Media Monday: Washington
10/21/2024 1:00:00 PM | Football
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –––– After the 56-7 win over Nebraska in Week 8, Indiana head football coach Curt Cignetti addressed the media inside the Don Croftcheck Football Team Room on Monday (Oct. 21) ahead of the Saturday (Oct. 26) afternoon kickoff against Washington at Memorial Stadium.
Below is a full transcript of the press conference, while video of the media session can be found on the right sidebar at IUHoosiers.com.
Curt Cignetti | Head Coach
Opening Statement
CC: Right off the bat, Kurtis Rourke will not play this week. We do expect him to return during regular season with a thumb injury. That's all I'll say about the injury.
We have 100% confidence, and the team has 100% confidence, I have confidence, the staff has confidence in Tayven Jackson. I thought he played really well in the second half.
We got a tough challenge this week against a good football team, Washington. A lot of playmakers on offense, good defense. Like to pressure. Not giving up a lot of points. A lot of respect for Coach Fisch. A very well-coached team.
Really was very impressed with his team last season, Arizona, where he turned that program around, the way they finished. I think they won their last eight games, maybe nine. Playing about as well as anybody in the country last season. They're a good football team. Got to have a great week.
Questions.
On if he had a message for Kurtis Rourke after he got hurt…
CC: No, he's a veteran guy, married guy. He's older, smart. Got a great attitude about it.
On how Tayven Jackson gets a whole week to prep for his start…
CC: Yeah, exactly. I thought he came in, did a nice job in the second half. Now he'll get more repetitions, which will help him prepare for the game on Saturday.
He's a guy that's extremely capable, extremely capable. I'm sure he'll rise to the occasion.
On how his experience at Elon compares to when he took over at Indiana…
CC: I drew parallels to that early on when I was hired, having gone through that one time before.
One of the differences is we won a lot of close games there. We had eight wins in a row. They almost all went down to the last play of the game. Whereas here, we've been pretty dominant in our performances. Haven't trailed.
But they were similar situations, yes.
On the recruiting impact of being on FOX Big Noon Kickoff and ESPN's College GameDay…
CC: Well, I think it's great exposure for the football program and the university. Now we got to do our part on Saturday. You guys all know the best way to do that is to have a great day today, great meeting, great walk-through, stack good days, which is what we have to do.
On what he likes from Terry Jones Jr.'s recent play…
CC: Yeah, he's done a nice job on special teams. Got an opportunity on Saturday. An aggressive player. Played a lot of football. Had over a hundred tackles at ODU (Old Dominion) last season.
Put Ferrell at strong safety. We like the way that played out on Saturday. I thought we played really well on defense. Created five turnovers. Had 28 points off of turnovers Saturday, which you don't see that very often.
The offense I thought did a great job, red area, seven for seven touchdowns. We out-rushed them pretty significantly.
But Terry, I thought he did a nice job.
On the benefit of Tavyen Jackson getting to play an entire half against Nebraska…
CC: Well, and played well, right? He's played this year, so...
We always talk about the next man up. Everybody's here for a reason, right? In this sport, you're going to have injuries at every single position. It's a lot different when you're the starter, right?
I'm sure he was excited about it. The team rallied around him at halftime. We outscored them 28-0 in the second half.
On how College GameDay coming to town validates the work of the team…
CC: Yeah, they're here for a reason: we're winning games, creating a lot of excitement. That adds to the excitement. Once again, we got to do our part.
On his expectations for the Indiana secondary handling Washington's receivers on the outside…
CC: They got a really big offensive line, big tight ends, big running back, experienced quarterback. Another quarterback that's got really good athleticism, can throw the ball also. I like their wideouts a lot.
They're going to be a big challenge. They got a really good scheme. We're going to have to fly around, swarm the ball, win up front, put pressure on the quarterback, stop the run, cover, create some turnovers, offensively win the line of scrimmage, be balanced. Lot of man-to-man coverage from Washington. Handle the blitzes, be good in critical situations.
The keys of the game really never change.
On the mentorship that Kurtis Rourke can provide Tavyen Jackson…
CC: Yeah, I think it's good. I saw them supporting one another during the game. The way Kurtis prepares and practices, he's a good role model for the younger quarterbacks.
Everybody needs a role model, right? So, he'll be on the sideline Saturday. He'll be a plus.
On where he has seen Jackson improve the most…
CC: Well, I think you see it during the games when he gets his opportunity, how he's responded, how he responded on Saturday. He's a year older. It's a different offense. It's a different system. Tino does a great job of developing the quarterbacks.
