Preparation Fuels IU’s Big Ten Title Game Opportunity
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Football history looms again for Indiana and Curt Cignetti won’t change a thing.
Top-ranked Ohio State (12-0) stands between the second-ranked Hoosiers (12-0) and the program’s third overall Big Ten title and first outright since 1945 when the teams meet Saturday night at Indianapolis’s Lucas Oil Stadium. Cignetti and the Hoosiers will stick to the process that got them to their first ever Big Ten championship game -- laser focus, relentless preparation, and the willingness to play hard from the first play to the last.
“We’re treating this like a one-game season,” Cignetti said Sunday. “It’s the next one. If we get done what we want to get done, we won’t play again for 30 days. We’ll have time to get over any bumps and bruises. All eyes and preparation are focused on this game.”
For good reason. Ohio State has dominated every opponent. Even in its 14-7 season-opening win against Texas, the Buckeyes led 14-0 until the final three minutes.
“They are dominant everywhere,” Cignetti said. “They have a lot of great players. They’re very explosive on offense. They have one of the great defenses in America. Their special teams are really good.”
Cignetti said Ohio State head coach Ryan Day “will be one of the legends in the game someday.”
IU and Ohio State met last year in Columbus. Ohio State won 38-15 in a game Cignetti said the Buckeyes dominated. But the Hoosiers learned, Cignetti said, just as they did in a 27-17 playoff loss at Notre Dame.
The result -- this year IU won at Iowa, at Oregon and at Penn State, three of the most difficult venues in America.
“While that was not an enjoyable experience,” Cignetti said, “it was necessary for our growth and development.
“We added some key pieces to this year’s team, some veterans that had played a lot of football in those environments, and the guys who returned learned a lot from Ohio State and Notre Dame that helped us.
“Last year you could say maybe the moment was too big for that team. They didn’t handle it well. Those were two experiences our guys had a long time to think about and prepare.
“This team has responded to those types of challenges. We’ve met the challenges because of the way we prepare.”
Here’s another challenge -- the Big Ten has never had so many teams (18) and so much talent.
“It gets harder and harder to win the conference,” Day said.
Under Cignetti, IU is positioned to do just that, just as his previous teams at James Madison, Elon and Indiana University Pennsylvania were.
“We believe in what we’re doing,” Cignetti said. “It’s translated at every level. This is just a bigger stage. You’re always trying to improve and we have. It’s been quite a ride.”
IU is 23-2 in Cignetti’s two seasons. It consistently sells out Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium. It’s positioned to make its second-straight playoff appearance.
“It’s about people and players,” Cignetti says. “You have to retain and bring in quality coaches. Then it’s recruiting, development, and retention. You have to have a blueprint and a plan and a lot of high-character guys.”
Day and his staff have begun a deep dive into that plan.
“From afar, you can tell (Cignetti) has a system in place and a belief that if you follow the plan, it will work,” Day said. “His confidence exudes from his system. They are prepared and when you are, you have confidence. They do a great job playing fast and with confidence.
“This is a team that’s been winning at a high level for two years. They’ll be ready to go.”
That Cignetti instantly turned around a traditionally struggling program, Day adds, reflects Cignetti’s ability to adapt to the modern times of the transfer portal and NIL.
“He has taken a roster and turned it over quickly,” Day says. “He brought in talented players. The first thing is talent acquisition. It used to be you recruited and developed players. Now, it’s different. He’s been aggressive and brought in a lot of talent in a short period of time. They are great evaluators of talent.
“Then, Indiana is well coached and won’t beat themselves. You combine all that and you see a program that has made a lot of noise in the last couple of years. I have a lot of respect for what he’s done.”
Ohio State is a formidable combination of defense (7.8 points allowed) and offense (37.0 points).
Only four teams have scored in double figures against the Buckeyes, topped by 16 from Illinois. They have two shutouts and held three others to seven-or-fewer points.
Three Buckeyes have at least 10.0 tackles for loss, led by Caden Curry’s 13.5. Curry also leads in sacks (9.0) and quarterback hurries (five).
Quarterback Julian Sayin, a Heisman Trophy candidate, opened 0-for-2 with an interception in Saturday’s 27-9 win over Michigan before finishing with 233 passing yards and three touchdowns.
For the season, Sayin completes 78.9 percent of his passes for 3,065 yards, 30 touchdowns, and five interceptions. He doesn’t run much, gaining 27 yards on 31 carries with two TDs.
The Buckeyes ran for 186 yards against a top-10-in-the-nation Michigan defense, 117 from running back Bo Jackson on 22 carries. Jackson has 952 yards for the season.
Three other Buckeyes have run for at least 306 yards -- James Peoples (344), CJ Donaldson Jr. (330, 10 touchdowns), and Isaiah West (306).
Previously banged up receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate were healthy for the Wolverines, combining for eight catches, 122 yards, and two touchdowns.
For the season, Smith has 72 catches for 942 yards and 11 touchdowns. Tate has 44 catches for 793 yards and eight touchdowns.
Kicker Jayden Fielding is 15-for-17 on field goals with a long of 49.
“They play fast and physical,” Cignetti said. “They’re nasty with an edge. They haven’t been challenged.
“They’re fully dimensional. They can beat you in a number of different ways. Sometimes when you watch them offensively when the game is in hand -- I know Ryan is banking on playing a long season -- and they’re interested in running a lot of plays. It’s almost like they’re holding back a little bit.
“I don’t expect any handouts. We’ve earned everything on the field and we have to earn it on Saturday.”