Postgame Quotes vs. Nebraska
10/19/2024 5:30:00 PM | Football
Postgame Quotes
Nebraska at Indiana
October 19, 2024
Nebraska at Indiana
October 19, 2024
Curt Cignetti | Indiana Head Coach
Opening Statement
CC: Great win. Featured game. Proud of the way we approached this week and our effort today. Big game because it was this game. Dominant win.
I know people are going to ask me about Kurtis Rourke. Thought he played really well in the first half. He had a thumb on a helmet, nail kind of came off. We'll know more tomorrow. But optimistic.
And let me say this. Shawn Asbury's play was probably the big play in the game. There was a lot of big plays in that game, but that was a real momentum-turning play.
Thought our offensive line did a great job. We dropped our first ball of the year at receiver at the end of the game. The defense kind of got to a point there where it made it really hard on Nebraska.
Good win against a team that's got a good tradition and history that a lot of people thought was a good football team.
On what this win says about this team with a bye week and all the possible distractions …
CC: It's a veteran team with the right kind of guys. Got a good staff. It all starts at the top. I'm not going to let them get complacent, or the coaches either. I was a maniac in the fourth quarter of this game, a maniac. But we responded.
It was a tight game like I said, then we broke it open with some key plays. Back-shoulder catches got us going, hit a couple runs. They couldn't answer. They took it down the field, had a chance to really make it a game. Asbury made that big play. I think it was fourth and eight when he made that big play. Says a lot about the character on this football team.
Got a lot of experience on this football team. Enjoy tonight. We're the same guys that we were this morning when we woke up, right? We just kind of overcame another challenge.
On the physicality of your O-line and the way your backs took advantage of those opportunities…
CC: We got some real blue-collar guys up front coached by a blue-collar guy. Coach Bostad is an old-school line coach. Put a good day's work in. Never coached for a guy like me that gets them off the field like I do (smiling).
Those guys are tight, they're tough guys. Those backs we got, they're all about the same. They're good players. Perimeter blocking is important, too. Explosive plays happen with great downfield blocking, so...
On your assessment of Tayven Jackson and his performance today…
CC: I mean, he's always been the backup quarterback. I thought he played well his first opportunity at home. Second opportunity at home okay. Guy still has to practice better. It's hard to be the second-string quarterback because you don't get many reps. We put a lot of new stuff in in the pass game week to week. You look at the variables in terms of their coverages and defenses, right?
But I thought he went in there and did a good job. I had confidence. Team had confidence. I was proud of him.
On your rationale for having Terry Jones and Bryson Bonds play and your evaluation of their performance…
CC: Yeah, Terry Jones started and played most of the game. Ferrell started at strong safety this week. Bryson Bonds went in when Shawn Asbury started cramping after the interception.
Terry Jones got a lot of reps at rover today. We'll see what the tape looks like.
On the crowd and atmosphere in the stadium…
CC: I notice 'em. It was great because it was sold out. Michigan is sold out. Got to get Washington sold out still.
There's a lot of excitement a lot of places, which is awesome. I could tell they were really loud. We did have some people leave, which I understand, as the game waned on. We had a pretty big lead. Always on Scott and his crew about in-game entertainment, music selection in the second half.
Keep winning, people are going to come. I felt confident it could happen here like that, too, because I'd done it at one other place that was very similar to this going in.
On what you did to throw off (Dylan) Raoila today…
CC: They threw the ball a lot more than they had. Then they got behind, they had to throw the ball more. So he's under pressure. Then he's in some tough down and distance situations. Maybe he's forcing the ball. He's young. Very talented guy, but he's young. We made some nice plays out there.
On what this win against a top defense say about your team…
CC: I think this says a lot about our team. I know there was a national perception that Nebraska had a pretty legit defense on a national scale. So that will open their eyes, okay?
I think this is a great team win.
On the teams offense and when the confidence and poise was developed…
CC: No, I think with success comes belief, which comes confidence, which comes success, right? It's that cycle. I think you saw that really kind of start against Western Illinois. Wasn't a great team, but we played well. We went to UCLA and you just have seen it build off every other week.
