Smell The Roses Or Not? Indiana Players Balance Business Trip Versus Life Experience

It’s not just about going to California. Indiana’s game against UCLA also provides players who moved up to the Big Ten level the chance to prove themselves.

Sep 6, 2024; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Elijah Sarratt (13) runs the ball for a touchdown in the first quarter against the Western Illinois Leathernecks at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana is headed to the Rose Bowl to face UCLA in their Big Ten opener at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.

It’s a new experience for the Hoosiers. Both from the standpoint of it being a new conference opponent for the program itself, but it’s also the first time many of Indiana’s transfer-dominant roster gets to test itself against a Power Four conference opponent.

It’s an important game and the cliché that it’s a business trip is certainly rooted in reality, but it’s also a life experience for everyone going out West.

With the game taking place in the Rose Bowl, the low-hanging pun is that the Hoosiers should give themselves a moment to smell the roses, no?

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti dismissed that idea during his Monday press conference.

“For me and the team, it's more of a business trip, whether we're playing in the Rose Bowl or in a parking lot. It's all the same,” Cignetti said.

For the players? They mostly sing the same tune, but for so many of them, this is their first chance to really prove themselves at the level they feel they deserve to be at.

“I'm really excited. This is a really big opportunity for me, especially being a Sun Belt guy. Well, first off a FCS guy, then Sun Belt,” Indiana defensive end Mikail Kamara said, referring to former school James Madison’s move from FCS to the FBS Sun Belt Conference during his JMU career.

“It’s not even just me. I think everyone's kind of proved that we're supposed to be here. That's me speaking for all the other JMU guys and even the guys that's transferred here from ODU (Old Dominion) or whatever schools they transfer from. I think this is a big game to be on TV. It's a big opportunity,” Kamara added.

And, yes, at least one player admits that it’s a pretty cool opportunity to play in the Rose Bowl, while still acknowledging the mission at-hand.

“We know what we're there for. We're going there to go handle business, but you know, you’ve always got to appreciate the moments. I try to do that every single day,” Indiana wide receiver Elijah Sarratt said. “I don't know the next time I'm going to be in the Rose Bowl stadium, so I'm just trying to take in the moments and enjoy it while I can.”

For Kamara, the UCLA game is a chance to demonstrate to fans that Indiana’s 2-0 record is a product of the quality of the team, not the lack of quality in their opponents.

“I think this is a game where we kind of go out there and prove to everybody that this is real,” Kamara said. “That's why we had two warm up games. People still might be a little bit skeptical. And I think going in here, doing what we need to do against UCLA, can start this change that we're looking for.”

And yet? Kamara also preaches the business trip part of this weekend too.

“The whole we're going to be in L.A. thing, the UCLA thing, playing in the Rose Bowl. It is cool. It is a great experience. But at the end of the day football is football, and once the pads are on, once the ball is kicked, it's football. It doesn't matter what stadium it is,” Kamara said.

That sentiment will undoubtedly be true once the game begins, but until then, there is just a little bit of room for sentiment and where the journey has taken these Hoosiers so far.

“It's a blessing. There was a time where I had lost all of my (scholarship) offers, so to be here right now? All I can do is thank God. That's really it,” Sarratt said.

Related stories on Indiana football

• GAME DAY PREDICTION AND KEYS FOR UCLA: Take a look at our three keys and game prediction for the UCLA game. CLICK HERE.

• MEET THE OPPONENT: UCLA also has a new coach and is going through the acclimation process. CLICK HERE.

• GOING TO CALIFORNIA: Read about Indiana's football adventures in the Golden State. CLICK HERE.

• ACCLIMATION TO ASSIMILATION: With any team that has a new coach, the hope is that the team has a smooth transition to the new way of doing things. James Madison transfers Mikail Kamara and Elijah Sarratt feel that’s close to being reality for the Hoosiers. CLICK HERE

• ROMANCE OF THE ROSE BOWL? Indiana coach Curt Cignetti isn't really feeling it as the Hoosiers approach their Big Ten opener. CLICK HERE.