‘Whatever it Takes’ -- Sense of Urgency Fuels Spring Progress
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Curt Cignetti watches Indiana spring football action with hands-on-hips attention, seeing everything, missing nothing. Practice is winding down, but demands aren’t.
“Total focus!” the head coach shouts. “Finish practice. Want to finish the game? Finish practice!”
Cignetti-coached teams are known for winning close games, known for executing the right plays at the right times.
Of course, they’re also known for winning blowouts, and if you saw last season’s Cignetti Hoosier debut results -- 11 victories, 10 by at least 14 points, one by 74 points, one by 66, three others by at least 37 -- you know how dominating that can be. It requires focus, toughness, commitment and, yes, finishing in practice. You succeed in games because you succeed in practice, especially at the end when mental and physical fatigue kick in, and defeat is just one lapse away.
So, Cignetti has his Hoosiers work efficiently and effectively in these 13 spring practices, which will end with the April 17 spring game. Emphasis is shouted from coaches and players -- “Gotta win!”, “Whatever it takes”, “Anticipate the snap!” -- because this is very much a team effort.
“Six practices in the books,” Cignetti says. “I think we have built off every day. I see progress being made. But there is always a great sense of urgency to make more progress. That is the key -- to make as much progress and improvement as you can.”
Year Two of the Cignetti era offers a new team with the same objective -- win. That mindset is displayed on the team’s black t-shirts with “WIN” printed on the back.
IU has reloaded by returning standout players, by adding talented transfers, and by mixing in promising freshmen with developing young veterans.
“We have who we have,” Cignetti says from a press conference setting at Memorial Stadium. “On paper, some groups look pretty good. Some groups look not so good. To me, it is about improving; it’s mindset; it’s taking advantage of every rep; it’s consistency in performance.
“Do we have any glaring holes out there? I don't see any glaring holes out there. Do we have any groups that are ready to compete for the Super Bowl right now? I don't see that, either. I see a work in progress like every team in America right now.
“The new guys are starting to get the hang of it. I see the improvement building off the previous practice. I think we are improving more every practice right now and the new guys are getting the hang of it.”
Cignetti wins because he demands much, expects much, gives much. His staff does the same thing and players respond.
In terms of spring practice specifics, he calls the defensive line performance so far, “up and down.”
“A couple of days ago,” he says, “the offense got after the defense pretty good and ran the ball. That hadn't happened around here in a long time. I got after them pretty good. The defense responded the next day and controlled the line of scrimmage, put pressure on the quarterback, and had a great day.”
The offensive line has the potential to be among the Big Ten’s best with returners Carter Smith, Drew Evans and Bray Lynch, and transfers Pat Coogan, Kahlil Benson (Colorado) and Zen Michalski (Ohio State) along with young players such as Austin Liebfried, Adedamola Ajani, Baylor Wilkin, and Matt Marek.
“I see progress,” Cignetti says. “Coogan is making progress. Carter Smith has got to get better. They all have to get better.
“We have Benson and Evans who aren't practicing (because of injury). They'll be back in the fall.
“The first line looks like an offensive line, for the most part. It functions like an offensive line, for the most part. It’s going to continue to get better, working together, making calls.
“Some of the young guys, I see progress. Ajani has made progress. Liebfried broke his hand and is in a big hand cast, so that is limiting him a little bit right now. Wilkin has done a nice job. Marek has done a nice job.”
Receivers are promising with starters Elijah Sarratt (53 catches, 957 yards, eight touchdowns) and Omar Cooper Jr. (28 catches, 594 yards, seven touchdowns) back and EJ. Williams Jr. returning from the transfer portal. Makai Jackson arrives from the transfer portal out of Appalachian State. Also in the mix are sophomore Charlie Becker, and freshmen Myles Kendrick, Lebron Bond, and Davion Chandler.
Williams, a former Clemson transfer, has a big upside if he can stay healthy, Cignetti says. In six IU games, he caught 14 passes for 194 yards.
“He's always had a good attitude and he's always been a hard worker,” Cignetti says. “The biggest thing for E.J. is at Clemson he had some injuries and at Indiana his first year he had some injuries, and he had some injuries when I got hired.
“I have always liked him personally. I like his work habits, and I like his talent. He has a burning desire to be good. We just have to keep him on the field. The more we keep him on the field, then he can develop that consistency. We need for him to be a really good player.”
Because of the receiver injuries this spring (Tyler Morris, a transfer from Michigan, is out for the season with a knee injury), tight end Sam West is playing slot receiver in practice.
“We’re thin number wise right now for sure,” Cignetti says. “I think the freshmen coming in will be okay. Kendrick and Bond are with us now. Chandler will come in for the fall.
“I like the guys who are out there. Makai Jackson is limited to a hamstring a little bit the last two practices. I like our top-line guys – Cooper, Sarratt, E.J. and Becker. Bond and Kendrick have a future.
“Will we go shopping for another capable guy after spring practice? Perhaps.”
Good coaches, the best coaches, work on end-of-game scenarios in every practice, even in the spring, to ensure everyone is on the page and dialed in when the pressure is at its fiercest, when a season, perhaps a championship, ride on the next play.
A recent spring practice rushes to its red-zone conclusion, and that includes players running the length of the field to get into position for this final segment.
“Play fast,” Cignetti shouts, pointing the way forward. “Let’s go!”
And so the Hoosiers do.