On the Hoosier's run game…
CC: They probably had some nice holes. The box count was probably in our favor, which tells me they were probably overplaying the RPOs. We were handing the ball off and gaining yards.
On what the team needs to do to withstand having a target on their backs…
CC: Yeah, you guys make that stuff up, right?
Look, this is the here and now. This is where my feet are, right? I have to be focused, locked in, learning and have a great attitude rub off on other people positively as a teammate, okay? An hour from now is a concept. Tomorrow is a concept. All there is is the here and now.
You want to improve as much as you can on a daily basis. We have a process. If there was a better way to handle it, you know what I mean, we'd have been doing that a long time ago (smiling). This is the way, right?
You go on the field, and the margin for error is like that, right? The guy catches the ball for a touchdown. That much more the DB would have tipped it away. That's athletics.
We got to put ourselves in the best position. If you prepare properly, anything's possible.
On what allowed Kurtis to get off to a better start…
CC: I thought he played really well. Made plays. Ran a little bit, too. The wideouts made some catches. He threw some nice balls on those back shoulders, and those wideouts made some real nice catches.
Thank you.
Indiana Student-Athletes
Ty Son Lawton |RB |Redshirt Senior+
On what running the football does for the offense…
TL: If you run it well, it opens up the pass. But I feel like we're a very balanced team. We can run the ball, and we can pass the ball.
On how their play affects the atmosphere in Memorial Stadium…
TL: For some guys, I feel like the crowd definitely makes them play better. But, I kind of tune that stuff out. I do see them there, but you can't miss them. I'm not really worried about the crowd.
On the talent in the running back room…
TL: It was great. It is the next man up mentality, there are three of us that can be the starter. So you just have to keep your head steady and ready.
On the belief of everybody on the team to get to this point in the season…
TL: You've just got to trust your teammates, simple as that. We went out there for instance, Kurt was down, so it's the next man up mentality. We all gave him the boost he needed, and we went out there and had to help him out.
On being 7-0…
TL: I'm not surprised, I'm not surprised at all. It feels like last year. It feels like last year at JMU, just winning every game.
Shawn Asbury II | Senior | DB
On thinking about statement wins…
SA: No, we are going to play anybody on the schedule, and we are going to try and win games. It doesn't matter about statement wins, who it is, who our opponent is. We are just going to go out and try to get a win every week.
On where the teams confidence and swagger came from…
SA: It comes from coaches. We work hard everyday. Tt just helps us play with confidence. So, it comes from coaching.
On seeing a mindset shift preseason…
SA: I came here in the summer. So, definitely in the summer we went hard. Hitting the weight room, starting with the weight room and seven on seven. Whatever it was we went hard, so when the season comes it'll be easier.
D'Angelo Ponds | Sophomore | DB
On the if the games moving forward are statement wins…
DP: I feel like outside looking in it's a statement win, but the guys in here know what we are supposed to do. We are not surprised at all. So, not really.
On Coach Cignetti expecting the team to win…
DP: That's just a part of switching the culture here. He came from a winning program. Like he said, he wins. So he doesn't expect anything less.
On if winning here feels different than JMU…
DP: Coming from a winning culture, it doesn't feel too different. But I know we are making history here, so it's definitely different though.
On the offense putting up so many points on a top defense in the Big Ten…
MC: We know what to do when we come to play. We'll take our chances against anybody in the nation. I'm confident that we had a good game plan going into the game, and we executed that plan.
On the talks regarding strength of schedule…
MC: We don't care about that. We will play whoever they put out there for us. Whoever they put out there, we will be ready to play. That's all that matters to us.
On the confidence in Tayven Jackson coming into the game…
MC: It doesn't matter who's out there. We are going to play to win, no matter what. It's always the next man up mentality, and that's the standard that we are required to have going into any game. If anybody goes down, we have to be ready for some else to step in and make those plays.
