'We don't want to be a one-hit wonder': Expectations are on the rise for Indiana, Curt Cignetti
After an impressive first year under coach Curt Cignetti, what do the Hoosiers have in store for Year 2?
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So far the administration is backing up the talk with money keep coaches.'We don't want to be a one-hit wonder': Expectations are on the rise for Indiana, Curt Cignetti
After an impressive first year under coach Curt Cignetti, what do the Hoosiers have in store for Year 2?www.espn.com
First time I've read this. Admittedly, I haven't read a ton of stuff with Cig quotes since the season ended... but this was the first time I've read, or heard of, Cig talking about the realities of the OSU and ND games. For some reason, its nice to hear him say it out loud.'We don't want to be a one-hit wonder': Expectations are on the rise for Indiana, Curt Cignetti
After an impressive first year under coach Curt Cignetti, what do the Hoosiers have in store for Year 2?
Journos and the like miss a lot of context with our losses to OSU and ND. We all know they were the two teams in the national title game we played on the road. But they also had 4-5x the player payroll IU had and multiple top ranked recruiting classes they had built on, vs us in our first year with Cig and staff coming off three terrible seasons.
But that’s CFB. It’s cutthroat and I’m sure we learned a lot in those games.
But that’s CFB. It’s cutthroat and I’m sure we learned a lot in those games.
It was really the offense that crapped the bed in those two games. Haines had the D prepared for the most part.
Against OSU, the punter crapped his pants!
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Totally. I still think the OSU defense would have beat us in the 2nd half, but the game would have been closer.
While definitely out classed in talent and payroll by those 2 teams, the D was definitely ready to play. The O, especially the line, couldn’t match up with either team’s 4-5 star, future NFL studs. The O needs to be able to counter that kind of 5-6 man pressure with quick slants, shovel passes, draws and screens.
Even with the talent gap vs OSU, if not for the butterfingered punter accounting for a 23-yard lost fumble in the last minute, that should have been a 7-7 game at half. Then his bad punt to start the 2nd half, along with bad coverage, was all the Bucks needed to control things the rest of the way knowing how their D took control of our O.
Hopefully the silver linings of those 2 losses will be how precise you have to be on every play in big games to beat better teams. Hope we can get that opportunity again come December.
Even with the talent gap vs OSU, if not for the butterfingered punter accounting for a 23-yard lost fumble in the last minute, that should have been a 7-7 game at half. Then his bad punt to start the 2nd half, along with bad coverage, was all the Bucks needed to control things the rest of the way knowing how their D took control of our O.
Hopefully the silver linings of those 2 losses will be how precise you have to be on every play in big games to beat better teams. Hope we can get that opportunity again come December.
That big run they broke near the end was a major league hold by the o$u right tackle... He had his hand under our LB's shoulder pad and gained some serious leverage from that move...
We still would have lost but uncalled stuff like that has always left a bad taste in my mouth...
The reality is though that they'll always be "missed" calls like that especially Away so we'll just have to find a way to deal them... With this group I think we'll find a way to overcome those types of calls in the future...
We should fewer of this issues with "new IUFB" as it gains the reputation as belonging in the top tier in the B1G.
I've always felt that you had to dominate your opponent to the point that bad calls don't matter. Because they are coming.
Good post.
The OL was exposed in the OSU and ND games - - and also in the second half against UM in Bloomington.
I remember, after the Ohio State game, Cignetti suggesting that the problems were mostly missed assignments, communications errors, and the crowd noise necessitating a silent count. Now, several months later, he’s being much more candid, and I get that. A guy coaching a team to an historic season and vying for a playoff berth is not going to publicly admit a position group isn’t good enough to compete with the big boys, but that was clearly the case. In any event, it’s great to see these offseason upgrades on the OL.
Go Hoosiers!
And with Fernando, we'll be able to move the pocket if necessary from the oncoming rush. Plus Fernando is used to it after Cal's OL.
He took quite a lot of sacks at Cal. I know his OLine was atrocious, so sacks were inevitable. Just mildly concerned that with a number THAT high, that maybe he also isn't great sliding around in the pocket to avoid them? Unless he's as accurate as Rourke was, we're going to need him to be able to make some guys miss and make some plays off script... I think extending plays against elite pass rush's, is one of the things needed for IU to "take the next step", in my opinion. No matter how much they focused on, and addressed the OLine, they're still not on par with the athletes PSU and Oregon is going to throw at them, maybe even Iowa as well.
FM was constantly on the run last year because there was never a pocket. He still completed 66% of his passes.
