One of the biggest surprises of the 2024 college football season has been the 8-0 start by the No. 13-ranked Indiana Hoosiers. Head coach Curt Cignetti has turned around the program in his first year in Bloomington, but how has he done it?
Ahead of Michigan State's matchup with Indiana for the Old Brass Spittoon in East Lansing on Saturday, Spartans Illustrated spoke with Jim Coyle, publisher of TheHoosier.com, to learn more about Cignetti and IU.
How has Cignetti changed the program's culture? Does Indiana have a weakness? Long term, can this level of success be sustained in Bloomington? Jim answers these questions and more.
1. Obviously Indiana has been one of the biggest surprises in the country with an 8-0 start. What do the Hoosiers do well? Are there any areas where IU struggles and needs to shore up?
Jim: I do not want to sound like Curt Cignetti, but no, I cannot find a weakness on this team. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke is most likely back to lead a pick-your-poison offense that is just 0.2 away points from leading the nation in scoring at 46.5, is the country's most efficient passing attack with a rating of 183.97, is eighth nationally in yards per catch (14.44), and 25th in rushing at 200 yards per game.
The Hoosiers bring a defense that is fourth in the country against the run, 25th against the pass and the nation's seventh-ranked overall scoring defense. Even their punting unit, which has only trotted James Evans out 15 times all season, is 14th nationally in net punting and 10th in coverage, allowing only 11 yards per return.
2. How has first-year head coach Curt Cignetti come to Bloomington and immediately changed the culture at Indiana? How has he been able to get the players to buy in?
Jim: He had "a plan and a blueprint that has worked." Those are his words. Part of his staff has been with him for up to 10 years now going back to his days at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). Cignetti also brought in the type of players he knew he needed, 13 of them came from James Madison, which helped a lot. They knew the drill, and the rest believed and it has served them all very well.
He believes in "production over potential." There are 44 players on the Indiana roster that had ZERO stars coming out of high school. Let that one soak in. The coaching has been phenomenal. It is why he will undoubtedly win national Coach of the Year honors after this season.
3. It appears that veteran quarterback Kurtis Rourke is on track to play this week. What does he bring to the team? If he is unable to go due to his thumb injury, what does Tayven Jackson bring to the table and does the offense change at all with Jackson in the game?
Jim: Kurtis Rourke plays like a pro — smooth, steady, he doesn't panic and he makes few mistakes. That carries over to the team and his leadership is unflappable. When Rourke is in the flow of a game he's surgical. Tayven Jackson is very athletic and a better runner than Rourke, but he is still learning. He made some really nice throws last week, but the offense was definitely not as smooth or potent without Rourke.
But do not sleep on Jackson, IU still won 31-17 against Washington, and the previous week, he hung 28 points on Nebraska, just in the second half. The offense can definitely change as we saw last week when Cignetti decided to put the ball in the hands of running back Justice Ellison for the bulk of the second half, which showed another facet to this offense.
4. Offensively, Indiana leads the Big Ten and is second nationally in points per game (46.5), and ranks first in the Big Ten and sixth in the country in total yardage per game (487.6). Defensively, the Hoosiers rank second in the conference and seventh nationally in points per game allowed (14.1), and third in the Big Ten and fifth in the FBS in total defense (269.5). This team is balanced. Who are a couple of players to watch for IU and why?
Jim: The dangerous wide receiver trio of Elijah Sarratt (leads the Hoosiers in receiving with 394 yards), Omar Cooper Jr. (266 yards ) and Myles Price (213 yards) have accounted for eight touchdowns on the season. They know if they run their routes, Rourke is going to find them. Sarratt's nickname is "Waffle House" because he claims "he's always open." And he is open a lot. All three of these guys have shown over the season that they have to be accounted for by a defense. Indiana scores a lot because they just keep coming at you.
Ellison is Indiana's leading rusher with 394 yards, followed by Ty Son Lawton (283 yards). Last week, Ellison had 29 carries and still averaged 4.2 yards per carry in helping Indiana shut Washington down. Lawton is always a threat that can break away at any moment. Indiana's O-line deserves a ton of credit. They have opened a lot of running space and protect the quarterback, giving up less than a sack per game.
5. Do you believe there will be sustained success under Cignetti at Indiana, or is this just a flash in the pan based on several veteran transfer additions that will be leaving after this season? Is there any fear from Hoosier fans that Cignetti will jump to another program in the near future if the success continues?
Jim: If Curt Cignetti can do what he has done, where he has done it, with the players he has done it with, my only question would be what it is going to be like when he has a roster of even more talented players? And he will have more talented players soon. The transfers he has are from James Madison, Old Dominion, Ohio, etc. College football is changing fast with a much wider swath of parity, and I fully expect Cignetti and Indiana to be an on-going part of it.
I absolutely do not see him moving on. He's 63 years old and is doing what no one else could do, at the school where it was impossible to do in the Big Ten. But here we are. I think he loves that. Multiple people have won at Florida, or Auburn, and lots of other big-name schools. I don't think he sees that as a challenge. But no one has been able to do what he is doing at Indiana, and no other coach in America is getting the exposure that he is getting for that accomplishment. Indiana just has to do its part and keep ramping up the support for the program, which I fully expect that it will. The Hoosiers finally got the "Golden Ticket" for football.
6. What is your score prediction?
Jim: If Kurtis Rourke plays, and plays close to his old self, he can deal with what will be a tough environment of 80,000 people. Indiana has not allowed the outside noise affect them on their 8-0 journey and I expect more of the same with a 38-17 win. If Jackson gets the call, I think it's 31-17 for Indiana.
