Inside surprise success of Indiana football

Normally this time of year in Bloomington, Indiana, the focus is on the approaching college basketball season. However, the stunning success of the Indiana University football team has made the Hoosiers a national story. Indiana (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) is off to their best start since 1967. They are one of 11 undefeated teams left in Division I and have yet to trail in a game.

This is especially shocking when you consider the Hoosiers were picked to finish second-to-last in one Big Ten media poll. First-year coach Curt Cignetti has brought new energy to the program. This Saturday, No.16 Indiana will face its biggest test when it hosts Nebraska (5-1, 2-1), which is No.25 in the coaches poll. Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff will be there along with a sold out crowd. To learn more, we recently caught up with Michael Niziolek of The Bloomington Herald-Times.

Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

Awful Announcing: What is the mood around campus and in town?

Michael Niziolek: “Every week, more and more people have bought in. I think they were a little hesitant because they had been burned before, even though Curt Cignetti called his shot and has expressed confidence since he took over in December. ”Look, this is what’s going to happen.’ It’s kind of unfolded, as he said. When they beat UCLA on the road, that got some fans in. They beat Maryland pretty handily. Fans took notice of that one. You see that this team is for real. Curt Cignetti has turned the page on the recent struggles. This team has a legitimate shot to be a contender in the Big Ten.”

How surprising is this Indiana team?

“I think it depends on how you look at it. In terms of a historical context, it’s surprising. It’s a program that’s never had even a double-digit win season. This is only the second 6-0 start in program history. But Curt Cignetti has never had a losing season as a head coach. They rebooted the roster, essentially. They brought in a ton of experienced guys. They weren’t betting on potential is what Curt Cignetti said. He bet on production. Going into the season, I thought bowl game for sure. They had a chance at eight wins. Now, I think that the bar has been raised a little bit.”

Cignetti came in without a lot of swagger. How was that initially received?

“There’s the clip that went viral of him at Assembly Hall. He called out Purdue, Michigan, and Ohio State. He sensed apathy within the fan base and people setting the bar lower. They were down on IU football in general. He wanted to create some excitement, create some enthusiasm, create a talking point, essentially. He’s built that confidence throughout his career with the success he’s had. He said some of those things to sort of say, ‘Look, this is not the old Indiana football. This is a new era.'”

How has he turned the Hoosiers around?

“The transfers are obviously a part of it—landing Kurtis Rourke in the transfer portal, bringing all the guys, more than a dozen guys from (James Madison). They have some other experienced transfers. Myles Rice is one of them, from Texas Tech at receiver. They turned over the roster. There’s only a handful of returning starters. The other part of it is the coaching staff (that he brought from James Madison). He was able to hit the ground running because he wasn’t teaching coaches his system. He wasn’t teaching them his philosophies. He had that group ready to go.”

Has Rourke been better than expected?

“I think probably about what they expected because they thought highly of Kurtis. They valued production over potential. This was a quarterback who won MAC Offensive Player of the Year two years ago. He took a little step back last year, but that’s because he was recovering from a torn ACL. What Cignetti likes to say is he’s seen every situation. He’s run a two-minute offense. He’s come back from games. He knows how to finish when they have a lead. I think they knew what they had was a quarterback who could make every throw and be a veteran leader.

Is it fair to criticize Indiana’s schedule so far?

“I think it’s OK to be skeptical. They played an FCS opponent (Western Illinois) with a losing streak that reached 27 games . Some of the other non-conference games wouldn’t have scared anybody. But winning two Big Ten games on the road, winning the games that they have so handily, I think, makes up for some of that. They’re beating teams and leading throughout. You’ve seen teams go on the road and struggle, go to the West Coast and struggle. There only have been two Big Ten teams that have won on the West Coast so far. Penn State was the second one (last) weekend.”

What are Cignetti’s thoughts on Nebraska?

“He was very respectful of Nebraska and what they’ve done to rebuild their team over the last two years. He sees a lot of talent, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. He likes their young quarterback. I think he focuses more on getting improvement from his team each day. They’re coming off a bye. He’s going to always think his team matches up well because he’s a lot of confidence in this group.”

How big of a deal is it to have Big Noon Kickoff there?

“Slowly but surely Indiana is being taken more seriously. Fans are anxious to see how it turns out, and if they can stay undefeated. The game is sold out. It’s all part of the excitement they’ve built here. That game against Maryland was their best crowd of the season. You saw fans staying till the end. That was the best crowd I’ve seen in the two years I’ve been here.”

Do you have a prediction for the Nebraska-Indiana game?

“My prediction for Indiana is 31-24, 24-21, or something like that. Close, but I still think it’s a win just because they probably have the better offense of the two teams. Nebraska has struggled to score at times. That hasn’t been an issue for Indiana this season—40 points in five straight games for the first time in program history. It’s going to be hard to keep down this Indiana offense. I do think they win this weekend.”

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