Not worried a ton about IU "regressing"...just looking for ways for IU to improve and take another step forward.
And, by the way, that doesn't necessarily mean them going 12-0 and winning some CFP games. Its just being more competitive with the big boys, in my opinion. IU could have a better overall team this year, and still go 9-3 or 10-2 in the regular season.
Maybe what you reference is a sign Mendoza will be able to help IU do that? Just worried that he also took a ton of sacks, like Rourke did when we played teams with DLines better than our OLine. Its the games at Iowa, Oregon, and PSU that I'm squarely looking at.
I watched him twice last Fall and he is elusive when the pocket has broken down... If he'd had any help at all from his O-line and his D he'd have beaten Miami (with their 1 drafted QB...)...
Now he may well be still a little gun-shy given that he basically had about 1.1 seconds of pass pro on any given play last season (and 41 sacks) but I think that once he gets comfortable playing behind a decent line this Fall he'll be fine...
When we see the elite Big Ten pass rushers his previous experience of extending plays (w/o decent blocking) will serve him well...
I think IU improved the OL with who they brought in.
I think my two area of concerns next year are the interior defensive line and lack of depth at WR. Carpenter and West were an absolute load and huge assets who will surely be missed. I know we addressed that position in the portal, just unsure Wheeler and Radcliffe will be able to replace that production. That being said, I'm very encouraged by the prospects in 2025 and 2026 that we're bringing in.
Not only improved but depth created. One of Benson, Lynch, or Evans is going to be the odd man out at guard and all three have starting experience.
Our OL is now stronger, better than last year with the additions plus the returning guys have another year under Coach Bostad. Also Drew Evans will be back & healed. I see no reason to think we can't beat Ill. Iowa, Oregan & PSU.
I've said it before and I'll continue to say it - we won't sneak up on anyone this year. Teams have their game with us circled in red. We're going to start getting their best games.'We don't want to be a one-hit wonder': Expectations are on the rise for Indiana, Curt Cignetti
After an impressive first year under coach Curt Cignetti, what do the Hoosiers have in store for Year 2?
O$U and ND took us seriously last year. The O$U game had a lot of hype and the ND game was a CFP game. Those games exposed our weaknesses, but, as mentioned above, Cig and staff learned a ton from those games - really, their first against top level talent.
We'll be fine next year as long as we take every game seriously and stay focused. We may not win 11 games and still be a better team. But we might win more, too. That's what makes this fun.
Exactly. Which is why not crapping the bed this coming season is so important for this program. We have to keep closing that talent gap, and the only way we’ll do that is to continue to exceed expectations on the field.
We now know that one of the reasons why Rourke struggled extending plays, is because he was playing on an injured knee. Being able to 1) step up, side step, manipulate the pocket to gain an extra second or two...and then 2)Extending plays and picking up first downs and making plays off script... if we had even moderate levels of improvement in those 2 areas last year...who knows what would have happened. At a minimum, both the losses would have been much more competitive, and the doubts about how real IU's success were, largely wouldn't be there.
I'll also agree with IndyResident though too. I'm not sure our interior DLine got enough credit for how good they were last year. They didn't have Michigan's top end talent, but they were very nearly as dominant. And that allowed all other aspects of our defense more time to make plays.
Cignetti evaluated, recruited, and coached that d-line talent last year. I have no reason to assume he won’t continue to be able to do it.
I'm not disagreeing with you, just being a little more specific here...
Cignetti while I'm certain has the final say in regard to all recruiting evaluations appears to trust his staff (in this case : https://iuhoosiers.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/bryant-haines/4154)
to bring their evaluations to him for the final sign off...
Haines has shown he's worthy of that type of trust...
Like I've said before, as long as the staffs new big contracts don't go to their head, I feel we have one of the best ones man for man in college football today...
Watching his film at Cal, the guy had to do a whole lot of “off script” stuff just to get away from the sieve up front. He had to make a lot of quick reads. Nearly every DL they went against in the ACC was winning the battle up front against Cal.
One thing we Do know: he can take a Hit and get back up and keep Competing ... That tells me a lot about him right there...
He's almost too perfect. He's a sharp, articulata, good looking guy - right out of Hollywood. He could play himself in his life story.
Let's hope he gets to write a fairytale ending to it in National Championship game...
Just like John Cameron Swayze used to say, takes a licking and keeps on ticking.
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Hope you're right. The only distinguishing differences between last year's ND team and IU, in that game, were the 1 busted huge TD...and then Riley Leonard's ability to improvise and pick up third downs off script.
Just looking for ways to improve in the areas we need to improve. Hope Mendoza provides some of that.
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