On the Attack – IU Set to Open Season, New Coaching Era
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Curt Cignetti faces another football coaching mountain; he plans to win where others have not; he pushes to sustain what others could not.
His Indiana Hoosiers will open this new head-coaching era on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. against FIU at Memorial Stadium, and Cignetti aims to do here what he did at Indiana University Pennsylvania, Elon and James Madison, previously:
Win.
“We want to attack,” he says. “Be that kind of team.”
First, though, comes perspective.
“This is chapter one of a 13-page book,” Cignetti says. “I'm excited to see us play. We have a lot of work to do before we kick it off. I'm confident in this team.”
Being in this situation before guarantees nothing, suggests everything for a man who has coached for 42 years, and run his own program for 14. He knows what he knows and, perhaps most enlightening, what he doesn’t.
“In every area that matters, leadership, recruiting, development, retention, managing staff, messaging, how to practice, game-day philosophy, every year you do this you get a little better,” Cignetti says. “You learn lessons.
“This is my 42nd year in this business. There hasn't been much I haven't seen, but I'm sure something will come up one day that I haven't yet.”
Don’t suggest this game could set the season’s tone. Cignetti has seen too much, coached too long, to buy into that.
“I don't look at it that way. This is the opponent. I'm spending every second of my day with a sense of urgency trying to help put us in the best position to be as good as we can be.
“That's how we look at things as coaches, I think, across the country.”
Cignetti doesn’t necessarily burn the midnight oil, but he might singe it given he typically wakes up during the season at 4 a.m. and is in his office before 5 a.m.
A light Monday night practice becomes a Tuesday late-afternoon work on first and second down, and then punt, which leads to a Wednesday late-afternoon focus on third down with a Thursday late afternoon targeting red zone and goal line, and two-minute drills.
Rinse and repeat.
“The mornings and afternoons are spent preparing for those situations,” Cignetti says. “And then we put it all together.”
What did August camp tell him about this team?
“I think we were more consistent in practice as camp went on,” Cignetti says. “We weren't an up-and-down team. We still have to more consistently get everybody doing what they're supposed to do assignment-wise, technique-wise.
“Part of that is the challenge of camp, too, because you install everything. So, the plate is very heavy.
“Now, you get into the first game and that plate lightens up a little bit. We want to free them up from thinking too much so they can play fast and let their ability take over.”
FIU is a fast, athletic team, and if it’s coming off a 4-8 season, don’t be misled. Fourteen returning starters and 45 new players are enough for Cignetti and his staff to recognize the challenge and push to ensure the Hoosiers do.
The Panthers’ catalyst is quarterback Keyone Jenkins, who completed 58.3 percent of his passes last season for 2,414 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He also rushed for six TDs.
“He’s extremely dangerous at quarterback, a dual-threat kind of guy,” Cignetti says. “He throws the ball well, extends plays, can run. We'll have to do a great job on him.
“He's an extremely capable passer, but when he gets out of the pocket, he does a nice job of extending plays,” Cignetti says. “And even though he's a really good athlete that can tuck it and run and gain a lot of yards, he's going to look to throw first. He does a nice job of finding people when he extends plays.
“We've got to win up front with our defensive line. We've got to put pressure on him and keep him in the pocket and not give him much time to throw. We've got to get to him. We need a (big) game from our D-line.”
IU’s veteran-heavy nature doesn’t lend itself to playing many true freshmen, although a blow-out score might generate opportunity.
“The best guys play,” Cignetti says. “We're a veteran team. We've got a lot of new guys. We've got a lot of seniors, so I wouldn't anticipate seeing many freshmen out there. That doesn't mean you might not see one or two. But it's all based on who can help us be successful and who's ready to play winning football.
“Things change every week. Right now, I don't see many freshmen having a very significant role in this game.”
What does Cignetti see about this game, and perhaps all the rest?
“I want to see us play fast and physical and work out some of the mistakes we made in the first two scrimmages – the penalties, missed signs and things of that nature, but also play smart, disciplined, and poised. There’s a fine line there.”