Curt Cignetti Radio Show Notes (Oct. 17)

Indiana Football has just completed a bye week and is facing its most anticipated game so far this season Nebraska comes to Bloomington for the homecoming showdown. Not only are the 16th-ranked Hoosiers looking to maintain their undefeated record, they will also have the eyes of the nation on them when FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff airs.

On Thursday night, IU head coach Curt Cignetti accompanied host Don Fischer on his weekly radio show “Inside IU Football.” Cignetti discussed Indiana’s recent win at Northwestwhat the bye week entailed and what he’s focusing on against the Cornhuskers. In the final segment, IU running backs coach John Miller joins the show.

All notes and quotations are by Cignetti unless otherwise noted. Full radio show notes are below.

ON INDIANA’S WIN AT NORTHWESTERN:

– Cignetti jokes that the Northwestern game was “so many hours ago that I can barely remember what happened.”

– “It’s hard to win on the road in the Big Ten… They’re a very capable team, as they proved against Maryland. I went to Maryland and beat them 37-10.”

– “Defensively we had our moments. We left the quarterback out of the pocket a few too many times and had one or two breakdowns (coverages) that hurt us. But we did really strong.”

– “It was a good win, a 17-point away win.”

IN INDIANA’S BYE WEEK:

– Sundaythe team had a day off. Mondaythe players lifted and the coaches came in to watch the tape and prepare for the upcoming opponents. TuesdayPlayers watched tape, watched Nebraska and had a light workout. Wednesday and ThursdayYour team had a short training session. FridayPlayers were promoted and coaches were recruiting. Saturday, The team had a day off. Sundaystarted with the normal preparation for the game week.

– Re: Coaches go out and recruit… Fischer points out that coaches can’t have face-to-face contact with players, but can observe and evaluate players… Cignetti says that in the past, coaches have done so during bye weeks for several Recruiting players took days, but as technology has improved they now don’t have to travel as much.

TO IGNORE THE RANKING LIST/OUTSIDE NOISE:

– “I don’t look at the rankings. I know the rankings, but that’s about it.”

– “The only placement that counts is at the end of the season.”

– “Great competitors are never satisfied – ever. And you want a team of great competitors who are never satisfied. I don’t want a team of people who get a lot of pats on the back during their week off. I don’t do that.” I want a thick, soft team. I want a lean, mean team.

– Cignetti says his job on Monday was to make sure the team understood it needed to tune out the noise, ignore the rankings and focus on Nebraska.

– “Rankings are great for fans. That’s why there are rankings, that arouses interest. That doesn’t mean squatting, it really isn’t.”

ABOUT LB JAILIN WALKER’S STATUS:

– Cignetti says Walker is “ready to play, he’s practiced and will be a starter” against Nebraska… “Yeah, he’ll be out there playing.”

– Re: Walker’s past injury history… One time a coach told Cignetti that Walker might be out for a year, and two weeks later Walker was back on the field and starting every game.

ABOUT THE UPCOMING MATCH VS. NEBRASKA:

– Cignetti says he knows Nebraska HC Matt Rhule a little, but wouldn’t consider it a close relationship… Cignetti notes Rhule is from Pennsylvania, which is where he’s from, so there are some bridges to cross there must.

– Re: Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola… “The guy is super talented. It’s hard to come in and play college football as a true freshman, that’s just how it is. But he did a good job.” … “They try not to burden him too much. They try to play balanced.”

– Cignetti notes that this will be Nebraska’s second road game. The first was against Purdue, where the Cornhuskers struggled in the first half before pulling away.

– Cignetti calls Nebraska’s interior defensive line “giants.” Compare Nebraska’s defensive system to Northwestern’s. Notes: Nebraska’s defense is allowing just 11 points per game this season.

ABOUT INDIANA’S INCREASED FAN ATMOSPHERE/VOLTAGE:

– Cignetti notes that the Nebraska and Michigan games are already sold out and that the Washington game is trending to sell out.

– “It’s a team effort. We have to do our part on the field and we build it up and they will come and they will come.”

– “We have to be really loud on Saturday. We have to be so loud when Nebraska has the ball that they can’t hear it. When they hit the ball we have to be really, really loud. When we’re on the offensive, don’t be loud. When we sting, don’t be loud.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES:

– Fischer asks if Cignetti has started watching film on possible transfers… Cignetti says it’s “too early” for him to watch videos, but his recruiting department is helping him get a head start on transfers… Cignetti says the staff will gradually begin working on the transfer portal as the season progresses.

— Cignetti notes that December is now a quiet time for recruiting, meaning recruits from high schools and transfer schools can make on-campus visits, but staff can’t go out and recruit until January… Cignetti says that to him Like the rule change because it allows teams to compete in bowl games to focus on finishing the season rather than also worrying about recruiting.

– Re: How IU handles snap counts… It used to be verbal snap counts, but most teams have now moved to clapping cadences because it’s easiest for all players to hear.

– Re: Communication in the helmet… Cignetti says more and more teams are getting faster with communication in the helmet and not getting used to each other, the defense is still catching up and trying to adapt to tempo offenses.

INDIANA RB coach John Miller joins the show:

– Cignetti has high praise for Miller… “He has a great future. I mean, he can write his own ticket. If he wants to be a head coach, he can be a head coach. He can do whatever he wants.” He has a lot of talent and is also a great recruiter.

– Miller says he “owes a lot of my coaching learning to Coach Cignetti.” Obviously I learned a lot from Coach Cignetti in terms of coaching on the field, but also how to run a program and what a culture should look like. “

– Miller says the coaching staff “has a great relationship” with Cignetti and it all starts from the top.

– Re: Coach’s loyalty to Cignetti… “I don’t blame them at all. They see his vision, they’ve seen the evidence, the type of teams Coach Cignetti has put together, and it’s hard to walk away from something like that.”

– Re: IU’s current RB group… “They’re all great people. Playing running back is almost a blessing and a curse. “Everyone knows who the running back is, but it’s just Ball out there… They really support each other.” They really support each other like brothers and understand their roles.

– “The thing we say in the running back room is that you have to earn it. Every week we have to earn the right to be special and they have taken that to heart.”

– Re: Splitting Snaps… “They take advantage of their opportunities and that’s what it’s all about… (Jealousy is) not what we teach and it’s not part of our culture.”

– Miller says, “I am a Hoosier,” originally from Indianapolis (Brownsburg) and raised in this state. Mom and Dad are from Indiana, the grandparents still live in the state. “I’m glad to be home.”

– “I am so grateful to Coach Cignetti for taking a chance on me at such a young age and I owe him everything.”