Indiana University Athletics
Media Monday: Sunday Edition (College Football Playoff)
12/8/2024 7:15:00 PM | Football
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –––– Indiana football head coach Curt Cignetti, junior linebacker Aiden Fisher and redshirt senior quarterback Kurtis Rourke met with the media on Sunday (Dec. 8) following the Hoosiers' selection to the College Football Playoff.
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: Okay. Busy day today. Obviously, the big news, we find out who our opponent will be for the first round of the college football playoffs and still juggling portal evaluation with official visits coming in this week and game prep and practice. So quite a busy month.
Notre Dame, I'll be honest, saw them on tape against Purdue, and we're getting ready for Purdue, obviously a very good football team. They've won ten in a row. Coach Freeman has done a tremendous job with that football team.
I've looked at their stats, haven't had a chance to watch them today with all the media stuff going on, but I saw enough of them against Purdue to know that they're an excellent football team, and when you look at their scores, they haven't played in very many close games. So, I'm sure they'll be quite the challenge, but we're looking forward to it. We're a good football team.
I'm confident in our football team. I think that we'll apply the lessons learned at a high stake when we had to go on the road in a hostile environment against a good football team and apply those up at Notre Dame. We're going to have a great week of prep.
On how he addresses the issues Indiana had in its last road game looking ahead to the CFP road game…
CC: I think we addressed the high-stake issues with the team Monday after the game. Then in terms of -- you know, last week we did a Monday routine, which is kind of a walk-through, 20-minute walk-through on offense, 5-minute on punt, about 10 minutes of individual, stretch, strides, six 60s. That's our Monday routine. We review the Purdue game and we preview the next opponent.
We didn't know who the next opponent would be. We previewed Georgia for 15 minutes and worked against them in a 20-minute walk-through, just some base first and 10, P10 defenses, or plays that they run, top three runs, top three passes.
The next day, which was a Tuesday practice, off-week Tuesday, about an hour and 10-minute practice, we worked the highest state, corrections, base looks, same thing.
Wednesday, which is similar practice to Tuesday, we did work Notre Dame P10, first and 10. Tuesday is punt, punt return. Wednesday is kickoff, kickoff return, PAT, field goal.
So those practices occurred on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, but they were Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday type practices. So that's where we're at.
On not getting selected for a first-round home game…
CC: That's all in the past. Our eyes are forward right now on what we've got to get done in terms of preparation for the next opponent and also handling the other things that coaches have to handle nowadays in December.
This team's accomplished a lot. I'm proud of what they've accomplished. I think the coaches have done a great job, players have done a great job. But in saying that, no one's satisfied. No one's satisfied. The players are hungry for more, the coaches are hungry for more.
On how he keeps the team focused with all of the outside noise…
CC: I'm not really concerned about rat poison right now. Keeping the main thing the main thing is the main thing. I think we did a pretty good job of that last week, and we've got to do it again this week. Next week got to have a good week of preparation, stack days to put ourselves in the best position.
I think Dan Lanning's situation might be a little different because they're coming off a championship game victory and then they've got a bye week. So our situations are a little different. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the job he did at Oregon, another Coach Saban disciple, to some degree.
So I'm confident that we'll do the things we have to do to put ourselves in the best position to play on Friday night.
On what lessons he learned from the Ohio State game…
CC: I do think, having been in that environment and coming out individually and collectively, you benefit from the notes taken. I think where it affected us most was offensively, having to go to a silent cadence the third play of the game.
Didn't affect us the first series of the game, but once Ohio State had a chance to get their guys on the sideline, this is what they're doing, they started to tee off on us pretty good. There are some things we can do and incorporate, which we've already begun to do.
Then we did some uncharacteristic things in that game. We dropped a punt snap. We had poor location on a punt that resulted in a punt return for a touchdown. Still got to get the guy on the field. We had some communication errors on pass protection, and a couple critical missed assignments.
I think we're going to be a lot better the next time we're in that environment.
On what he knows about Notre Dame at this point…
CC: What stood out in the little bit I've seen is a really good football team that's very disciplined and very well coached and executes at a high level.
In terms of our preparation, normally this would be like sort of like when you have an off week and the coaches dig deep, and we install some with the players, and then the next week we're more aggressive in our install.
We're doing a balancing act between recruiting and preparation. So we're going to have to make the most of every day, but we are going to turn sort of the portal, recruiting, official visit piece off Saturday around noon so that Sunday, which is really like a Monday now, it's all football, it's all prep for the coaches.
On how his prior experience might play a part this postseason…
CC: Well, I am kind of used to this routine, but I don't think it's a major change for any of the coaches, to be quite honest with you, that are in the playoff. You just have a few more days between games. So I don't think it's anything that anybody can't figure out.
On Nicolas Radicic and the kicking game…
CC: Yeah, he's 100 percent on his PAT field goals -- or on PATs. He missed one field goal, where our timing was off just a little bit. He's been very consistent kicker, which is great to have obviously. So I feel really good about him.
