys just run.

You totally ran over them, like three or four drives in three sixty seven.

Yeah.

Yeah, that's a culmination of having a physical mindset and our back's running really hard and receivers part of that blocking pattern two and breaking tackles.

Uh, you know, it takes all eleven guys, and uh, you know, I think there was that point you saw it early in the game.

They went down the first driving score seven a half, twenty to ten.

Yeah, we answered, and then we started getting some turnovers and open the game up.

And then you just sort of saw like a little change in that game, right, And that's usually how it happens in the run game.

Doesn't happen right away.

It usually happens sometime in the middle, third quarters, in the night.

Curt, you guys have been great on both sides of the ball in the second half of games, and especially defensively.

You've only given up.

Two touchdowns in the second half all season.

How important is that for that defense who gets stronger as the games go on?

You know.

I mean that's a great stat.

I wouldn't aware of that.

And you know our defense has been really great all year.

How many total touchdowns were given up?

Seven all year or so.

But look there's a lot to clean up, a trust me.

But good good night, it's a.

Good dangles and it kind of seems like there's just this innate trade where you guys just keep swinging, you know, score aside, time aside.

How special?

How unique is it to have a trade like that?

That's key to drilling me.

I mean it is that you're playing from the first play the last play the same, and you know we're getting close to getting that.

You know, we're of course, and that's why you see some of the results that you see.

There's not the ups and downs relative to good place, bad place circumstances of the game.

You know, you see guys like laying it online every play and I give them in the assistance a lot.

Of credit for that.

Settings that current the way you got started the games.

This isn't the first time you faced you know, a little adversity like that, and I mean it just doesn't seem to shake your group, Like why is this team able to be so unflappable.

Well, it's a veteran group.

You know, you got on offense, a lot of guys have played a lot of football and really the same on defense.

So uh, you know, chances are all these guys have been in this situation before, right, and you know they know how to respond or not react, so to speak, right, the key's always your response.

So really proud of our defense the way they and then you often start picking it up and a lot of it was a ground game.

Get the past game chipped.

Into Zach be than Zion with some of the bumps and bruises that you guys picked up tonight.

What did tonight's performance tell you guys about tell you specifically about the depth of your football team?

Well, you know, we've had some guys step in, step up, and that's what you gotta have.

And sometimes you never really know about a guy till he gets an opportunity.

And that's really true because you know, when a guy gets an opportunity, he can become a little bit of a different kind of guy.

Because you know, the twos get limited reps in practice and you know, I'm sure it's not fun, but you're gonna need more people to step up because we don't have an off week for a couple more weeks yet.

Zion in and back back?

Does that?

Kurt?

Last week you kind of talked about Mike Shanahan and his play callague.

I was just curious throughout your coaching career at any point where you to play caller and just what makes you have that confidence in him?

Yeah, I called him.

Uh at iup, Mike I hired or last year at I up.

We went to Elon, I heard a new coordinator and gave him play calm responsibility.

But I would interject and depend on game, you know, but I kind of walked.

But I've always liked.

Kind of run the meetings, so to speak to the offensive Steph Mings in season and I'll interject and uh, that hasn't changed lately, not as much on what I'm kind of letting him and change with.

Zach lest One, You've mentioned many times I've experienced this team.

Would you just talk about guys getting opportunities.

I know nobody's worried with the future, but how encouraging is it when you see younger guys like Mario Landino, like Kobe Martin, guys that when they're handed that opportunity, whether it's obviously you know, early in a game, or even as these games were on, you're seeing young guys really sort of take advantage of development competittion.

And now that you're exactly right, you know, because the thing about this job, you know, you're getting ready to play games, right, but you're always looking down the road that you're twenty sixteen and you're twenty seventeen.

And you know, a new portal day, how it's going to affect your program et cetera, et cetera in high school, you know, recruiting, and then to have young guys step up like that, you know, that's Uh, it's good to see you all right, Thanks guys, thanks.

For going thinks about name.

So there was Kurt Signetti during his postgame press conference.

Uh, just a competent guy as always.

That's that's how sick rolls.

So last call for phone calls eight one, two, three, nine three, twenty six hundred.

Uh, give us a call, give us your thoughts.

Otherwise we're going to go ahead wrap it up, because quite honestly, I'm getting call and I really appreciate John Decker having us over.

Ryan Decker suggested all of this.

This is a great idea.

And here's something just that I want I you fans to understand.

And I don't think I need to remind you, but I will.

Right now.

It is eight fourteen pm.

We've been on the air for about an hour.

Purdue is playing Michigan right now and the game is tied at seven.

At Michigan, Purdue is tied.

Purdue is not a good football team, but so Michigan isn't either.

But playing in the Big Ten is difficult, and Indiana makes it look like they're playing non conference games every week.

And that's where we are.

And that's what Kurt Signetti has done to this program and it has been a ton of fun to see.

So now Indiana's next step is to take on Penn State, and they have a Penn State, they have Wisconsin, they got a week off, they got Purdue, and then we'll go from there.

Fifty five to ten is your final.

I want to thank John Decker for coming on.

I want to thank Wilson and Jeremy Gray and Ryan Decker and all the guys that Ryan's friends that join us, the young guys.

It's always great to get an extra infusion of energy it's exciting again.

I'm dressed as Charlie Brown, so that's always exciting as well.

There's somebody in a Jay Cutler jersey over there, so that's now officially a throwback God Bears.

So that'll do it for us tonight.

It's all the time we have on the Peaks postgame Live.

I want to thank you for listening.

I don't our mind you to visit Peaks dot com for the very best, and I you football and basketball coverage are going to find anywhere nobody covers.

Who's you recruiting better than Jeff rab John's, Matt Weaver, Trevor Andershoch and Jared Kelly.

So come be a part of a thriving and exciting community at Peaks dot com.

Folks, you are not going to be disappointed.

Folks a out of time, but for now and for Jeff, Matt, Trevor and Jared, I'm Ken Biakov saying thanks for listening everybody.

Yeah, it's pretty simple.

I win, Google me