BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — When Curt Cignetti entered Hoosier Hank’s just shy of 7 p.m. Thursday night, he didn’t receive the same ovation or glamorous welcome as the week prior.
The shine of Week 1 is gone. The work is underway. And Cignetti, five days removed from the Hoosiers’ 27-14 victory over Old Dominion on Aug. 30, has long turned the page toward Kennesaw State.
But his radio show, which is co-hosted by Don Fischer, offered one final chance to dictate the narrative on Indiana’s season-opening victory. Cignetti wasted little time doing so.
“First of all,” Cignetti said, “I’m not going to apologize for winning.”
The crowd broke into applause. It wasn’t the last time, either.
Here are five takeaways from the Inside Indiana Football Radio Show, which also included defensive coordinator Bryant Haines …
Putting a bow on ODU
Cignetti reiterated much of what he said in press conferences Saturday evening and Monday afternoon.
Indiana’s offense was “really good” for 95 yards, he said, but struggled mightily in the red zone. The Hoosiers led the nation in red zone touchdowns last season, and Cignetti pinned the Week 1 issues on a faulty plan, but he acknowledged Indiana must get better.
Defensively, the Hoosiers shut down Old Dominion, sans quarterback Colton Joseph’s 75- and 78-yard rushing touchdowns that occurred due to missed assignments.
Cignetti liked Indiana’s special teams. Punt returner Jonathan Brady scored a 91-yard touchdown, each of Brendan Franke’s kickoffs resulted in touchbacks and the unit met all of its goals.
The Hoosiers won all the important stats, Cignetti said. They tripled the Monarchs in first downs and possessed the ball for over 41 minutes. But Cignetti mentioned stats are for losers, and no matter the dominance depicted in numbers, he was frustrated Indiana didn’t put away Old Dominion when it had the chance.
“We had that team down. We were in position to knock them out. We had them on the ropes and we didn't do it,” Cignetti said. “But I had frustrations last year at this time too, but different team. So, we've got areas — there's not a whole lot to talk about with the kids. They understand where they gotta improve, what we have to improve.
“Now in life, anytime you do something a second time, you're always a lot better.”
Mendoza keeps improving
Redshirt junior Fernando Mendoza didn’t produce gaudy numbers in his first game as Indiana’s starting quarterback, going 18-for-31 passing for 193 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions.
Cignetti lamented one of Mendoza’s fourth quarter passes, an overthrow to freshman receiver Lebron Bond, that would’ve been a 40-yard touchdown. Cignetti also noted redshirt junior receiver Omar Cooper Jr. dropped a near-50-yard touchdown in the first half.
Mendoza, who transferred from Cal to Indiana over the winter, made steady improvements this offseason and is carrying his development into Week 2.
“It's the hardest position to play in football,” Cignetti said. “And I think every day he's in our offense, he gets better and better and improves. And I've seen it this week as well. He made some really good plays in that game. He left a couple out there, there's no doubt about it. But we could have helped him out sometimes on the outside.
“So, just looking to build off that performance and get better every week. And once you get that positive performance, that confidence and belief starts to roll and everything picks up.”
Williams nears homecoming
Kennesaw State’s quarterback, Dexter Williams II, is a familiar face to Hoosier fans. Williams, who attended Indiana from 2020-23, started two games in 2022, including a 39-31 victory in double overtime against Michigan State.
Williams transferred to Georgia Southern three days before Indiana hired Cignetti in November of 2023, and after playing in five games off the bench last season, he’s stepping into the starting role at Kennesaw State this fall.
In the Owls’ season-opening 10-9 loss to Wake Forest, the 6-foot-1, 218-pound Williams went 12-for-33 passing for 149 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions while rushing 14 times for 44 yards.
Cignetti expects Williams to present challenges with his legs.
“He's a good athlete,” Cignetti said. “He's elusive and they have designed quarterback runs. And he's got a strong arm. Now, they were 12-for-33 passing the ball against Wake Forest. So, there were some misses in there. But he can definitely be a nuisance.”
Indiana wants more from its defensive line
The Hoosiers recorded only one sack and three quarterback hits against Old Dominion, and Pro Football Focus credited Indiana with eight hurries.
Haines said he and defensive line coaches Pat Kuntz and Buddha Williams felt Indiana “didn’t produce the way we’re supposed to” in the season opener.
“Part of it's the scheme that we were going against and how we called the game,” Haines said. “And part of that's, you want more from those guys up front.”
Old Dominion’s fast-paced, spread offense limited Haines’ play-calling aggression. The Monarchs pose a unique challenge, Haines said, with how they space the field.
“They take their receivers, and they're aligned almost out of bounds,” Haines said. “It's like part of the defense has to remove themselves from the field, so then they play within their small world. And there's only so many ways you can attack it. The more aggressive I get, the more the ball just hits the perimeter.
“And I don't want the defensive backs to get all the fun. So I'm willing to empty the box out and say, ‘Go ahead and try to run the ball.’ And if everything fits up the way that it should, they shouldn't be able to run the ball. And they just did (with) too much success in Game 1.”
Haines added Indiana believes in its defensive linemen. Hosea Wheeler is powerful, Tyrique Tucker flashed and Mario Landino, who had a team-high three pressures, is versatile. Multiple teammates touted Dominique Ratcliff’s athleticism during fall camp.
The Hoosiers have the pieces, but Haines doesn’t feel they showed it Week 1.
“Look, at the end of the day, you got to get on the stat sheet,” Haines said. “You got to make plays in their backfield. And there wasn't enough of that.”
Cignetti ‘somebody you want to work for’
Haines said last fall Cignetti gave him an ideal job interview in 2014 at Indiana University of Pennsylvania: One ice-breaking question, and the rest about football.
Apart from 2016, when Haines left IUP to become the linebackers coach at the University of California, Davis, he’s been with Cignetti ever since.
So, Haines knows Cignetti better than most.
“He's different, but he's very true to who he is,” Haines said. “Like, he's not going to be different in front of anybody here as he is with us in the office, or if he comes to my office or I go into his. He's transparent, he's open, he's honest.”
Haines received offers from blue blood programs this spring, but Indiana upped its financial ante to keep him. Money aside, Haines valued his relationship with Cignetti, and his prior actions support the words he stated Thursday night.
“In my opinion, that's somebody you want to work for,” Haines said. “You know what the expectation is. You make sure we're all accountable for what our job description is. And it's the same way I am with my players. So I think in that way, he and I are very aligned, and that makes the working relationship very easy.”