On Bryant Haines and the defensive efforts this season…
CC: Bryant's done a tremendous job as a coordinator and has every year since he's been a coordinator. I think this is his third full year now as coordinator, I believe. If I'm not mistaken, we're No. 1 against the rush and No. 2 in least amount of yards given up per game.
We play with that edge -- fast, physical, tough, run to the ball, swarm the ball, pressure the quarterback. Just like every defense I've had since really I went to JMU in '19, and that's when that philosophy of being disruptive up front was put in place and a premium put on those front guys and linebackers.
Things have been tweaked through the years. We play more zone now than we used to play, but our guys really play in, play out. It's not always perfect. It's not always perfect. But we play with a nasty edge. We get a lot of hats to the ball.
We're going to have to be able to stop the run this week in the next game. Notre Dame's got an excellent running game, and the quarterback alone has rushed for about 750 yards. So you add that to it, and it will be quite the challenge.
On the program's stability with nine assistant coaches signing new contracts…
CC: I think, first of all, the president, Pam Whitten, and Scott Dolson, their commitment to being successful, providing the resources and funding to be successful at the P4 level in the Big Ten Conference, I can't say enough about how appreciative I am. I think it's a statement, major statement.
In a sport where you really need to be successful at this level, for a lot of different reasons. Once they came to me and we redid my contract -- and I love it here, like it here a lot, love Bloomington. Then the next order of business was locking in the staff because, when you win like we do, guys have opportunities. That took about 10 to 14 days. Because all these guys have agents anymore, but I was really happy that we were able to get done what we got done.
Tino Sunseri is going to take the coordinator job at UCLA but coach through the playoffs. Happy for Tino because he's done a great job as the quarterback coach. I've known Tino a long time and known his family for a long time, and I'll miss him being around.
The philosophy has always been, when you lose a coach, hire a better one. We had a lot of players here at quarterback before we hired Tino. While he's done a great job, we won't miss a step, and he'll do a great job preparing the quarterbacks during the playoffs.
On how he approaches the use of time between games in the postseason…
CC: We played Purdue on, what, the 30th? The players had Sunday and Monday off, and Tuesday they lifted weights. Wednesday we were into a Monday routine and got three days of practice in.
This will be like an off week practice schedule except we'll be a little more aggressive with install. We've got to really make the time count because we've got to balance the recruiting and the preparation part. Then next week will be like game week.
It's all about really getting enough practice in to maintain your timing and your fundamentals. Last week that's what it was about, and I thought we did a good job of that and get the players refreshed.
Now this week we'll be a little bit -- well, we'll be a lot more specific to who we're going to play, and then we'll ramp that up another level next week.
On the matchup with Notre Dame…
CC: I think it's a great game for the state in general, for Indiana and Notre Dame to be playing in the College Football Playoff. I think the series began in 1898, and Notre Dame has pretty much had the upper hand. I don't know the series records.
But regardless of who we play, this is the playoffs. You win or go home, and we're in it to win it. I mean, our odds of probably making the College Football Playoff at the beginning of the season, I don't know what they were, but they were pretty darn low, I'm sure. We were picked 17th out of 18 teams in the Big Ten.
Our odds of winning the next four games are probably significantly higher than they were of making the college football playoffs in the first place. So we've climbed that mountain.
Regardless of who we were going to play in the first round, the objective is the same.
On if he is compelled to write program plans through January 20…
CC: Yeah, until January 20th is in my head, not on paper, but like we have our plan. We had a plan for the month of December, which we revised slightly today because of playing Friday instead of Saturday. Then I have a plan on paper through the end of the month, January 1st, which you have to have.
On what the College Football Playoff berth means for the program as a whole…
CC: Well, I haven't had a week off. It has been a week since we played. I think I've been busier this past week than I was in season.
I really still haven't had a chance to reflect and let it all sink in. I did walk outside my office this afternoon for about 30 seconds and looked around the stadium between interviews, and it kind of hit me, and it was like, wow, we've accomplished a lot in 12 months.
But that's all in the past. What are you going to do now, Lou Holtz? That's kind of where we're at. It means a lot to any team that's in the College Football Playoff.
I guess we're a newbie to this, so to measure the value of this for Indiana versus Notre Dame, I can't really answer that question, but I know winning opens a lot of doors and it has in the recruiting process, and it will here in the short term for sure.
On how the offensive line has adjusted over the past couple weeks without Drew Evans…
CC: I thought Drew was really doing a good job. I like him a lot as a player. He's a tough guy. But I think Tyler Stephens has really come in and done very well, very well. So we're marching on. He's playing winning football.
On his assessment of changing the culture at Indiana…
CC: Well, changing the culture is a process. You've got to change the way people think inside and outside the organization, throughout the state, and in Big Ten country, and the country. Then you've got to have a blueprint and a plan and you work your plan every day to gain the edge. Then you've got to be committed to improvement.
