Cignetti says sacrifice, discipline the secret sauce for Indiana football success

EAST LANSING, Mich. – It may be too early to talk about the legend of Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti but it’s not too early to acknowledge the culture change and the national recognition Cignetti has brought to Bloomington, Ind., when it comes to football.
In just a year and a half, Cignetti has changed the perception of IU football from Big Ten also ran to Big Ten championship contender.
With a brash and confident style, some great gets out of the transfer portal and an approach that doesn’t lend itself to a lot of mistakes, Cignetti and the Hoosiers are being talked about in the same breath as programs like Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon and Penn State were before the start of the season.
And after his team’s upset win over previously No. 3 Oregon on the road, the newly-No.3 ranked Hoosiers (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten ) are firmly entrenched in the College Football Playoff discussion and will host Michigan State (3-3, 0-3) for Homecoming this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (Peacock) at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium.
Cignetti enters the game with a 17-2 record at Indiana and a 1-0 mark against Michigan State after beating the Spartans, 47-10 last season.
Michigan State leads the all-time series 50-19-2, last beating Indiana in 2023, 24-21. The Spartans also lead the series in games played at Indiana 24-10-1 but in order to reclaim the rivalry trophy, the Old Brass Spittoon, Michigan State would have to play it best game under second-year head coach Jonathan Smith on Saturday.
Indiana, on the other hand, will be looking to extend its 12-game home winning streak, the longest in program history, which is No. 3 nationally among active streaks.
Earlier this week, Cignetti talked about his team’s matchup with Michigan State.
Many times, when you have the kind of meteoric rise Cignetti has been able to develop in such a short time, those outside of the program need and want to understand what goes into a turnaround like that. Remember before Cignetti arrived in 2024, the Hoosiers finished with a combined record of 9-27 from 2021-23. Although simple, his formula for success requires a lot and he’s been able to extract that from the players on his roster. Oddly enough, his breakdown explained why Indiana is undefeated and Michigan State is .500.
“In this game (of football), what does it take to be successful? You gotta have commitment, you gotta make sacrifices, you get out what you put in, (so) you gotta have discipline to do what you have to do when you have to do it and do it right. You gotta have a work ethic, attention to detail, you gotta control the controllables, eliminate the noise and clutter, which you guys (the media) do a great job of providing a lot of that, and stay humble and hungry.
“(Michigan State) is a big-time opponent coming in here. Every team you face in the Big Ten, the margin for error is very slim.’’
While everyone always looks at offense as the reason behind a team’s success, it’s Indiana’s defense that has been the catalyst for this 6-0 start. The Hoosiers enter Saturday second in the conference and fourth in the nation in scoring defense, giving up just 11.3 points per game. Even more impressive, the Hoosiers are first in the Big Ten and fourth in the Power 4 in total defense, surrendering 229 yards per game.
One of the players that has keyed that success is three-year letterwinner and redshirt junior linebacker Isaiah Jones. Jones is a key part of an Indiana defense that gives up just 86.8 yards a game on the ground. Individually, Jones leads the Big Ten and ranks tied for fourth in the FBS in both total tackles for loss (10) and tackles for loss/game (1.67). He is also third in the conference and 23rd in the FBS in sacks per game (0.75) with 4.5 total sacks. With 32 total tackles (good for third on the team), he’s also the only player in the Big Ten with at least 2.5 sacks and an interception.
“He’s a great teammate, he’s a great leader, he represents everything that we talk about, what it takes to be the best you can be,” said the Indiana head coach. “He was on the team the year before I was hired, but when he showed up, I guess he had a back injury (that) required surgery, wasn’t able to do very much. So he got out there in my first spring, and then fall, played quite a bit the first half of the season in our Joker package (a situational sub-package that puts three linebackers on the field to counter specific offensive personnel groupings, such as those featuring multiple tight ends. The package provides added versatility and athleticism in the linebacker corps to adapt to different offensive looks) and then he started to play a little bit more. (So), I think it’s just a case of a guy staying healthy.
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“He is really playing well and he has been a huge playmaker for us.’’
Cignetti and his staff have been able to maximize and in many respects conquer the difficulties of bringing in cohesive talent out of the transfer portal. One player that has turned out to be a great fit after transferring in, is redshirt senior running back Roman Hemby.
Hemby, a transfer from Maryland, is the Hoosiers’ leading rusher with 421 yards and two touchdowns on 84 carries. He’s also the team’s fifth-leading receiver with seven receptions for 101 yards.
“When you take anyone out of the portal that you don’t have a history with – you can research the production, you can watch the tape, you can talk to people –
but you really don’t know them until they’re here a while and (you) see how they respond to different situations and how consistent they are, day in, day out.
“Roman Hemby’s a warrior. That guy gives 100% every day, every play. A physical runner, fast, smart, great hands, great out of the backfield. And he’s a guy that wants the ball, that you can give the ball to, and he’s been durable.’’
Strangely, it seems that Cignetti is almost treating his team’s matchup with Michigan State as a cautionary tale. Almost like a trap game of sorts after the unprecedented success they enjoyed with their 30-20 upset of Oregon. Maybe he’s worried about how his team will handle and respond, coming off what is arguably the biggest win in his tenure since arriving in Bloomington from James Madison. So when he was asked if he would talk to the team a little more heading into Saturday or if he would just let nature take its course, Cignetti was adamant about how he would handle the week.
“Oh, no, no, I’ll talk to (them). We have a team meeting (on Mondays) at five and I’ll talk to the team (Monday night) and put the message out there. Normally I don’t talk to the team after practice Tuesday or Wednesday. I’ll talk to them Thursday and then Friday in (the) team meeting and then obviously before the game. So, sometimes I’ll jump in there and talk to them Tuesday or Wednesday after practice if I think I need to.
“The key is our response (after beating Oregon). That’s always the key. Rip off the rearview mirror. Total focus on Michigan State.”