Isaiah Jones has been playing great all season long, taking huge steps in both performance and leadership after each and every game. Perhaps no step has been bigger than the one he took on the road against Maryland, his first career start.
Following an injury to Aiden Fisher at the beginning of the UCLA game, Jones found himself thrust into Fisher’s spot, something that the redshirt junior could not have been more ready for. Through each of the first seven games of the season, Jones had recorded at least one tackle for loss. This streak continued against UCLA as Jones ended the game with 8 tackles (4 solo), 0.5 TFL, and a forced fumble. While Jones had his best game of the season in the 56-6 win against the Bruins, he was still yet to start a game.
That would quickly change last Saturday as Fisher was ruled out of Indiana’s road matchup against a talented Maryland Terrapin team. Luckily for Indiana, Jones was ready when his number got called. “I felt like I was pretty prepared to play. It was my first career start, but obviously this year I’ve been playing a lot more, so I’ve kind of grown comfortable playing in my role and stepping up for big games. When you play in the Big Ten, every game is a big game, so I didn’t feel like I had any jitters. Jones said on Tuesday.
In addition to starting, Jones was also given the green dot against Maryland, meaning he was in charge of relaying the play call from Coach Haines to the players on the field. While it’s a big responsibility, Jones credits his reps in practice for helping him get prepared for it. “That’s something that we do all the time in practice; it’s something I’ve been doing the last few years. That’s something that I’m fine having on my plate and stepping into that role and having to make the calls. Someone’s got to do it, so someone had to step up, and it’s just me.”
Jones was able to back up this confidence when he stepped onto the field in College Park. While his final stat line may not have been as impressive as his UCLA performance (he had a total of two tackles), his leadership and communication on the field helped lead the Hoosiers to one of their best defensive performances of the season. Under Jones’ command the Hoosiers held the Terps to just 37 rushing yards and forced 5 turnovers against a team that is usually excellent at protecting the ball, leading them to a 55-10 victory.
For Jones, his growth at IU has been something that he has cherished and will remember fondly. “You know, just the journey itself. I’ve been in the room with these guys for quite a while; some of these since my freshman year. Just being on this journey with them and being on the journey with the coaches now. They’ve seen me grow, and they found out what I’m capable of, so I think it’s just exciting for everyone, and especially me. It’s exciting to do it with the guys who you put the work-in with all summer and all winter.” Jones said on Tuesday.
But Jones isn’t spending too much time reminiscing. Instead, he is looking ahead towards Indiana’s matchup against Penn State this Saturday. When asked about the tough road environment that is Beaver Stadium, Jones said, “You get that when you’re in the Big Ten. Some of these stadiums have 100,000 fans. That’s something that you try to tune out; you try to stay within the white lines, do the best you can. Definitely has a role, and I think it plays in their favor, but we will see on Saturday.”
Be sure to join Hoosier Huddle at Heartworks Brewing in Bloomington this Saturday for a live watch party of the IU game as Jones and the Hoosiers look to get their first-ever win at Beaver Stadium.