By: Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – For those who still doubt the Indiana Hoosiers, for those who don’t expect No. 5 IU to win at No. 2 Ohio State for the first time since 1987 on Saturday, head coach Curt Cignetti has a message for you:
“We’ve had a number of nice road wins,” he said during Monday’s media availability. “We’ve got a group of guys and coaches that have won 24 out of their last 25 games, so we don’t have a confidence problem.”
Cignetti refers to the coaches and players who came with him from James Madison to turn around the Hoosier program, and they have delivered as no outsiders expected. IU is 10-0 for the first time in school history, generating unprecedented acclaim and positioned to make its first-ever college football playoff appearance.
This reflects Cignetti’s win-now approach that emphasizes why-not-us belief. He came to IU with no self-imposed limitations and has made it work as no other first-time Hoosier coach has.
“I think it’s all out there,” he said. “I think any (Power 4 Conference) school with the proper commitment is capable of being successful because the difference between victory and defeat in most of these games is very slim. It’s all attainable.”
The nation has noticed. On Saturday, IU will appear on FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff and ESPN’s College GameDay for the second time this season, but the first time on the same day.
“We’ve put ourselves in a position to be talked about quite a bit,” Cignetti said. “That’s nice. It doesn’t help us prepare; it doesn’t help us play any better, but we’ve got some great opportunities ahead of us.”
IU has maximized every previous opportunity. Its average margin of victory is a Big Ten-best 30.1 points. Ohio State is next at 27.5. Michigan, the defending national champion, is the only team to get within 14 points of the Hoosiers in a 20-15 loss two weeks ago.
“This is a team that’s capable, and the only limitations would be those we put on ourselves, ones between our ears,” Cignetti says. “This is a group of guys that do not think that way. We’re going to go into this game confident, believing, and we’re going to play well.”
Ohio State (9-1) represents IU’s biggest challenge of the season. It leads the Big Ten in scoring defense (allowing 10.3 points per game) and is second in scoring offense (37.8 points).
By comparison, IU has the best offense (43.9) and third-best defense (13.8).
Offensively, Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard completes 70.7 percent of his passes for 2,484 yards, 24 touchdowns, and five interceptions. He’s also rushed for 122 yards and six TDs.
Tailback Quinshon Judkins has rushed for 723 yards and eight touchdowns. Tailback TreVeyon Henderson has rushed for 662 yards and two touchdowns.
Receiver Jeremiah Smith has 49 catches for 865 yards and nine touchdowns. Receiver Emeka Egbuka has 49 catches for 612 yards and eight TDs.
The offense is directed by Chip Kelly, former college and NFL head coach.
“They are very skilled at the skill positions, and the offensive line is good,” Cignetti says. “Everybody knows about the running backs, receivers, quarterback, tight ends. Chip Kelly has done a great job offensively everywhere he’s been. They’ve got an excellent scheme. It puts defenses in conflict.
“They have it all. They really do.”
Defensively, safety Sonny Styles has a team-leading 63 tackles with 4.0 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss on a unit that thrives on goal-line stands.
IU hasn’t beaten the Buckeyes since 1988 at Memorial Stadium. Ohio State leads the series 80-12-5.
“Obviously, an excellent football team,” Cignetti said. “They’re one of the favorites to win the national championship. They have a lot of great players and are extremely well-coached. Their tradition speaks for itself.”
The Hoosiers’ approach will be as it has been all season — this is the biggest game of the season because it’s the next game.
“We treat them all alike,” Cignetti said. “If there was a better way to prepare for a certain team, we’d do that for every team.
“We have to stack moments, meetings, practices, and days to give ourselves the best chance to be successful. I’m confident in our team that we’ll prep well this week, play well, go in there, play with poise, and play our game.”
Cignetti’s offensive and defensive approaches have delivered winners everywhere he’s been in 14 years as a head coach, and in the decades before that as an assistant coach at schools such as Alabama and North Carolina State, in part because he has changed with the times.
“Offensively, I got out from under center about my fifth year as a head coach,” he said, “and I’ve definitely become more aggressive and attacking. I think as a young coach sometimes in big games I was a little conservative at times.
“Now, we attack. That’s just what we do.
“Defensively, we’ve always played good defense. Our schemes have evolved depending on who’s running the defense. I think (defensive coordinator) Bryant Haines has done a tremendous job with our defense here. We’re playing really good defense right now and have all season long.
“But, we attack there, too.
“We’re normally in the top 5 in the country in tackles for loss, sacks. Against the run, our guys may line up a little differently, play the play. We may have a few different looks than we did the year before, but we attack.”
Thanks to its second bye of the season, IU has had an extra week to prepare and rest following its bruising Michigan win.
“The off week came at a great time because it was a physical game,” Cignetii said. “We’d played a number of games in a row. It was good for everybody to catch a breather and get refreshed and recharged and gave us a little extra time on the next opponent.”
The bye week also gave the Hoosier coaches a chance to hit the recruiting road. Cignetti said this year’s success has boosted program interest on a national scale.
“When you win, it opens a lot of doors in a lot of areas, and recruiting is no different,” he said. “We have definitely reaped the rewards of being successful on the field.
“It’s an ongoing process. We’ve got a signing day coming up in a couple weeks, and then the portal will hit in December. Everything is on the up-and-up.”
IU’s attacking defense has produced Big Ten-leading totals in sacks (31) and tackles for loss (73) led by defensive lineman Mikail Kamara’s 9.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss.
The additions of Haines and standout players such as Kamara, linebackers Aiden Fisher and Jailin Walker, and cornerback D’Angelo Ponds to the Hoosiers from James Madison was a huge factor.
“That whole JMU crew that came over really facilitated the culture change here, and they’re all major contributors for the most part,” Cignetti said. “You’ve got some key guys playing at a high level. I think that familiarity with the program has been extremely beneficial.”
Cignetti has coached in multiple big games over the years. One came at Ohio State when he was the North Carolina State quarterbacks coach and future NFL standout Philip Rivers was the Wolfpack quarterback.
“We had a good team,” Cignetti said. “They had a good team. Philip Rivers had a good game and we came storming back. We had an opportunity to win, but didn’t get it done. We fell about six inches short of the goal line.”
Another big game came when Cignetti was coaching at Elon and played at James Madison. He said his 4-1 Elon team was a 38-point underdog — “I don’t know how, and we walked out of there with a win.”
Cignetti’s new eight-year, $8 million per year contract, plus an annual $1 million retention bonus, as well as planned upgrades to Memorial Stadium, reflect the university’s commitment to football.
“The university has made a very significant financial commitment to football in a lot of areas,” he said, “and I’m appreciative of the opportunity and to lead the program and continue to develop the program moving forward. I’m excited about our future.”
Cignetti could have waited to see what other coaching offers would come his way, but he saw IU had long-term potential.
“We’ve done a lot of good things. We’ve got a lot of people behind us. This is where I wanted to be. I played the what-if game with my wife and my agent three weeks ago, four weeks ago, and it all pointed to where I’m at right now.
“I’m glad we have that behind us and now we can focus on what we should be focused on this time of year.”