You've got to have high standards, expectations, and you can never lower your standards. This is the end result of a process, and this is the reward for a job well done.
But it's like opening a gate into a different world, right? There's work to be done, and there's things out there, there's goals out there to be accomplished, but you only have that opportunity because you changed the culture, the product, the result, and the expectation level.
Aiden Fisher| Jr. | LB
On how he watched the selection show…
AF: This morning I kind of woke up and did my normal routine for a Sunday morning. Me and my roommate watched the selection show, kind of saw where things fell in place, and we're happy for that.
On his initial breakdown of Notre Dame…
AF: It's going to be huge. I talked to Jailin Walker already this morning about it. We're pumped for this opportunity. Really good football team. Got in some film this morning. Really good football team, really good on the ground. They always look to establish the run game, and that's been their identity all year.
We're excited for it and look forward to it.
On the national media's view of Indiana and if that keeps the chip on his shoulder…
AF: I didn't even see that part. Once they placed us with Notre Dame, got my headphones, got my book bag, and came here to watch a little film and get ahead of it.
People have opinions everywhere. You can say strength of schedule, who we play, how we play. We'll handle it when the time comes, and that stuff is just opinions. Everybody has one.
On keeping the team focused even…
AF: Kind of going back to the previous question. When you see your matchup and then obviously we've gotten a lot of criticism for our schedule and things like that, so it just kind of gives us more of an edge. It's something that we look forward to.
It's a blessing to be in the position we're in, but we've earned it, we've worked for it, and this is the standard for Indiana football to be in this position year in and year out now.
On the effects of crowd noise on the road…
AF: That was definitely a big learning experience, a lot of people, not a lot of cheering, a lot of boos.
I think the biggest thing we learned is just to be able to keep the main thing the main thing. No fan has an impact between the white lines when it comes to Saturdays. Especially when you're in a hostile environment, you've really just got to block it out. It gets loud. It gets hostile. You're hearing a lot of different things. The biggest thing is just blocking it out.
For me on defense at away games like that, it gets a little quiet for us to figure out how the offense works. In my opinion, I love it. You go into a stadium, and you can quiet their fans. It's a really good feeling.
On what the factors have been for the defense success this season…
AF: First it starts with Coach Haines, obviously up for the award, and I can't think of a coach more deserving than him to win the award.
But I just think it's the edge we play with. A lot of new faces this off-season, and we gelled really well. If you look at the course of the season and the continuity that everybody's got with each other, the continuity we've built, we're all meshing really well and playing good football at a time when it's good to get rolling now.
On the challenge of Notre Dame's run game…
AF: He's a great player. Really good O-line, really good backs. Quarterback is really good, receivers are solid, tight ends are really good too.
Definitely got a challenge coming up, but when you look back at the teams we've played, we've seen a lot of pocket passers, we've seen those mobile guys as well. We've just got to take into account we've got to be ready for option plays, designed quarterback run, stuff like that, just making sure we're not falling asleep if he pulls the ball.
On what his younger self would thing about the College Football Playoff…
AF: It's really a blessing. I think God has put me in this position that I'm in here, and I'm really blessed by what he's done for me in my life. I think that little kid would be smiling ear to ear and just happy to be here and making his family proud and playing for the Lord.
On what has made the Indiana defense so stout against the run in 2024…
AF: I would just say the angles that we play with, the pursuit to the ball, that edge that we play with.
I've talked about it before, a lot of guys that are here right now aren't supposed to be here. They aren't big enough. They aren't fast enough. We carry that with us in the Monday walk-through to Saturday kickoff.
So it's really just being able to play together, play off each other extremely well, and just doing our assignments and playing fast.
On how important complimentary football is for the team…
AF: Yeah, offense has had an extremely impressive year, and even those games where it looks like they struggle, we've got to pick up our end of the bargain as well.
Going into a game like this, we know we're going to have to play really good, complementary football, and I have complete confidence in Kurtis and the guys up front on offense. I believe completely in them, and we're going to get the job done.
On how much fil he watches…
AF: Film is huge for me. Anything that can set me apart and get me ahead in my prep, I want to make sure I'm doing it. I think film is that for me. In a normal week, I'd probably say I go through five or six games. I've got two weeks now, so hopefully get to maybe eight, just make sure I'm getting everything.
If you look back through a season, there's some things, trick plays, little things, that will give a tell they ran here and there week 1, week 2, and maybe they think it's a good look for our defense.
I just want to make sure I'm prepared in everything I do, and I think film is a great way to do that.
On continuing to prove doubters wrong each week, both as a program and player…
AF: Oh, absolutely. Every week I want to prove myself, and going back to high school, going back to when I was in the transfer portal, none of these schools called me. None of these schools wanted me to come play for them. I carry that every Saturday, and next Saturday is no different. That will be with me.
