BLOOMINGTON- Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti admitted his program is better prepared for its moment in the spotlight than it was a year ago during a Zoom press conference with reporters Sunday afternoon.
The No. 2 Hoosiers (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) will spend the week preparing for a game. in the Big Ten title game against No. 1 Ohio State (12-0, 9-0), the same opponent who ended his undefeated season a year ago.
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“They dominated this football game,” Cignetti said. “And was the moment too big for this football team? I mean, very objectively, you’d almost have to say it was.”
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Cignetti highlighted the “unusual” mistakes the Hoosiers made throughout the loss, focusing on the pass protection issue and the special teams breakdowns they had.
Ohio State was able to to time his pass, rush towards the silent countdown that IU used – a hand gesture from the guard – and wreaked havoc in the backfield with five sacks. The Hoosiers finished the game with just 151 total yards, the fewest yards of Cignetti’s entire career, and 68 passing yards.
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“Every time we backed up to pass, something bad happened,” Curt Cignetti said at the time.
Indiana also gave Ohio State 14 points, a point Cignetti has brought up on special teams mistakes every time he’s talked about the game since last year.
Former IU punter James Evans was tackled at his own 7-yard line after losing the snap with the game tied 7-7 late in the second quarter. After a three-and-out in the third, Caleb Downs returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown.
“They had all the momentum in the world,” Cignetti said Sunday. “They pretty much dominated for two quarters in this football game.”
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Cignetti traced IU’s success in the face of adversity on the road this season in hard-fought wins over Iowa, Oregon and Penn State directly to the lessons the program learned at Ohio Stadium.
The Hoosiers put together game-winning drives in the final two minutes against the Hawkeyes and Nittany Lions and rebounded after a pick-six thrown by Fernando Mendoza against Oregon in hostile environments.
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November 23, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, United States; Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti runs with his team before the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
“Even though it wasn’t a pleasant experience, it was an experience that was necessary for our growth and development to come into a hostile environment like Ohio State and play against a team of that quality,” Cignetti said.
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That’s why the Indiana football team, with many of the same faces — they retained all but one of the assistant coaches and returned double-digit starters — is a much different opponent that left the field in Columbus last year.
“I think we’ve learned a lot since the last time we played,” Cignetti said. “We respect Ohio State. I mean, they’re a great football team. What they’ve done speaks for itself. And we understand we’re going to have to play really well Saturday night.”
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana reporter for the Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on @michaelniziolek and read all of its coverage by clicking here.
This article was originally published in the Herald-Times: How IU football’s loss to Ohio State last year shaped this season’s success
