Just Win – Hoosiers Want National Title to Cap Historic Season
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Buzz is out there -- good and bad -- and the top-seeded Indiana Hoosiers (15-0) remain focused on the national championship goal.
That means beating Miami (13-2) in Monday night’s title game at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium.
It also means, veteran tight end Riley Nowakowski says, shutting off the television.
“I don't watch a lot of TV during the week. Even in the training rooms, we have TVs in the training rooms on, just normal stuff, sports stuff. ESPN was talking about the national championship, and I just went over to the monitor and turned it off. We don't need to hear this.
“We try to eliminate all that, whether it's good or bad. We don't need to hear the talk about us. That's the messaging throughout the team. You don't need to be going on social media, searching up your name or checking out what people have to say.
“It's probably a little better stuff now than maybe at the beginning of the season. People may have a little more belief. But either way, good or bad, it doesn't help us. Everybody can say whatever they want about us. It's not going to help us win. We have to tune that stuff out. I think the whole team is in on that.”
All-American linebacker Aiden Fisher certainly is. Let others dwell on this historic season. He understands the big picture.
“We know it won't mean anything unless we walk away with a win,” he says. “I don't think anybody is really paying attention to all this stuff that people are putting out there.”
How dominant are the Hoosiers? They have outscored Alabama and Oregon, two of the nation’s best teams, 94-25 in two playoff games. At one point in the third quarter against the Ducks, it was 80-10. They have won 10 games by at least 25 points. Their average margin of victory is 31.5 points. In the playoffs, it’s 34.5.
For historical perspective, the playoff victory margin record for a national champion is Georgia in 2023, at 29.5 points, when it beat Ohio State 42-41 and TCU 65-7.
And yet, Fisher says, they want more, expect more.
“We have a lot to clean up from that Oregon film, a lot of sloppy plays, especially in the second half as a defense and the one long drive they had before the half.
“We know there's so much more room for improvement. All the things that have been pointed out, historical things, don't mean anything to us. We're all focused on Miami. They're a great team with a lot of weapons. They are really good on the line.
“We have a lot to deal with, a lot to handle. Everything else will take care of itself. We’ve just got to win this game.”
IU’s Rose Bowl and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl wins equal the program’s number of bowl victories from the previous 137 years. That’s among the school records set this season.
It’s not enough, veteran wide receiver Elijah Sarratt says.
“We understand our goal, and we understand how we're going to get to our goal. It's by doing what we've been doing, staying in the moment.”
It’s a mindset driven into them by head coach Curt Cignetti, who wants his players focused, determined, and resilient.
“It's a daily process of listening to what he’s saying,” Sarratt says. “It’s really believing when he says don't pay attention to all the outside noise. You have to actually try not to do it. I delete Twitter each week because I try to embrace what he's saying and not worry about what everyone else is saying.”
The Hoosiers have done that all season, starting with the 27-14 season-opening win over Old Dominion, and then, a few weeks later, crushing then-No. 9 Illinois 63-10 to establish themselves as national title contenders.
“It’s making sure we're on top of everything,” Fisher says, “but knowing that this opportunity is rare, put your everything into it so you can walk off the field with no regrets. This is something that you'll hold with you for a very long time.”
In 15 seasons as a head coach, with zero losing records and a 145-37 overall mark (26-2 at IU), Cignetti has had plenty of good teams but says he’s never had one that better sticks to the message he preaches.
“We have a great group of vets around who have been here and done that,” Sarratt says. “We believe in what he's saying. We understand that what he's saying works. The vets have done a great job keeping us in the moment, keeping the young guys on their toes.”
Cignetti’s coaching success, including a national championship at Alabama under Nick Saban, adds substance to that message, Fisher adds.
“We all know Cig's been in these positions before. He's played in big games. At the end of the day, players just want to win. Whatever he deems is the most important thing, we're going to follow that.
“We have an older team of veteran leadership that has been in these big games. We have been in the situations that we're facing right now. It's all about taking the past experiences and moving forward with them.
“Obviously, Coach does a great job with that, but having the older guys we have, taking the message and relaying it to the younger guys, relaying it to the room. Our assistant coaches do a great job with it too.
“It's making sure we're all adapted to one message, that we're on the same page at all times.”
While the stakes have never been higher for the Hoosiers, who have never won a national football title, they can’t dwell on that, Sarratt says. They will maintain the same process against Miami that they did against Old Dominion, Kennesaw State, Indiana State and every other team they’ve faced.
“It’s keeping things the same, eliminating the clutter and keeping things in the locker room. There's going to be a lot of talk on social media about how big the game is, how big the moment is. We're treating it like any other game. That's what you have to do. You don't want to make the moment bigger than it is.
“We understand it's the national championship and a lot of people are going to be watching, but we're going to treat this practice week the same. Work every day leading up to the game.”
Fisher is among the Hoosier leaders pushing that message while appreciating an opportunity no one outside the program expected.
“It’s kind of two sides for me,” he says. “It's a four-quarter football game. It's the same amount of time; you're playing on grass; you're still in helmet, cleats, and pads. It's just football.
“I told the linebackers that this a rare opportunity. I encouraged everybody to block everything out for one week. Just give me one week of everything they have and prepare like it's your last game of the season. I need everybody to understand the opportunity we have.
“At the end of the day, we're going to prepare the same way we prepared for Old Dominion in Week One, because that's the way we're wired, the way we do things. If not, it's a disservice to yourself, to your team.
Winning fuels euphoria among fans and negativity among detractors. Some refuse to believe that exceptional players, coaches, administrators -- all of which the Hoosiers have -- can achievement greatness where none existed before without, well, conspiracy.
Until 2024, no team in major college football had lost more games than the Hoosiers. Under Cignetti, no one has won more, with 26 victories, 15 in a row, most by blowouts.
The reason, Fisher says, is simple.
“I have seen all the stuff about different things for our team. It's funny and kind of ridiculous to me, but we watch film, we study, we prepare.
“A lot of people have put things out, but we just do a great job preparing. We have things that we can see within our preparation, and then we have the best D-coordinator (Bryant Haines) in college football. So when you match up those things, you get off to fast starts.”