IU COACH CURT CIGNETTI MONDAY PRESSER
CURT CIGNETTI MONDAY PRESSER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-EaMfA5k84
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –––– After the 38-0 win over Western Kentucky in Week 3, Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti addressed the media inside the Don Croftcheck Football Team Room on Monday (September 21) ahead of the 8 p.m. kickoff on Friday (September 25) against Northwestern on Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium.
Below is a full transcript of the press conference, while video of the media session can be found on the right sidebar at IUHoosiers.com.
CC | Head Coach
Opening Statement
CC: All right, good win Saturday. I like the way we responded to a little adversity there. Made the play that changed the momentum. Dominated the game throughout afterwards.
You’re going to have those periods during the season. You know, how you respond to it is critical, and I think we showed a lot of the right stuff there, dominating 38-nothing the last three quarters of the game.
And defense, two straight shutouts. Out-gained them about 520 to 180. Three fourth down stops for the defense. You know, offense had good balance. Ran the ball well. So did a lot of good things in the game.
Going to have to be really on pointe this week. Northwestern is a really give football team. Coach Braun has done a great job with that program. He’s a really smart, detailed, thorough guy. It shows up on tape.
You know, very impressive in all three phases. You know, they do the things you got to do to win football games. I mean, they’re plus four in the turnover ratio. They’re averaging 38 points a game. They’re running for over 200. You know, 465 total offense; holding teams to one out of eight touchdowns in the red area, which is really good.
They’ve given up six points in the first half and the quarterback has really developed.
They’ve done a great job with him as a passer and designed a really nice offense around him.
They’re an experienced team. They’ve got 19 or 20 fifth and fourth year starters, so, you know, they got a lot of good players and we’re going to have to play well and have great week of preparation.
We need to have a great crowd that stays the whole game. We played our three sauna games in the afternoon. I can understand having to leave in the second half, particularly when the game is out of hand and it’s 152 on the turf. It’s hard to coach in these games, too.
But this will be low 70 weather this week and it will be a nice cool football kind of night in Bloomington, and we need to have a great crowd.
So, questions.
On the questions the team has answered through the first three weeks…
CC: I like the way we developed and where we are right now. Every team you have you got concerns, whether they be depth issues, you know, upcoming opponent, how to best attack them, preparing your team day-to-day, week to week so we’re ready for Big Ten competition.
On Aidan Chiles and what he has done at Northwestern compared to previous years playing against him…
CC: It’s a little different system than Michigan State, so they’re doing a really nice job. He’ll drop back, play-action, out-of-pocket, multiple formations, personnel groupings, spread the ball in the pass game.
Hadn’t thrown an interception yet all season long and can extend plays, tuck it and run, which we saw. I think he broke one for about 60 on us last year. He’s a really good player.
He’s a really quality player.
On Preston Zachman…
CC: Big time play he made out there and he was player of the game on defense. You know, we been moving people around back there a little bit to keep guys fresh. He knows all three positions, free safety, strong safety, and rover, and played a little rover for us too.
Sanks is a multiple position guy also. Zachman is a really intelligent guy that can handle a lot of stuff in terms of assignment and responsibility, good communicator with adjustments and played really well Saturday.
On Trevor Gibbs making his first appearance and the whole tight end room…
CC: Yeah, I thought the tight end group blocked well last week. They’ll have a different challenge this week. Northwestern’s ends are really stout and they’re all improving. Gibbs got his feet wet and he’s practiced well and he has shown good potential.
On if there is any update on AJ Harris and if the time he missed will be difficult heading into Big Ten play…
CC: No, I’ve never thought of that.
On the running back room past the top two backs and Khobie Martin…
CC: It’s kind of like the last question, yeah, in the back of my mind I’ve thought all this stuff through, yes. We have a definite one and two. They’re playing well.
On preparing for a Northwestern defense that is capable of forcing turnovers…
CC: Yeah, I think we put the ball on the ground and fumbled four times in year. You know, we lost one. Put the ball on the ground again Saturday.
These guys have created a lot of turnovers, and so, you know, those equal points. I think we’re plus 14 points with our plus two turnover ratio. They’re plus three or four — four I think; 17 points. Game changing plays.
I get asked, why do you have Charlie Becker back on punt return? Well, drop a punt and change the momentum of a Big Ten game. That’s why.
On how important Big Ten play is to prepare down the road…
CC: Look, we don’t think that way. We developed in fall camp, in the last three games we developed, and I saw a lot of positive things.
You know, our standards have improved, our consistency has improved, our togetherness, better understanding of what’s expected. Some of the returners are now really back into the flow of things where you got to have the edge every day.
We’re playing really, really good football team. That’s my total focus. I think there is too much focus on we are this or we are that and, oh, compared to last year. Well, last year at this time where were we really, okay?
I’m not thinking about down the road. I know who the next game is after this one and so on and so forth, but like everything is going into this one because this is a good football team. We got to play really well. We got to have great balance on offense, between the run and the pass. Got to protect the football. We had one penalty last game.
Actually, I asked the official for a timeout at one on the last play of the game. He said, okay, and even said timeout, and we got flagged for a delay. We had technically on the stat sheet two, but really only had one.
Yeah, I was mad because we like to be one of the least penalized teams in the country.
So, you know, this thing is a journey and we’re process oriented. That’s the best way to do it to become the best you can be, and that’s the total focus.
On preparing for a Chip Kelly offense and his schemes…
CC: You got to stop the run number one.. they’re about 66% run to pass. We’re about 65 right now, so always starts there. The quarterback can run it obviously. When he drops back, he can still run it. You got to contain him.
Got a receiver that averages 25 yards a catch. They spread the ball around really nicely between the receiver, tight end and running back position. They rotate the backs in, too. The line does a nice job.
So, you prepare for what they’ve shown on tape. You do what you do. We always create a few new things defensively. But all starts within this particular game on defense. Got to stop the run and contain that quarterback, and then don’t let him throw it over our head. Tackle in space. Swarm the ball. Dominate up front.
On Josh Hoover being a perfectionist and developing him…
CC: I think there is too much scrutiny on Josh Hoover right now. Unfair scrutiny. After watching the game tape he missed one throw. The one he missed to Becker we did a bad job picking up the blitz at running back and he had a guy in his face. One he overthrew early. Missed Marsh.
The one to the right, it was the third progression. Didn’t run a good route to the field. Should have been open but wasn’t because of the route. Came back to No. 3, who didn’t run a great route either and the ball got overthrown.
And the only other one would’ve been the one to Marsh maybe down the sideline, but really that read there should’ve taken him to the field, which was open.
So, we had to kind of hash that one out as a staff to make sure we were on the same page what was going on.
So, you know, I’m glad he’s our quarterback.
On Jamari Sharpe returning and Ryland Gandy and Jaylen Bell getting opportunity in his absence…
CC: Well, he’s (Sharpe) been our most consistent corner and started a lot of games. Gandy and Bell have now played quite a bit which really helps our depth. So it’s a plus.
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