Kurtis Rourke| R-Sr. | QB
On prepping for a bowl game for the first time in his career…
KR: Yes, absolutely. Last week was a good kind of decompressed week and kind of look over the season and the highs and lows and where I can get better individually and then as a team.
Then also kind of just wanted to stay in the rhythm as well. We practiced three times last week, and I wanted to take every single rep, and I wanted to make sure that I stay in the rhythm of playing a game against speed and not take any time off kind of that way because I knew that practice went very long and I'd still be able to get my rest time and everything like that.
Then preparing for game in postseason, I haven't prepared to play, but I've definitely prepared for bowl games before, just haven't had the opportunity to play in one. So extra excitement going into this one.
On what he was feeling this weekend as Ohio played for the MAC title and Indiana prepped for the College Football Playoff…
KR: It was an awesome weekend. Just so happy for everyone that was able to win. I know a lot of guys there, the quarterback who won the MVP is a really, really good friend of mine. I'm just so happy for him and the success that he's had this season.
Then Ohio has been in -- it was the fifth MAC Championship they've played in, and they haven't won since 1960-something. Being a guy that was in that program for five years, it's awesome to see that and see a lot of my teammates, my past teammates excel and beat a rival like Miami of Ohio.
It was awesome. I was back to being kind of a fan and watching my friends and past teammates win. Congratulations to the coaches and all that.
Then just kind of when the game ended, was just kind of thinking about when our time's up and how exciting it is to play this late in the year, especially a part of the first ever 12-team playoff. So a lot of fun emotions yesterday.
On how he watched the selection show…
KR: I just watched it with my wife and my wife's parents.
On facing crowd noise at Notre Dame…
KR: It was definitely a disappointing loss. I felt like we didn't play to our standards in that game. It was also a really important game for us to -- a learning opportunity just how to deal and how to win those big games, something that watching and digesting the game afterwards, knowing how well we have to play and we have to minimize our mistakes and be able to handle the environment.
That's what it will take to win these big games. Even though it was a tough loss, I think it was really important for us to have a game like that, to be tested in knowing what it takes to win games. This is obviously a win or go home kind of playoff setup. So we're going to have to make sure that we come with our best effort and knowing that it's going to be a hostile environment, and now we know how to handle it.
On keeping the chip-on-the-shoulder approach for the team…
KR: Yeah, like you said, it's just extra motivation. I think what's so great about our team, it starts with Coach Cignetti, a lot of us have had to prove that we belong in wherever we are. It just fuels us in knowing that we're counted out and we're the underdog and we always will be, at least for this year.
So we just go in and we can play freely knowing that we're capable of competing with anybody. It just fuels the fire for sure.
On facing Notre Dame…
KR: Just a place I haven't played before. So just kind of looking forward to the opportunity. Really excited to play whoever we're going to. Just know that it's going to be that Notre Dame's a historic place, so that's kind of all I knew.
I actually don't know anyone that went to Notre Dame, so maybe that will be a first. They're a historic team. They've had great teams in the past, and they're a good team this year. So just knowing that but also knowing that we're also a pretty good team as well.
On how the culture change at Indiana takes its next step…
KR: It's kind of a little bit of both. We've had that chip all year, and that regular season is something we're very prideful of in knowing that we were able to go out and achieve pretty much every goal that we set.
But then kind of resetting after the regular season, after Purdue, and knowing that the new season starts. We've got to be on our A game. We've got to take everything we learned through the regular season and apply it to this game because it's a one-and-done kind of thing.
On what Tino Sunseri has meant to the team this season…
KR: Coach Tino has been awesome. I've developed so much as a quarterback since working with him in January. It's been awesome to see my personal growth as well as the rest of the quarterbacks in the room. I know all of us can say that we've learned and become a better quarterback this year, and a lot of that attributes to Coach Tino.
Just very happy that he has an opportunity to go and continue his journey, his path, and his dream. Just very grateful for him because he's really accelerated and helped this offense, helped the players become and create opportunities for their personal life, and I'm just happy to see that he's taking advantage of an opportunity for him as well.
On a hostile road environment in South Bend…
KR: Yeah, if it comes down to that, we're going to be prepared, more prepared than we were. We've been repping it ever since that game even though we might not know if we have to use it or not.
It's going to be an afterthought for us if we have to go to it just because we repped it so many times, and it's going to be -- yeah, I don't see it being an issue.
On if anything changes with the Friday game…
KR: I mean, honestly, it was just replace class time with more film watching. We don't have class this week and next week, so just be worrying about watching more film, seeing what Notre Dame does, and be able to see some points where we can attack them and just learn as much as I can about them.
I think it's going to be a good game and can't wait till they get here.
On how far back he will watch film on Notre Dame
KR: It will be good to watch every game that they have. You could watch games for tendencies. You can pick that up in any game. You can watch for personnel. Personnel, you usually watch the last couple games to see who's going to be playing.
In terms of overall scheme, with all the extra time, it would be good to watch as many games as possible, and that's going to be my goal.
