Indiana
Indiana DT James Carpenter Thankful His ‘Incredible Ride’ Made Him A Hoosier
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – He wasn’t here long, and he is one of several one-year Indiana wonders who have taken the Hoosiers to unprecedented heights in their 10-win 2024 dream season.
The brief and glorious ride that defensive tackle James Carpenter has been on in an Indiana uniform is close to its final act.
The final game of the regular season for Carpenter and his teammates is Saturday when Indiana hosts Purdue in a 7 p.m. ET kickoff.
It won’t be Indiana’s last game as the postseason beckons, but it might be the last chance for Carpenter to bask in the appreciation of home fans who have grown to love him and some of the other Hoosiers – new and old – who have taken Indiana to a possible College Football Playoff berth.
Carpenter will be out of eligibility after the 2024 season. Other prominent Hoosiers, transfers or not, such as quarterback Kurtis Rourke, running backs Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton, wide receivers Myles Price and Ke’Shawn Williams, center Mike Katic, defensive linemen Lanell Carr Jr. and Jacob Mangum-Farrar and safety Josh Sanguinetti, are among the senior-plus players who are nearing their post-college football futures.
For Carpenter, coming to Indiana and being an integral part of the Hoosiers’ 10-1 season has confirmed to him (and many of his transfer teammates) that they made the right choice to try their luck in the Big Ten after playing at a so-called lower level in the Sun Belt Conference.
“It’s really just having a chip on our shoulder. Most of us that have transferred here, we were under-recruited guys who didn’t get recruited by the schools we wanted to coming out of high school,” Carpenter said.
“So I think we’ve always kind of had that chip on our shoulder coming here, We saw a lot of stuff about how we were too small. We weren’t going to be able to play in the Big Ten. We’ve used that as motivation for us” he said.
That fuel has pushed Indiana’s defense to impressive heights. The Hoosiers have the best run defense in the nation, giving up just 76.1 yards per game. Indiana is third in total defense at 261 yards per contest. The Hoosiers also rank third nationally in first downs allowed (167).
Carpenter said that defensive coordinator Bryant Haines keeps things fresh by adding layers to the defensive base principles each week.
“Coach Haines and Coach (Pat) Kuntz (defensive line coach) have definitely added a lot of different stuff. Different fronts, different pass rush schemes, a lot of different blitzes and unique looks,” Carpenter said. “They put a lot on our plate, and we welcome that.”
Carpenter – who has 29 tackles, including five sacks and nine tackles for loss – also cited a good rapport with fellow defensive tackle CJ West, himself a transfer from Kent State.
As they have grown accustomed to one another, Indiana’s run defense and push up front in pass rushing situations have become that much tougher for opponents to handle.
“In camp, we usually build upon the base level stuff. Then, each week, we’re putting in a bunch of new blitzes, different looks,” Carpenter explained. “A bunch of guys have been in the system long enough, we work well together. So they can throw a lot at us, and we’re going to go out there and execute.”
At a minimum, Indiana will have a bowl game after its regular season finale against Purdue. However, Saturday might be the last chance for Carpenter to play at Memorial Stadium, a happy place for him as he’s concluded a college career near the top of mountain after he was barely recruited out of high school in Roanoke, Va.
Curt Cignetti believed in Carpenter. He was one of his first recruits at James Madison and brought him to Indiana, where both men have enjoyed career highs not known before.
Carpenter will walk on the Memorial Stadium turf on Saturday thankful for his time as a Hoosier.
“It’s definitely going to be a little bit of an emotional moment,” Carpenter said. “It’s been an incredible ride. It’s definitely going to hit me when I’m out there with my parents, but I’ll just save that for that moment.”
A moment Carpenter earned by covering himself in glory in his one season in an Indiana uniform.
KOSCIUSKO COUNTY, Ind. (WSBT) — It’s fair season and a new law uncorks adult beverage sales!
The new Indiana law will go into effect July 1st, making it legal to sell alcohol at county fairs.
The Kosciusko County Fair is set to kick off in just a few weeks and Indiana is officially allowing alcohol to be sold.
The law is bringing back something that’s not necessarily new to this fair.
Here’s what you need to know
The new law will go into effect on July 1st. It officially allows county fairs to apply for fee-free permits to sell alcohol.
Officials with the Kosciusko County Fair say they are participating this year. They are implementing the same guidelines they used when they sold alcohol just at grandstand events.
The difference now is, you can walk around the grounds with your drink. But strict guidelines will be in place for purchasing a drink.
“Actually, we’ve never had any issues. Because we card everybody, so we take that seriously. We also got the ID guides so we can identify the different types of IDs,” said Sheal Dirck, Treasurer of Kosciusko County Fair.
The Kosciusko County Fair already have guidelines in place, so this was an easy transition for the fair.
They will be the only vendors selling alcohol, which will make it easier to control distribution.
The sales will also bring in more revenue.
“Hopefully it allows to keep our ticket prices where they are because right now, insurance, utilities and everything else is going sky high and it’s hard to make ends meet,” said Dirck.
However, some fairs cannot participate because of the July 1st start date, like the Pulaski County Fair, which is going on right now. Pulaski County officials said it is on the agenda for next year. Whereas other fairs are choosing to sit this year out.
“We wanted not spend some time to, to see what that really means for us. It was not a decision we wanted to rush into. But we are happy for the option of it,” said Shelly Steury, GM of Elkhart County 4H Fairgrounds.
Leaders at the St. Joseph County and Elkhart County Fairs said neither of them are selling alcohol.
The Kosciusko County Fair is the only fair that will sell alcohol in our area this year.
Indiana
‘Foul play’ suspected in death investigation on Indiana-Ohio state line, Wayne County officials say
WAYNE COUNTY, Ind. (WISH) — Police are investigating the death of a person who died in the emergency department of Reid Health in Richmond.
Wayne County Coroner Brent Meadows was notified of the death Wednesday evening, according to a media release. Evidence has reportedly indicated that foul play is involved.
Officials believe the incident may have occurred in the area of the Petro Travel Center in New Paris, Ohio, just across the Indiana-Ohio state line.
The coroner’s office said the deceased person has been transported to the Miami Valley Regional Crime Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio, for a forensic autopsy and identification.
The office is still working the locate and identify the victim’s family.
This remains an active investigation.
News 8’s Michaela Springer contributed to this report.
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