‘Serious Business’ – IU Seeks Right Mindset Against Old Dominion
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - It’s on -- the start of Indiana’s football season, the debut of Hoosier the Bison and Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium -- and veteran linebacker Aiden Fisher is pumped.
“I can't wait. We're going to put a great product on the field. Fans are really going to want to be a part of that. It's really exciting to see and feel the support around here now.”
Year Two of the Curt Cignetti era brings promise of more glory displayed during last season’s 11-2 record breaking run. Powerhouse offense combined with stifling defense delivered a 10-0 start, a top-5 ranking, and never-before seen national TV exposure.
These Hoosiers want more, expect more, starting with an Old Dominion team that features one of the nation’s best quarterbacks (Colton Joseph) and linebackers (Jason Henderson). It was 5-7 last season.
Joseph threw and ran for nearly 2,300 yards. Backup quarterback Quinn Henicle rushed for 206 yards and two touchdowns, and threw for two more TDs, in the season finale against Arkansas State when Joseph was injured.
IU expects Old Dominion to push a fast offensive pace seeking to spread the field and try to nullify the Hoosiers’ attacking defense.
“They're going to go fast tempo,” Fisher said. “They're going to spread you out; they're going to try to run the ball; they're going to try to fling out to the perimeters.
“They have a really solid O-line, a lot of transfers to receiver to tight end to running back, a returning quarterback who is really fast and can run. The backup quarterback is the same way.
“They're going to come out, they're going to be quick and they're going to be fast, we just have to match the tempo and stay on top of things.”
The Monarchs consistently play Power 4 Conference teams. Last season, they nearly upset South Carolina, losing 23-19.
“I expect a very tough challenge from Old Dominion,” Cignetti said. “We’re going to have to play well from the first play to the last play. We’ll learn a lot about our team.”
IU transfer quarterback Fernando Mendoza is generating lots of national buzz, including being on the Manning Award list. Add his numbers from last year at the University of California (3,004 passing yards, 16 touchdowns in 11 games), Cignetti and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan’s strong record of developing quarterbacks with an offensive line that could rank among the Big Ten’s best, and you have all the ingredients for a dominating attack, perhaps even better than last season’s conference-best 41.3 points per game average.
Under the direction of Bob Bostad, one of the nation’s best offensive line coaches, the offensive line has plenty of size, experience and athleticism with 6-foot-5, 310-pound center Pat Coogan, 6-foot-5, 308-pound Carter Smith, 6-foot-4, 306-pound Drew Evans, 6-foot-5, 307-pound Bray Lynch, 6-foot-6, 305-pound Kahlil Benson, 6-foot-6, 319-pound Zen Michalski, and more.
“You have to have a certain amount of size, and you've got to be tough,” Cignetti said. “You need ankle, knee, hip flexibility, explosive power, initial quickness.
“The ability to stay healthy really helps. The smarter you are, the better. There are a lot of variables up front, a lot of things happen where you've got to make quick adjustments.
“We're fortunate to have a pretty experienced group. I feel good about them.”
Or, as Smith put it, “As long as we all mesh together, we’re going to get it done.”
After a long off-season, an intense fall camp and a final week of preparation, the Hoosiers are ready to go, Cignetti said.
“We’ve established the habits that they're going to carry through the season -- installing, developing players, learning about your team. Now, it's time to go to war. It's serious business.”
Added Smith: “Nothing has changed from last season. Coach likes to keep the standard the standard. We all have the same goal and intend to achieve it.”
A pause.
“I’ve never been so excited about a season.”