Indiana's Cam Jones: 'I Was Not Coming Out of That Game'

During the first episode of the ''Hoosier Roundtable'' podcast on HoosiersNow.com, we sat down and talked at length with Indiana linebacker Cam Jones and tight end AJ Barner to break down the Hoosiers' 23-20 win over Illinois. Here's the entire 33-minute podcast.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Last year when Indiana struggled through injuries and went winless throughout the Big Ten season, linebacker Cam Jones and tight end AJ Barner vowed that the troubles wouldn't happen again.

That's why last Friday night's season opener against Illinois at Memorial Stadium was so important to the two captains. They knew how imperative it was to get the 2022 season off to a good start.

Jones, Indiana's starting linebacker and the heart and soul of the Hoosiers' defense, tweaked an ankle early in the game, but he wasn't about to let that slow him down. He was playing through any pain, no matter what.

"I was not coming out of that game,'' Jones said.

Indiana linebacker Cam Jones (4) celebrates after the Hoosiers knocked off Illinois 23-20 on Friday night in Bloomington, Ind. (USA TODAY Sports)

Jones and Barner were the two guests on the first episode of the ''Hoosier Roundtable'' and both of the talked at length about the win over Illinois, and the big roles they both played in the win. 

Here are the highlights of what they said. You can watch the entire 33-minute podcast below.

Indiana tight end AJ Barner

— on the Hoosiers' final game-winning drive 

“With our offense, it’s kind of what we do. The situation might have been different and there was a little more pressure, but that’s how we play all the time, at that 2-minute pace. We work on that, and we’re comfortable with it.''

— on practicing 2-minute drills

“Coach Allen never scripts that in practice either, and a lot of times the coordinators don’t know when it’s coming. So we work on that a lot.''

— on Connor Bazelak’s composure

“I fell like that’s just one of the strengths of Connor’s game. He’s just a super composed guy and he’s played a lot of football. We were able to finish that game on a high note.’’

— on getting back on the field after a preseason hamstring injury

“It felt really good to play a game. I was worried about being myself on Week 1, but it felt good to be back out there and I was happy with the end result. People don’t really realize how early you have to go in to get treatment and do extra recovery sessions. It’s really nagging to get healthy, but the trainers put a lot of work into it to help me be ready.’’

HoosiersNow.com publisher Tom Brew and Indiana tight end AJ Barner talk about the Hoosiers' win over Illinois last Friday. 

Cam Jones, Indiana linebacker

— on tackling well and making stops early

“All throughout practice, we work on tackling circuits and getting off blocks. We knew we had to win first and second down against them. We made some key adjustments during the game to trust each other and make the plays we made.’’

— on new coaches at Indiana

“We have nine different coaches and 35 new players, and we did a great job of handling all in the in-game adjustments and communicate so well during the game. That’s big-time, just having coaches draw things up for us and keep us composed.''

— on his ankle injury

‘’I just knew I was getting back up and finishing. I was not coming out of that game. There was so much that went into it from January on, and I wanted to be out there for my teammates. This game was too important.’’

— on celebrating with Coach Allen

“Coach Allen is a linebackers coach at heart. There’s a standard that we have to uphold, and Coach Allen demands that every day. It was great to see how excited and fired up he was, because we haven’t had a chance to experience that for a while. ‘’

HoosiersNow.com publisher Tom Brew and Indiana linebacker Cam Jones talk about the Hoosiers' win over Illinois last Friday. 

Watch the entire 'Hoosier Roundtable' podcast

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