NOTEBOOK – Unbeaten Start the Norm for Cignetti and IU Staff
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Curt Cignetti has been here before, this 4-0 record and dominant play.
Yes, he’s the first Indiana head coach to ever win his first four games, but he did it his last three seasons at James Madison.
Besides his own coaching prowess, it reflects staff and player continuity. Cignetti brought with him six coaches from James Madison, along with 13 Dukes players.
“We are used to being successful, this staff that I brought in, the players that are here,” Cignetti said on Monday. “When you win, it's about maintaining your edge and avoiding complacency and not having the warm fuzzies and not taking the rat poison, right? Eliminating the noise and the clutter, focusing on what's going to help you get to the point where you can perform to the best of your ability on Saturday. It’s the preparation part, the physical and mental preparation.
“We have a mature team. I'm confident that those guys will be on point this week in practice and that we'll have a good week.”
The Hoosiers, who host Maryland (3-1) on Saturday at Memorial Stadium, are playing with the confidence you’d expect from a team coming off four straight blow-out victories.
‘Success leads to confidence, which leads to success,” Cignetti said. “They go hand in hand. But you still have to put the work in during the week because everything we do isn't fun.
You've got to pay the price in terms of your commitment level, make some choices and decisions, good ones, and sacrifices. We should be a confident football team right now, but we've got to put the work in.”
Maryland’s Billy Edwards Jr. might be the best quarterback IU will play all season. He completes 75.0 percent of his passes for 1,155 yards, eight touchdowns, and two interceptions. He’s also rushed for two TDs.
Edwards Jr. is coming off a huge performance against Villanova, completing 28-of-32 passes for a career-high 328 yards and two touchdowns. His 87.5 completion percentage was a school record.
Cignetti is well aware of how good Edwards is. When he was in his first year coaching at James Madison, Cignietti recruited Edwards, who started at Wake Forest before transferring to Maryland.
“He was the guy we had targeted,” Cignetti said. “I sat with his dad in my office a couple of times.
“He can make all the throws. He's got a lot of snaps under his belt. They'll also run him, and he's a threat when he gets out of the pocket as well when he drops back and escapes the pocket. So, he's a very competitive guy with good arm strength, and a good leader. They like him, and I can see why.”
IU’s 202 points are its most ever in any four-game stretch. The previous record was 183 in 2015.
Defensively, the Hoosiers have held all four opponents to less than 300 total yards. That’s the best since at least 1996.
IU is ruthlessly efficient in the red zone, scoring on 22 of its 24 opportunities inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. That includes 20 touchdowns.
“We've run the ball well down there and thrown it well,” Cignetti said. “Our quarterbacks have played well in the pass game. We've had some open guys. (Quarterback Kurtis Rourke has) found them. We've separated at the receiver position. And we have been down there a lot.
“I don't think we've probably played the most difficult schedule up to this point. I’m not trying to shortchange anybody we've played. The tests are going to become tougher week in, week out. Hopefully, we'll have the same number of opportunities and success in the future. Touchdowns are critical down there.”
Maryland’s biggest offensive weapon outside of quarterback is receiver Tai Felton, who is making an early Heisman Trophy case. He burned Villanova with a career-high 14 catches for 157 yards and a touchdown.
It was his fourth-straight game with more than 100 receiving yards, tying the program record. He has 41 catches for 604 yards and five touchdowns. That ranks second, third and fourth nationally.
Only San Jose State’s Nick Nash, with 637, has more receiving yards.
Maryland is just a 27-24 loss to Michigan State away from being undefeated. It averages 34.8 points and gives up 16.8. It runs for 155.3 yards a game and passes for 308.8.
The Terps have three players who have rushed for at least 134 yards -- Roman Hemby (201, 2 TDs), Ray Nolan (158, 2), and Colby McDonald (134).
Besides Felton, they have another big-play receiver in Kaden Prather, who has 21 catches for 203 yards and two touchdowns.
“They are very talented, well coached,” Cignetti said. “They have a lot of good players, a lot of good athletes. Offensively, they have a dynamic receiving corps, good running backs, a good offensive line. They’re a little young, but big and talented.
“The defensive line is loaded. They play a lot of guys. This will be a tremendous challenge.”
Maryland’s potent offense won’t cause Cignetti to alter his coaching routine and spend more time this week with the defense. He says he has complete faith in Haines and his defensive staff.
“I always watch all three phases,” Cignetti said. “I watched all of Maryland's games. I put a lot of time in the off-season into Maryland.
“Once the week starts, I'm at the point now where I let Bryant go a little bit. I don't look over his shoulder. There was a time I used to watch defensive practice, maybe make a few notes and call the staff in. I have not done that this year.
“We did meet Sunday after the (Charlotte victory) about a few things defensively, but I have total confidence in him and the defensive staff that they're going to put a great plan together, which gives us the best chance of being successful.”