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: Okay. Busy day today. Obviously, the big news, we find out who our opponent will be for the first round of the college football playoffs and still juggling portal evaluation with official visits coming in this week and game prep and practice. So quite a busy month.
Notre Dame, I'll be honest, saw them on tape against Purdue, and we're getting ready for Purdue, obviously a very good football team. They've won ten in a row. Coach Freeman has done a tremendous job with that football team.
I've looked at their stats, haven't had a chance to watch them today with all the media stuff going on, but I saw enough of them against Purdue to know that they're an excellent football team, and when you look at their scores, they haven't played in very many close games. So, I'm sure they'll be quite the challenge, but we're looking forward to it. We're a good football team.
I'm confident in our football team. I think that we'll apply the lessons learned at a high stake when we had to go on the road in a hostile environment against a good football team and apply those up at Notre Dame. We're going to have a great week of prep.
On how he addresses the issues Indiana had in its last road game looking ahead to the CFP road game…
CC: I think we addressed the high-stake issues with the team Monday after the game. Then in terms of -- you know, last week we did a Monday routine, which is kind of a walk-through, 20-minute walk-through on offense, 5-minute on punt, about 10 minutes of individual, stretch, strides, six 60s. That's our Monday routine. We review the Purdue game and we preview the next opponent.
We didn't know who the next opponent would be. We previewed Georgia for 15 minutes and worked against them in a 20-minute walk-through, just some base first and 10, P10 defenses, or plays that they run, top three runs, top three passes.
The next day, which was a Tuesday practice, off-week Tuesday, about an hour and 10-minute practice, we worked the highest state, corrections, base looks, same thing.
Wednesday, which is similar practice to Tuesday, we did work Notre Dame P10, first and 10. Tuesday is punt, punt return. Wednesday is kickoff, kickoff return, PAT, field goal.
So those practices occurred on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, but they were Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday type practices. So that's where we're at.
On not getting selected for a first-round home game…
CC: That's all in the past. Our eyes are forward right now on what we've got to get done in terms of preparation for the next opponent and also handling the other things that coaches have to handle nowadays in December.
This team's accomplished a lot. I'm proud of what they've accomplished. I think the coaches have done a great job, players have done a great job. But in saying that, no one's satisfied. No one's satisfied. The players are hungry for more, the coaches are hungry for more.
On how he keeps the team focused with all of the outside noise…
CC: I'm not really concerned about rat poison right now. Keeping the main thing the main thing is the main thing. I think we did a pretty good job of that last week, and we've got to do it again this week. Next week got to have a good week of preparation, stack days to put ourselves in the best position.
I think Dan Lanning's situation might be a little different because they're coming off a championship game victory and then they've got a bye week. So our situations are a little different. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the job he did at Oregon, another Coach Saban disciple, to some degree.
So I'm confident that we'll do the things we have to do to put ourselves in the best position to play on Friday night.
On what lessons he learned from the Ohio State game…
CC: I do think, having been in that environment and coming out individually and collectively, you benefit from the notes taken. I think where it affected us most was offensively, having to go to a silent cadence the third play of the game.
Didn't affect us the first series of the game, but once Ohio State had a chance to get their guys on the sideline, this is what they're doing, they started to tee off on us pretty good. There are some things we can do and incorporate, which we've already begun to do.
Then we did some uncharacteristic things in that game. We dropped a punt snap. We had poor location on a punt that resulted in a punt return for a touchdown. Still got to get the guy on the field. We had some communication errors on pass protection, and a couple critical missed assignments.
I think we're going to be a lot better the next time we're in that environment.
On what he knows about Notre Dame at this point…
CC: What stood out in the little bit I've seen is a really good football team that's very disciplined and very well coached and executes at a high level.
In terms of our preparation, normally this would be like sort of like when you have an off week and the coaches dig deep, and we install some with the players, and then the next week we're more aggressive in our install.
We're doing a balancing act between recruiting and preparation. So we're going to have to make the most of every day, but we are going to turn sort of the portal, recruiting, official visit piece off Saturday around noon so that Sunday, which is really like a Monday now, it's all football, it's all prep for the coaches.
On how his prior experience might play a part this postseason…
CC: Well, I am kind of used to this routine, but I don't think it's a major change for any of the coaches, to be quite honest with you, that are in the playoff. You just have a few more days between games. So I don't think it's anything that anybody can't figure out.
On Nicolas Radicic and the kicking game…
CC: Yeah, he's 100 percent on his PAT field goals -- or on PATs. He missed one field goal, where our timing was off just a little bit. He's been very consistent kicker, which is great to have obviously. So I feel really good about him.
On Bryant Haines and the defensive efforts this season…
CC: Bryant's done a tremendous job as a coordinator and has every year since he's been a coordinator. I think this is his third full year now as coordinator, I believe. If I'm not mistaken, we're No. 1 against the rush and No. 2 in least amount of yards given up per game.