On playing in the atmosphere…
MC: It was absolutely incredible. We definitely fed off the crowd and used that to build off of.
Justice Ellison | RB | Sr.+
On it being a fun day in the office…
JE: It was a wonderful day in the office. It was pretty much a statement game. Going into the game, we knew we had a chip on our shoulder, and it was great to be with the guys and come in and get that kind of outcome. It's always good to be humble and to respect your opponents. They come in and put their pads on just like us, but when it comes to the game, you want to be able to dominate no matter who you play. I had to focus on that, being a leader. Hats off to their defense. While it didn't always look like it, they had us rattled in the beginning of the game.
On the idea of running away with the game…
JE: I saw the first drive. I got a good sense of what they were giving me after playing a lot of games in my college career. Our coaches kept telling us all week, "you don't have to be superman, just play what they're giving you." They give you those inside runs, we will just take them and run away with it. I think we did a wonderful job with our execution which allowed us to make those explosive plays on the backend as far as running the ball and passing the ball. But we have to continue to have that humble mindset.
On having the first big run of the game…
JE: Having that first run was important. Setting the tone is everything. You wake up everyday, and you're happy to have your job. You have a smile on your face, and that allows you to have a great day.
Jailin Walker | LB | Sr.
On the offense allowing the defense to relax…
JW: We just play every stop. If we're up by 50, 100 or we're down, we will play every stop like usual: real, physical and fast. We play the game like it's 0-0, no matter what the score is.
On the atmosphere…
JW: I've never played with an atmosphere like this. Shout out to the crowd. They came in loud, and it motivated us to play fast. It was amazing.
On forcing Nebraska's offense into mistakes…
JW: It was our game plan. We knew they were a great team. Our mindset was that the only way we were going to lose this game was by beating ourselves and each other. So, we came in here and used our detailed game plan and played our ball.
On Nebraska getting rattled…
JW: Definitely. When teams go down, sometimes they doubt themselves, and we knew we had to put the gas pedal down and not let off. We just kept going play by play at full speed.
Matt Rhule| Nebraska Head Coach
Opening Statement…
MR: We've been together now for about a year and a half and this is the first time (Nebraska Football) has looked like this. I am obviously very, very disappointed, but I would be totally remiss if I did not give a ton of credit to coach (Curt) Cignetti and what he has done (at Indiana) with the way that they play offense, defense and special teams. Just a ton of credit. On our end, as I told the guys in (the locker room), this happened on my watch. I did not see this coming. I thought we were going to play great. They exploited a lot of things on us. We had some opportunities. We started with the ball on the two yard line, getting a couple of chances to get off the field on the first drive, and we couldn't make those plays. We have a chance to answer. We step out on the two (yard line), we fumble the ball in the red zone, but at the end of the day, we couldn't really tackle the back today to stop the run. They made a lot of big plays today in the passing game. This was just bad football by us. I'm not embarrassed of our players. I'm embarrassed of the job I did. I have to do a better job next week and the weeks after. I didn't sense any quit in the guys. I could have kept the score down by punting on a few of those fourth downs, or not throwing it and just seeing the game. That was really important for our team to go through this. We continue to try to attack. There are a bunch of young players. The Dylan's (Rialoa) of the world, I want them to have those throws and opportunities to try and fight back. We just weren't able to get anything done on all three sides of the ball today. Very disappointing. I appreciate all of the fans that came (to Bloomington). I appreciate everyone that supports us. This was certainly not good enough by any stretch, and for that I'm sorry.
On what Indiana exploited in Nebraska's game today…
MR: They put us in a run, pass bind with an RPO game in a couple of big plays. They attacked us with some crack screens, which is the same stuff we do. They blocked us well on the perimeter. I thought a lot of it was that we didn't tackle well, and they were finding seams, missing tackles and even though it might seem like a little thing now and then. But all of a sudden instead of it being second and seven, it's first and ten again. They threw the ball up, and they went up and got the ball. That makes it hard for Tony as he's trying to play some man. We couldn;t sack the quarterback. We really didn't make the play to get them off of the field. Malcolm made the one play before the half where he jumped up and knocked away the post. That was really the only one we had. I haven't seen a game like that defensively even if you go back to Michigan last year. Obviously, that game got away from us, but there was never a day where we couldn't get a stop. I think they only used the punt return team in the fourth quarter. They played fast. They played decisively, and their backs ran hard and got after it.
