NOTEBOOK: ‘Poise and Composure’ Fuel IU’s Unbeaten Start
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Curt Cignetti told you, didn’t he, told all of us on the day of his hiring, that he wins.
No Indiana head football coach had ever started 5-0 until Cignetti arrived in Bloomington.
The Hoosiers have gone from ranking non-existence to No. 23 in the Associated Press poll and No. 24 in the coaches’ poll, their first ranking since the opening week of the 2021 season and seek to continue that hot streak Saturday at Northwestern (2-2).
The outside world might be surprised at IU’s fast rise (the only other Hoosier teams to start 5-0 were in 1967 and 1910), but Cignetti isn’t. He’s never had a losing season as a head coach, and this team shows why. Offense, defense and special teams are clicking as they rarely have for the Hoosiers. He and his staff have a system, and it works.
“I'm not surprised,” he said Monday. “I pretty much told everybody when I got hired that this is what was possible, and I felt strongly about that after we brought the transfers in December and added a few more at the end of spring ball and saw the culture come together the way it did.
“But we had to put it on the field. I knew it was possible because I'd kind of been a part of something like this before.”
Cignetti’s winning system doesn’t involve ground-breaking innovation as much as it does consistency, effort, and focus. It worked at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, at Elon and at James Madison. Now, it works at IU.
“You've got a blueprint and a plan and you're creating a culture, an identity and a team mindset,” Cignetti said. “We want to be a tough, physical, relentless competitor that plays really hard one play at a time. It plays smart, disciplined, and poised. Never too high, never too low.
That's how all the teams (I’ve coached) have played. That's how we're trying to get this team to play.”
Poise under pressure, Cignetti said, comes from a stay-focused approach no matter what.
“To me, part of coaching is you're sending those messages in spring football practice, fall training camp on how are we going to respond when this happens, that happens. It's the way we play the game: Never too high, never too low.
“You're not emotional about the circumstances of the game. You're focused on the here and now and what's your job, keeping your poise and composure. When you get 11 guys doing their job consistently, that can happen.”
The reason it works, Cignetti added, is because of the people he’s hired and recruited.
“In recruiting, talent's important, but character is equally important.
"I sit down with all of them in my office because you want people that can buy into the team concept, understand commitment and discipline, hard work; that are moldable and not necessarily totally self-centered. It's all about people.”
Fan excitement grows with each victory. A season-high 48,323 watched last Saturday’s win over Maryland. Most stayed until the end.
“I think people are getting excited,” Cignetti said, “which is a natural part of that process. When you win, the stadium fills up more, it gets louder.
“Our team understands how fragile success can be and how important preparation is on a daily basis. I'm confident we'll handle today and this week the way we need to.”
Northwestern has beaten Eastern Illinois, 31-7, and Miami, 13-6. It lost to Washington, 24-5, and Duke, 26-20.
The Wildcats average 17.3 points and allow 15.8. Running back Cam Porter has rushed for 234 yards and three touchdowns, and averages 5.3 yards per carry.
Quarterback Mike Wright completes 57.6 percent of his passes for 354 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. Jack Lausch completes 48.3 percent of his passes for 280 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.
Joseph Himon II had a 96-yard kickoff return against Washington. He averages 43.6 yards per kickoff return.
“Northwestern is a tough challenge,” Cignetti said. “This will be the best defensive team we've played. They are extremely well-coached in the right places. They know what they're doing. They make you earn your points. They're not going to lose the game. You'll have to win it.
“Offensively, they’re struggling a little bit to get their rhythm going. The quarterback position has been a little inconsistent for them, but they have some dynamic guys. I’m looking forward to having a good week of preparation.”
How good has the offensive line play been this season? Consider IU has had more than 500 total yards in consecutive games -- 510 against Charlotte, 510 against Maryland. It also had 703 yards against Western Illinois. It has scored more than 40 points in four-straight games for the first time since the 2015 season. It averages 48.8 points a game.
While the skill players get the glory, it’s the guys up front who make it happen. A big credit, said Cignetti, goes to offensive line coach Bob Bostad, the only coach retained from the previous staff.
“Bob [Bostad] is a really good coach,” Cignetti said. “He's a fundamentalist. He's tough. He's hard-nosed. His guys embody that. They have a blue-collar work ethic. He makes them tough and physical, and he coaches them that way every single day. And I see it show up on Saturday.”