We play with that edge -- fast, physical, tough, run to the ball, swarm the ball, pressure the quarterback. Just like every defense I've had since really I went to JMU in '19, and that's when that philosophy of being disruptive up front was put in place and a premium put on those front guys and linebackers.
Things have been tweaked through the years. We play more zone now than we used to play, but our guys really play in, play out. It's not always perfect. It's not always perfect. But we play with a nasty edge. We get a lot of hats to the ball.
We're going to have to be able to stop the run this week in the next game. Notre Dame's got an excellent running game, and the quarterback alone has rushed for about 750 yards. So you add that to it, and it will be quite the challenge.
On the program's stability with nine assistant coaches signing new contracts…
CC: I think, first of all, the president, Pam Whitten, and Scott Dolson, their commitment to being successful, providing the resources and funding to be successful at the P4 level in the Big Ten Conference, I can't say enough about how appreciative I am. I think it's a statement, major statement.
In a sport where you really need to be successful at this level, for a lot of different reasons. Once they came to me and we redid my contract -- and I love it here, like it here a lot, love Bloomington. Then the next order of business was locking in the staff because, when you win like we do, guys have opportunities. That took about 10 to 14 days. Because all these guys have agents anymore, but I was really happy that we were able to get done what we got done.
Tino Sunseri is going to take the coordinator job at UCLA but coach through the playoffs. Happy for Tino because he's done a great job as the quarterback coach. I've known Tino a long time and known his family for a long time, and I'll miss him being around.
The philosophy has always been, when you lose a coach, hire a better one. We had a lot of players here at quarterback before we hired Tino. While he's done a great job, we won't miss a step, and he'll do a great job preparing the quarterbacks during the playoffs.
On how he approaches the use of time between games in the postseason…
CC: We played Purdue on, what, the 30th? The players had Sunday and Monday off, and Tuesday they lifted weights. Wednesday we were into a Monday routine and got three days of practice in.
This will be like an off week practice schedule except we'll be a little more aggressive with install. We've got to really make the time count because we've got to balance the recruiting and the preparation part. Then next week will be like game week.
It's all about really getting enough practice in to maintain your timing and your fundamentals. Last week that's what it was about, and I thought we did a good job of that and get the players refreshed.
Now this week we'll be a little bit -- well, we'll be a lot more specific to who we're going to play, and then we'll ramp that up another level next week.
On the matchup with Notre Dame…
CC: I think it's a great game for the state in general, for Indiana and Notre Dame to be playing in the College Football Playoff. I think the series began in 1898, and Notre Dame has pretty much had the upper hand. I don't know the series records.
But regardless of who we play, this is the playoffs. You win or go home, and we're in it to win it. I mean, our odds of probably making the College Football Playoff at the beginning of the season, I don't know what they were, but they were pretty darn low, I'm sure. We were picked 17th out of 18 teams in the Big Ten.
Our odds of winning the next four games are probably significantly higher than they were of making the college football playoffs in the first place. So we've climbed that mountain.
Regardless of who we were going to play in the first round, the objective is the same.
On if he is compelled to write program plans through January 20…
CC: Yeah, until January 20th is in my head, not on paper, but like we have our plan. We had a plan for the month of December, which we revised slightly today because of playing Friday instead of Saturday. Then I have a plan on paper through the end of the month, January 1st, which you have to have.
On what the College Football Playoff berth means for the program as a whole…
CC: Well, I haven't had a week off. It has been a week since we played. I think I've been busier this past week than I was in season.
I really still haven't had a chance to reflect and let it all sink in. I did walk outside my office this afternoon for about 30 seconds and looked around the stadium between interviews, and it kind of hit me, and it was like, wow, we've accomplished a lot in 12 months.
But that's all in the past. What are you going to do now, Lou Holtz? That's kind of where we're at. It means a lot to any team that's in the College Football Playoff.
I guess we're a newbie to this, so to measure the value of this for Indiana versus Notre Dame, I can't really answer that question, but I know winning opens a lot of doors and it has in the recruiting process, and it will here in the short term for sure.
On how the offensive line has adjusted over the past couple weeks without Drew Evans…
CC: I thought Drew was really doing a good job. I like him a lot as a player. He's a tough guy. But I think Tyler Stephens has really come in and done very well, very well. So we're marching on. He's playing winning football.
On his assessment of changing the culture at Indiana…
CC: Well, changing the culture is a process. You've got to change the way people think inside and outside the organization, throughout the state, and in Big Ten country, and the country. Then you've got to have a blueprint and a plan and you work your plan every day to gain the edge. Then you've got to be committed to improvement.
You've got to have high standards, expectations, and you can never lower your standards. This is the end result of a process, and this is the reward for a job well done.
But it's like opening a gate into a different world, right? There's work to be done, and there's things out there, there's goals out there to be accomplished, but you only have that opportunity because you changed the culture, the product, the result, and the expectation level.