On what you saw from the effort of the players…
MR: It was 28-7 coming out of the half. We drove the ball down and threw the pick on fourth down. I have been a part of some bad teams where a guy is off on the side throwing his helmet and quitting. I didn't see that. I'm glad we continued to play. As we got into the fourth (quarter), that game was decided, which is disappointing. We played so many young players and they made mistakes, but I think it was the interceptions which led to touchdowns for (Indiana). I do believe in games like this that there are a ton of lessons and opportunities getting out there offensively driving the ball and defensively playing some of the young players. You give guys the chance to get reps versus a really good team. I thought (Indiana) had our number today. That's the part that really infuriates me as the head coach. People point at this person and that person. They should be pointing at me. I can usually see things coming. I can tell you right now, I did not see this coming. Credit to them. I don't want to take anything away from them. They are an excellent football team. I did not see this coming.
On his biggest concern offensively today…
MR: There is nothing happening that is easy and routine. You have a one-on-one bubble out there and catch it. Their length is 20 yards on the same play and we're getting tackled for no gain. It's one thing when you're throwing it into bad coverage. I'm not putting that on the players or anybody. Even when you think you have a good play, we're just not clicking. We wanted to play that game differently. Our hope was to come out and get in big people, run the ball, play action and be violent. We had that going when we ran the ball on that drive when we fumbled in the red zone. We came back and did some different things and scored. We made it 14-7. As it got away from us, we dropped back to get back in the game. We weren't going to win just dropping back and throwing every play. We needed to get the run game with it. As the score got away from us, we got away from the game plan offensively. I'm not throwing that on the guys. We have to find better ways to get our guys to play. We made some great catches, but the run after catch, explosive type plays have always been tackled and having to snap again. You like the 80-yard play. You like the 40-yard play. I think that's what I saw today.
Nebraska Student-Athletes
Dylan Raiola | QB | Fr.
On what was challenging about the game today…
DR: I think their offense did a great job of executing and that put a lot of pressure on us. We obviously wanted to move the ball better than we did today, but it is what it is right now. It stings, but we just have to learn from it and move on.
On the interception in the first drive of the second half and what he saw there…
DR: I just have to give him a better ball or give someone else a chance to make a play there. That's definitely one of the plays I want back, so just have to look at it and learn from it.
On what Indiana's defense was doing that made things difficult…
DR: I think my offensive line did a great job of protecting. They did a good job of getting under things. I don't really think there was anything challenging from a scheme standpoint. It's unfortunate, but like I said, we can't worry about it now.
On the challenging game ahead in Columbus…
DR: It starts tomorrow. I don't doubt that we'll come back from this loss and be ready to go. Come next week, we have an exciting opportunity ahead of us, and I know we'll take advantage of it and make something happen.
Jimari Butler |DL | Jr.
On what Nebraska can do to bounce back…
JB: I mean really just having a quick memory because we're back on the road in the same position next week. Monday, we're getting in and watching film and taking what we can away from that.
On how Nebraska struggled with confidence today…
JB: A lot of times when plays don't go our way, we get down on ourselves. That's where the standard comes in. We set that standard, but we have to play to it.
On how he felt coming out of the bye week…
JB: I felt good. I felt that the game plan was good. We just didn't get it done. When we watch everything, we just have to have a quick memory because we're gonna be in the same position next week.
On what factors contributed to Indiana's offensive success…
JB: Their perimeter game. It really took our defensive line out of the game.
On if there was any surprise in how well Indiana ran the ball…
JB: No, I'm not surprised at all. They're a great team. They have great backs. They see a hole, and they get north to south fast. So no, I wasn't really surprised.
Players Mentioned
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