He's got excellent potential. He's gotten better. Now he's got an opportunity. He's got to take it and run with it.
On how Tino Sunseri develops his quarterbacks for success…
CC: He's a really good quarterback coach. Has great relationships with those guys. Student of the game. Communicates really well.
I think offensively we do a nice job in terms of our system, giving the quarterback answers. Every play's got an answer. We build the offense around the quarterback.
I mean, the last four have been Player of the Year in the league, the previous two were one-year transfers that only had moderate success at the places they'd been in the past. One was a dual, one was a pocket guy, two were in between.
I just think we do a nice job developing quarterbacks. It's a group effort, team effort. Since Tino has been here, I think he's taken those guys to another level. This will be his fourth year with me, yeah.
On how Indiana's offense found success on the ground against Nebraska…
CC: One, you're balanced. We throw RPOs, too. We're not running in stacked boxes. We throw the ball efficiently, too, so you can't load up against us. But we blocked them up front really well. Our backs made people miss. Downfield blocking was good.
It was an explosive day, no doubt about it. We capitalized on our opportunities, many of which were created by our defense.
On the key to the offensive line's success on Saturday…
CC: I really haven't measured it against another performance. Those five guys have been in there almost every single play all season long. They're tough, hard-nosed, blue-collar type guys. Coach (Bob) Bostad has done a great job of developing them. They're on the same page. They function really well together. They're a tough, physical group.
I'm not surprised by what they did on Saturday. Not at all.
On if he and Lee Corso ever have crossed paths…
CC: Well, (College) Gameday came to JMU (James Madison) last season. My wife and I made sure we spent about 10 minutes with Coach Corso beforehand. I called him on his birthday a month or two ago. He called back. We had a nice conversation.
Been aware of him obviously for a long time. I can think all the way back to when we were at West Virginia. There were only nine bowls back then, right? Final bowl spot, the Peach Bowl, I think it was '72, came down to West Virginia and a 9-1 Louisville team coached by Lee Corso. West Virginia waxed Syracuse pretty good and got the bid. That was probably the first time I was aware of who he was, yeah.
Thank you.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
Below is a full transcript of the press conference, while video of the media session can be found on the right sidebar at IUHoosiers.com.
Curt Cignetti | Head Coach
Opening Statement
CC: Right off the bat, Kurtis Rourke will not play this week. We do expect him to return during regular season with a thumb injury. That's all I'll say about the injury.
We have 100% confidence, and the team has 100% confidence, I have confidence, the staff has confidence in Tayven Jackson. I thought he played really well in the second half.
We got a tough challenge this week against a good football team, Washington. A lot of playmakers on offense, good defense. Like to pressure. Not giving up a lot of points. A lot of respect for Coach Fisch. A very well-coached team.
Really was very impressed with his team last season, Arizona, where he turned that program around, the way they finished. I think they won their last eight games, maybe nine. Playing about as well as anybody in the country last season. They're a good football team. Got to have a great week.
Questions.
On if he had a message for Kurtis Rourke after he got hurt…
CC: No, he's a veteran guy, married guy. He's older, smart. Got a great attitude about it.
On how Tayven Jackson gets a whole week to prep for his start…
CC: Yeah, exactly. I thought he came in, did a nice job in the second half. Now he'll get more repetitions, which will help him prepare for the game on Saturday.
He's a guy that's extremely capable, extremely capable. I'm sure he'll rise to the occasion.
On how his experience at Elon compares to when he took over at Indiana…
CC: I drew parallels to that early on when I was hired, having gone through that one time before.
One of the differences is we won a lot of close games there. We had eight wins in a row. They almost all went down to the last play of the game. Whereas here, we've been pretty dominant in our performances. Haven't trailed.
But they were similar situations, yes.
On the recruiting impact of being on FOX Big Noon Kickoff and ESPN's College GameDay…
CC: Well, I think it's great exposure for the football program and the university. Now we got to do our part on Saturday. You guys all know the best way to do that is to have a great day today, great meeting, great walk-through, stack good days, which is what we have to do.
On what he likes from Terry Jones Jr.'s recent play…
CC: Yeah, he's done a nice job on special teams. Got an opportunity on Saturday. An aggressive player. Played a lot of football. Had over a hundred tackles at ODU (Old Dominion) last season.
