Curt Cignetti Talks Indiana Standard As Game Week Arrives

Fall camp is over, game week has arrived and Curt Cignetti is ready to see exactly what kind of football team Indiana has.

The Hoosiers enter the season with plenty of expectations and momentum surrounding the program, but Cignetti made it clear on Monday that everything accomplished in the past is now secondary to what his team does between on the field.

Indiana opens the season Saturday against North Texas, a program undergoing significant changes of its own with a new coaching staff and a roster filled with newcomers. That can be hard to prepare for, but Cignetti tries not focus on the other team too much.

"I think our whole thing has always been keeping the main thing the main thing, controlling the controllables," he said. "It's all about preparing to the best of our ability and putting it between the white lines against the first opponent.

"That's why today's an important day, tomorrow is an important day. We'll focus on that. Got to have the right mindset and respect for the challenge that's forthcoming, play like we want to play, our brand of ball."

With that said, Cignetti said the Hoosiers have spent considerable time preparing for the unknowns surrounding North Texas. The Mean Green added approximately 50 transfers and 70 new players overall, while new head coach Neal Brown brings his own systems and tendencies to the program. 

That creates a unique scouting challenge for Indiana. Cignetti said his staff has evaluated the transfers while also studying previous film from the North Texas staff's former programs. 

"On the offensive side of the ball, a lot of Baylor tape, on the defensive side of the ball a lot of West Virginia tape, some Texas maybe," Cignetti explained. "It is different now. Have never really played the game quite like this one where there's just so many new faces, players to coaches."

Indiana has questions of its own entering the season, although Cignetti expressed confidence in several areas. 

The offensive line, which returns considerable experience, will be closely watched as the Hoosiers attempt to establish their identity in the running game.

"Running the football is obviously paramount for us," Cignetti said. "I think we have a chance to be pretty good. I'm anxious to see how we play, play in, play out."

Defensively, the Hoosiers should be elite up front and quite good in the back end. Cignetti believes his team has the potential to be strong in the secondary, highlighting several players who performed consistently in camp. He has some concern about safety depth, but overall the Hoosiers secondary should be solid.

"Good coverage and good tackling," Cignetti said. "Guys doing their job, doing what they're supposed to do. I think we have a chance to be good back there. [Jamari] Sharpe has had a consistent camp. We have A.J. [Harris] back competing with [Ryland] Gandy. [Amare] Ferrell has had a really good camp. The free safety spot, got two veterans there that can also play rover."

With a solid roster, a proven coach and confidence at an all time high, Indiana figures to be just fine in most areas, but perhaps the biggest challenge will simply be meeting the standard Cignetti expects. He pointed to last season's opener as an example of why winning alone does not necessarily mean playing well. Indiana allowed a 75-yard touchdown on the first play against Old Dominion and struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities despite ultimately winning the game.

This year, Cignetti wants something different.

"I want us to play to a standard play in, play out, from the first play to the last play, 1-150 on the things we emphasize. I want to feel good about our performance walking off the field. I'd like to see us play a nice, clean game," he said.

Fall camp may have provided Cignetti and his staff with reasons for optimism, but the Indiana coach knows the real evaluation begins now. 

"This is a new football team," he said. "We have a chance to be pretty good. We got to do it."