Preparation key for West, IU against Ohio State
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Ohio State week is here. It is, for sure, Indiana’s biggest game because it is the only game that matters. The fifth-ranked Hoosiers (10-0 overall, 6-0 in the Big Ten) play at No. 2 Ohio State (9-1, 5-1) on Saturday.
Here is defensive tackle CJ West, a key figure in Indiana’s dramatic rise to national prominence, one of the transfers who have remade the Hoosiers in head coach Curt Cignetti’s win-now image. They are 10-0 for the first time in school history and rank fifth in playoff ratings.
It’s an impressive turnaround given IU won a combined nine games in the previous three seasons.
“It’s preparation,” West says. “It’s preparing like you know you’re going to win. That makes the difference.”
The 6-foot-2, 317-pound West has been a big difference-maker in his first Hoosier season after transferring from Kent State in the off-season. He has 30 tackles, including 5.0 for loss, with 2.0 sacks. He’s forced a fumble and broken up a pass.
“He’s a really big person with good initial quickness,” Cignetti says.
West is part of a defense that leads the Big Ten in sacks (31) and tackles for loss (73). Top-ranked Oregon is second with 29 sacks and 63 tackles for loss.
“It goes with our preparation,” West says. “Every day we work as hard as possible, like it’s a game. Sometimes practices are harder than a game. That shows how serious our preparation is and what we do during the week to prepare for Saturday.”
With Cignetti setting the tone and overseeing the entire program, it is defensive coordinator Bryant Haines and defensive tackles coach Pat Kuntz who work most closely with West and the other defensive players.
“They come with energy every day,” West says. “They come to practice as if it’s a game. If you have that game mentality in practice, you’ll be good when it’s game time.”
The Hoosiers have been very good, in part because the influence of Haines and Kuntz extends well beyond sports, West says.
“They prepare us for more than football. They prepare us for life.”
Still, they don’t neglect football.
“Hard times come during the week,” West says. “There are (opposing offensive) schemes that really challenge us. It’s about having that preparation so no matter what, even if something bad happens, you’ll have an opportunity to make it right. That’s a big thing for us.”
As an All-Mid-American Conference player at Kent State, West drew plenty of national attention when he decided to transfer after a season in which he totaled 40 tackles, 7.0 for loss and 2.0 sacks. Ultimately, he chose the Hoosiers over multiple other offers, including one from Michigan.
“The transfer portal is a whirlwind,” West says. “It was where I thought was the best fit for me. It wasn’t about the fanciest school or the biggest school, it was where I thought I’d develop the most. It was about who cares for their players the most.”
Even though Cignetti and his staff had just arrived in Bloomington, their develop-players approach and winning culture made a big impression, especially with West coming off a 1-11 season at Kent State.
“Coach Cig has been winning for a long time. I wanted to be in that winning culture. He’s a great guy. He’s a funny guy. He might seem like he’s super serious, but he has a great side to him. When it’s time for business and time to work, it’s time to work. When it’s time to chill, he does that, too.”
IU’s sales pitch was simple:
“Coaches told me, we need some defensive tackles here,” West says. “We need you to give us everything you got and we’ll give it all to you.”
West says he quickly fit in on a remade Indiana roster that included 13 transfers from James Madison, where Cignetti had coached until joining the Hoosiers last November.
“It was an easy bond,” West says. “I got the hang of the defensive schemes pretty fast. I fit in well with the JMU guys and all the guys. They accepted me. They found me as family.”
It’s become quite a family. The Hoosiers thrive with offensive and defensive dominance. They lead the Big Ten in scoring (43.9 points) and are third in points allowed (13.8).
For comparison, Ohio State leads in scoring defense (10.3 points allowed) and is second in scoring (37.8).
However, against Michigan, IU’s previously prolific offense was stuffed in the second half. It managed just 14 yards and three points in the final two quarters.
The defense ensured that was enough in a 20-15 win because, West says, the Hoosiers are prepared for any challenge.
“Things happen in football. You prepare for mistakes to happen. We do what we do. We know our training.
“The offense and defense feed off of each other’s energy. Everybody is connected no matter which side of the ball you’re on. The offense does some good things for us, let’s do some good things for them.”