Put Ferrell at strong safety. We like the way that played out on Saturday. I thought we played really well on defense. Created five turnovers. Had 28 points off of turnovers Saturday, which you don't see that very often.
The offense I thought did a great job, red area, seven for seven touchdowns. We out-rushed them pretty significantly.
But Terry, I thought he did a nice job.
On the benefit of Tavyen Jackson getting to play an entire half against Nebraska…
CC: Well, and played well, right? He's played this year, so...
We always talk about the next man up. Everybody's here for a reason, right? In this sport, you're going to have injuries at every single position. It's a lot different when you're the starter, right?
I'm sure he was excited about it. The team rallied around him at halftime. We outscored them 28-0 in the second half.
On how College GameDay coming to town validates the work of the team…
CC: Yeah, they're here for a reason: we're winning games, creating a lot of excitement. That adds to the excitement. Once again, we got to do our part.
On his expectations for the Indiana secondary handling Washington's receivers on the outside…
CC: They got a really big offensive line, big tight ends, big running back, experienced quarterback. Another quarterback that's got really good athleticism, can throw the ball also. I like their wideouts a lot.
They're going to be a big challenge. They got a really good scheme. We're going to have to fly around, swarm the ball, win up front, put pressure on the quarterback, stop the run, cover, create some turnovers, offensively win the line of scrimmage, be balanced. Lot of man-to-man coverage from Washington. Handle the blitzes, be good in critical situations.
The keys of the game really never change.
On the mentorship that Kurtis Rourke can provide Tavyen Jackson…
CC: Yeah, I think it's good. I saw them supporting one another during the game. The way Kurtis prepares and practices, he's a good role model for the younger quarterbacks.
Everybody needs a role model, right? So, he'll be on the sideline Saturday. He'll be a plus.
On where he has seen Jackson improve the most…
CC: Well, I think you see it during the games when he gets his opportunity, how he's responded, how he responded on Saturday. He's a year older. It's a different offense. It's a different system. Tino does a great job of developing the quarterbacks.
He's got excellent potential. He's gotten better. Now he's got an opportunity. He's got to take it and run with it.
On how Tino Sunseri develops his quarterbacks for success…
CC: He's a really good quarterback coach. Has great relationships with those guys. Student of the game. Communicates really well.
I think offensively we do a nice job in terms of our system, giving the quarterback answers. Every play's got an answer. We build the offense around the quarterback.
I mean, the last four have been Player of the Year in the league, the previous two were one-year transfers that only had moderate success at the places they'd been in the past. One was a dual, one was a pocket guy, two were in between.
I just think we do a nice job developing quarterbacks. It's a group effort, team effort. Since Tino has been here, I think he's taken those guys to another level. This will be his fourth year with me, yeah.
On how Indiana's offense found success on the ground against Nebraska…
CC: One, you're balanced. We throw RPOs, too. We're not running in stacked boxes. We throw the ball efficiently, too, so you can't load up against us. But we blocked them up front really well. Our backs made people miss. Downfield blocking was good.
It was an explosive day, no doubt about it. We capitalized on our opportunities, many of which were created by our defense.
On the key to the offensive line's success on Saturday…
CC: I really haven't measured it against another performance. Those five guys have been in there almost every single play all season long. They're tough, hard-nosed, blue-collar type guys. Coach (Bob) Bostad has done a great job of developing them. They're on the same page. They function really well together. They're a tough, physical group.
I'm not surprised by what they did on Saturday. Not at all.
On if he and Lee Corso ever have crossed paths…
CC: Well, (College) Gameday came to JMU (James Madison) last season. My wife and I made sure we spent about 10 minutes with Coach Corso beforehand. I called him on his birthday a month or two ago. He called back. We had a nice conversation.
Been aware of him obviously for a long time. I can think all the way back to when we were at West Virginia. There were only nine bowls back then, right? Final bowl spot, the Peach Bowl, I think it was '72, came down to West Virginia and a 9-1 Louisville team coached by Lee Corso. West Virginia waxed Syracuse pretty good and got the bid. That was probably the first time I was aware of who he was, yeah.
Thank you.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
#NeverDaunted
Players Mentioned
FB: Roman Hemby Media Availability (9/9/25)
Tuesday, September 09
FB: Elijah Sarratt Media Availability (9/9/25)
Tuesday, September 09
FB: Week 3 (Indiana State) - Curt Cignetti Press Conference
Monday, September 08
FB: Elijah Sarratt - KSU Postgame Press Conference (09/06/25)
Saturday, September 06