Aiden Fisher| Jr. | LB
On how he watched the selection show…
AF: This morning I kind of woke up and did my normal routine for a Sunday morning. Me and my roommate watched the selection show, kind of saw where things fell in place, and we're happy for that.
On his initial breakdown of Notre Dame…
AF: It's going to be huge. I talked to Jailin Walker already this morning about it. We're pumped for this opportunity. Really good football team. Got in some film this morning. Really good football team, really good on the ground. They always look to establish the run game, and that's been their identity all year.
We're excited for it and look forward to it.
On the national media's view of Indiana and if that keeps the chip on his shoulder…
AF: I didn't even see that part. Once they placed us with Notre Dame, got my headphones, got my book bag, and came here to watch a little film and get ahead of it.
People have opinions everywhere. You can say strength of schedule, who we play, how we play. We'll handle it when the time comes, and that stuff is just opinions. Everybody has one.
On keeping the team focused even…
AF: Kind of going back to the previous question. When you see your matchup and then obviously we've gotten a lot of criticism for our schedule and things like that, so it just kind of gives us more of an edge. It's something that we look forward to.
It's a blessing to be in the position we're in, but we've earned it, we've worked for it, and this is the standard for Indiana football to be in this position year in and year out now.
On the effects of crowd noise on the road…
AF: That was definitely a big learning experience, a lot of people, not a lot of cheering, a lot of boos.
I think the biggest thing we learned is just to be able to keep the main thing the main thing. No fan has an impact between the white lines when it comes to Saturdays. Especially when you're in a hostile environment, you've really just got to block it out. It gets loud. It gets hostile. You're hearing a lot of different things. The biggest thing is just blocking it out.
For me on defense at away games like that, it gets a little quiet for us to figure out how the offense works. In my opinion, I love it. You go into a stadium, and you can quiet their fans. It's a really good feeling.
On what the factors have been for the defense success this season…
AF: First it starts with Coach Haines, obviously up for the award, and I can't think of a coach more deserving than him to win the award.
But I just think it's the edge we play with. A lot of new faces this off-season, and we gelled really well. If you look at the course of the season and the continuity that everybody's got with each other, the continuity we've built, we're all meshing really well and playing good football at a time when it's good to get rolling now.
On the challenge of Notre Dame's run game…
AF: He's a great player. Really good O-line, really good backs. Quarterback is really good, receivers are solid, tight ends are really good too.
Definitely got a challenge coming up, but when you look back at the teams we've played, we've seen a lot of pocket passers, we've seen those mobile guys as well. We've just got to take into account we've got to be ready for option plays, designed quarterback run, stuff like that, just making sure we're not falling asleep if he pulls the ball.
On what his younger self would thing about the College Football Playoff…
AF: It's really a blessing. I think God has put me in this position that I'm in here, and I'm really blessed by what he's done for me in my life. I think that little kid would be smiling ear to ear and just happy to be here and making his family proud and playing for the Lord.
On what has made the Indiana defense so stout against the run in 2024…
AF: I would just say the angles that we play with, the pursuit to the ball, that edge that we play with.
I've talked about it before, a lot of guys that are here right now aren't supposed to be here. They aren't big enough. They aren't fast enough. We carry that with us in the Monday walk-through to Saturday kickoff.
So it's really just being able to play together, play off each other extremely well, and just doing our assignments and playing fast.
On how important complimentary football is for the team…
AF: Yeah, offense has had an extremely impressive year, and even those games where it looks like they struggle, we've got to pick up our end of the bargain as well.
Going into a game like this, we know we're going to have to play really good, complementary football, and I have complete confidence in Kurtis and the guys up front on offense. I believe completely in them, and we're going to get the job done.
On how much fil he watches…
AF: Film is huge for me. Anything that can set me apart and get me ahead in my prep, I want to make sure I'm doing it. I think film is that for me. In a normal week, I'd probably say I go through five or six games. I've got two weeks now, so hopefully get to maybe eight, just make sure I'm getting everything.
If you look back through a season, there's some things, trick plays, little things, that will give a tell they ran here and there week 1, week 2, and maybe they think it's a good look for our defense.
I just want to make sure I'm prepared in everything I do, and I think film is a great way to do that.
On continuing to prove doubters wrong each week, both as a program and player…
AF: Oh, absolutely. Every week I want to prove myself, and going back to high school, going back to when I was in the transfer portal, none of these schools called me. None of these schools wanted me to come play for them. I carry that every Saturday, and next Saturday is no different. That will be with me.
Kurtis Rourke| R-Sr. | QB
On prepping for a bowl game for the first time in his career…
KR: Yes, absolutely. Last week was a good kind of decompressed week and kind of look over the season and the highs and lows and where I can get better individually and then as a team.
Then also kind of just wanted to stay in the rhythm as well. We practiced three times last week, and I wanted to take every single rep, and I wanted to make sure that I stay in the rhythm of playing a game against speed and not take any time off kind of that way because I knew that practice went very long and I'd still be able to get my rest time and everything like that.
