"Not satisfied": Despite 4-0 start, the Hoosiers are looking for more

After a 63-10 win over a top-10 team, you’d expect a quarterback to talk about his individual performance, praise his teammates and explain why his team was able to be so successful.

Fernando Mendoza checked off all those boxes in his postgame media availability, but he added another layer to his comments after Indiana‘s matchup with Illinois.

“There’s still stuff I got to clean up,” Mendoza said.

He went on to say, “I feel like we’re 0-0 because we have Iowa next week,” which is exactly how the rest of the program feels.

The Hoosiers aren’t satisfied. They want to continue improving, and that’s a sentiment shared from top to bottom. Curt Cignetti’s team is constantly looking for more from his players, and the players have bought into consistently looking to improve.

Every day, every practice and every rep is intentional, and it starts with the Hoosiers understanding that there will always be something to improve upon. The players realize this, and even after a 53-point win, they’re still looking for ways to get better.

“Like, those guys are super dedicated and you’re seeing the fruits of their labor, and I know they’re not satisfied as well,” center Pat Coogan said about the offense at large following practice on Tuesday.

Game Week Q&A: Pat Coogan, Aiden Fisher preview Week 5 clash with Iowa

Coogan mentioned Mendoza specifically, explaining that he’s always striving to be perfect at every turn. As the quarterback, Mendoza leads by example, and he’s been able to lead the offense to a better performance week after week until a possible climax in Week 4.

Another leader, linebacker Aiden Fisher, shares a similar view on Indiana’s 4-0 start. Even with a sensational showing on Saturday against the Illini, he didn’t hesitate to spot areas to improve.

“I think we all have to be better with communication. And obviously that starts with me as the green dot. So I have to do a better job and make sure everybody’s on the same page. And then, you know, post-snap to pre-snap communication has to be elite, especially playing in the Big Ten,” he told reporters on Tuesday night.

With an understanding of what can be worked on, the Hoosiers are putting 100% of their energy into working on the details that Fisher mentioned. It’s one thing to say it, but Indiana is all-in on preventing complacency whenever possible.

“So we just have to be better with that, communication-wise. And then, you know, once we get going, it’s just where your eyes are, where are you keying in on things like that,” Fisher added. “So, the little details that we have to key in on, we’ve done a great job in practice. We just got to keep working through it.”

Coogan also shared a way in which he can improve. As a member of an offensive line that’s seen four weeks of almost unblemished success, that might be surprising, but that’s just the way he and the rest of the team are wired. Despite giving up just three sacks all game, Coogan isn’t focused on how well the offensive line played. He’s fixated on not being perfect.

“I didn’t do a good job of declaring the box on that first one on Saturday. So, that’s 100% on me. That was a cheap one. That should have never happened. And then the second one should have never happened as well. So, we got to say like three is still too many,” he said.

With a desire to be perfect in every possible way, both Indiana’s offense and defense are aligned toward the same goal. Of course, it starts at the top, as even after securing a 4-0 record to begin the season, a 15-2 start to his tenure at Indiana and a 12-game home winning streak, Cignetti was still pointing out what his team can work on.

He pointed to his safeties as an area of concern, as Cignetti was less focused on the nine touchdowns his team scored, with the one touchdown Illinois scored at the forefront of his mind.

ON3+: Indiana vs Iowa: 3 key quotes from each head coach

“Yeah, all three of those guys, we just need them to do what they’re supposed to do consistently — prepare a little better, see what’s going on, make the proper adjustments, communicate quicker and be where they’re supposed to be,” he said.

Cignetti isn’t looking to humiliate the players who didn’t perform up to the standard. The opposite is true, actually. He’s simply looking for the best out of his team, and he won’t shy away from mentioning that to the media.

While the rest of the college football world has been clamoring over Indiana’s win in Week 4, the Hoosiers aren’t hung up on it. They were able to celebrate, but that lasted less than 24 hours. Instead of relishing the win, the Hoosiers have been looking for ways to get better.

Never complacent, never satisfied. That’s the mentality of this Indiana team, and ahead of a matchup at Iowa, nothing has changed.

Not yet a member of TheHoosier?  Join our community for Just $1 for your first week and get a complimentary year of The Athletic included with your membership. Join here!

Use the code “IND20” on Rhoback.com for a generous 20% off for all new customers through the end of this week. Rhoback — Best Fit, Best Feel.