Then preparing for game in postseason, I haven't prepared to play, but I've definitely prepared for bowl games before, just haven't had the opportunity to play in one. So extra excitement going into this one.
On what he was feeling this weekend as Ohio played for the MAC title and Indiana prepped for the College Football Playoff…
KR: It was an awesome weekend. Just so happy for everyone that was able to win. I know a lot of guys there, the quarterback who won the MVP is a really, really good friend of mine. I'm just so happy for him and the success that he's had this season.
Then Ohio has been in -- it was the fifth MAC Championship they've played in, and they haven't won since 1960-something. Being a guy that was in that program for five years, it's awesome to see that and see a lot of my teammates, my past teammates excel and beat a rival like Miami of Ohio.
It was awesome. I was back to being kind of a fan and watching my friends and past teammates win. Congratulations to the coaches and all that.
Then just kind of when the game ended, was just kind of thinking about when our time's up and how exciting it is to play this late in the year, especially a part of the first ever 12-team playoff. So a lot of fun emotions yesterday.
On how he watched the selection show…
KR: I just watched it with my wife and my wife's parents.
On facing crowd noise at Notre Dame…
KR: It was definitely a disappointing loss. I felt like we didn't play to our standards in that game. It was also a really important game for us to -- a learning opportunity just how to deal and how to win those big games, something that watching and digesting the game afterwards, knowing how well we have to play and we have to minimize our mistakes and be able to handle the environment.
That's what it will take to win these big games. Even though it was a tough loss, I think it was really important for us to have a game like that, to be tested in knowing what it takes to win games. This is obviously a win or go home kind of playoff setup. So we're going to have to make sure that we come with our best effort and knowing that it's going to be a hostile environment, and now we know how to handle it.
On keeping the chip-on-the-shoulder approach for the team…
KR: Yeah, like you said, it's just extra motivation. I think what's so great about our team, it starts with Coach Cignetti, a lot of us have had to prove that we belong in wherever we are. It just fuels us in knowing that we're counted out and we're the underdog and we always will be, at least for this year.
So we just go in and we can play freely knowing that we're capable of competing with anybody. It just fuels the fire for sure.
On facing Notre Dame…
KR: Just a place I haven't played before. So just kind of looking forward to the opportunity. Really excited to play whoever we're going to. Just know that it's going to be that Notre Dame's a historic place, so that's kind of all I knew.
I actually don't know anyone that went to Notre Dame, so maybe that will be a first. They're a historic team. They've had great teams in the past, and they're a good team this year. So just knowing that but also knowing that we're also a pretty good team as well.
On how the culture change at Indiana takes its next step…
KR: It's kind of a little bit of both. We've had that chip all year, and that regular season is something we're very prideful of in knowing that we were able to go out and achieve pretty much every goal that we set.
But then kind of resetting after the regular season, after Purdue, and knowing that the new season starts. We've got to be on our A game. We've got to take everything we learned through the regular season and apply it to this game because it's a one-and-done kind of thing.
On what Tino Sunseri has meant to the team this season…
KR: Coach Tino has been awesome. I've developed so much as a quarterback since working with him in January. It's been awesome to see my personal growth as well as the rest of the quarterbacks in the room. I know all of us can say that we've learned and become a better quarterback this year, and a lot of that attributes to Coach Tino.
Just very happy that he has an opportunity to go and continue his journey, his path, and his dream. Just very grateful for him because he's really accelerated and helped this offense, helped the players become and create opportunities for their personal life, and I'm just happy to see that he's taking advantage of an opportunity for him as well.
On a hostile road environment in South Bend…
KR: Yeah, if it comes down to that, we're going to be prepared, more prepared than we were. We've been repping it ever since that game even though we might not know if we have to use it or not.
It's going to be an afterthought for us if we have to go to it just because we repped it so many times, and it's going to be -- yeah, I don't see it being an issue.
On if anything changes with the Friday game…
KR: I mean, honestly, it was just replace class time with more film watching. We don't have class this week and next week, so just be worrying about watching more film, seeing what Notre Dame does, and be able to see some points where we can attack them and just learn as much as I can about them.
I think it's going to be a good game and can't wait till they get here.
On how far back he will watch film on Notre Dame
KR: It will be good to watch every game that they have. You could watch games for tendencies. You can pick that up in any game. You can watch for personnel. Personnel, you usually watch the last couple games to see who's going to be playing.
In terms of overall scheme, with all the extra time, it would be good to watch as many games as possible, and that's going to be my goal.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
Players Mentioned
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/ FootballFB: Omar Cooper Jr. Media Availability (10/21/25)
Tuesday, October 21
FB: Stephen Daley Media Availability (10/21/25)
Tuesday, October 21
FB: Carter Smith Media Availability (10/21/25)
Tuesday, October 21
FB: Curt Cignetti Media Availability (10/20/25)
Monday, October 20