Hoosiers Maintain Focus in Preparation for Toughest Opponent to Date

Written By: Nick Gonzales (@nrgonzales_)

The Hoosiers had another impressive performance against the Charlotte 49ers last Saturday, but they are going into this week to face the toughest opponent they’ve seen so far in the season. This Saturday, the Indiana Hoosiers will host the Maryland Terrapins for their first home conference game of the season. If you remember what happened the last time these teams faced off against each other, the Terrapins came out victorious, defeating the Hoosiers 44-17. In order for Indiana to not repeat last year’s outcome and come out on top, they have to remain focused and continue to improve.

During Monday’s press conference Cignetti gave some insight on what he has noticed from Maryland this season.

“This is going to be the stoutest defensive line we’ve gone against… They’re very aggressive. It’s also going to be the best receiving corps we’ve seen up to this point. Probably the best quarterback we’ve seen up to this point. So, it’s the best football team we’ve seen up to this point.”

While Maryland is the “best football team” the Hoosiers have seen so far this season, that doesn’t scare them. They remain focused and continue to show their determination in practice each week which has led to their current success.

“Success leads to confidence, which leads to success. And so, they go hand in hand. But you still have to put the work in during the week because everything we do isn’t fun.

You've got to pay the price in terms of your commitment level, make some choices and decisions, good ones, and sacrifices.” Coach Cignetti stated on Monday.

Cignetti is all about success. If you’ve seen his résumé, then you know that everywhere he has gone, he leads his team in a way that ensures their success. He doesn’t plan to stop now and came to Indiana last December to lead the Hoosiers to a successful season in a conference that has written them off time and time again. Throughout the season and preseason Cignetti has emphasized the winning mentality that he and his crew have developed and instilling it into players who come from programs that didn’t see much success. Developing a winning mentality develops confidence in players and creates leaders who will do whatever it takes to succeed. Cignetti has noticed Rourke as a leader who is in command and plays with a lot of confidence. He has gained the trust of his teammates by improving week in and week out and is ready to lead the Hoosiers this Saturday.

Cignetti’s trust in the players and coaching staff has led to the success of this team. “I have total confidence in him (Bryant Haines) and the defensive staff that they’re going to put a great plan together, which gives us the best chance of being successful,” Cignetti says. However, Cig believes that the team can still improve and declared “we’ve got to keep progressing and getting better.” His attitude of not being fully satisfied yet encourages his players to refine their skills and become triumphant.

“When you win, it’s about maintaining your edge and avoiding complacency and not having the warm fuzzies and not taking the rat poison, right? Eliminating the noise and the clutter, focusing on what’s going to help you get to the point where you can perform to the best of your ability on Saturday, the preparation part, the physical and mental preparation.” Cignetti expressed in his press conference.

You can always be better, no one is perfect. Coach Cignetti stresses that fact to the team so they don’t settle for being second or third best. He wants them to be the best and a team can’t be the best if they settle for just some success instead of pursuing greatness.  

“I think it’s everybody. You get better, you get worse. We don’t want to maintain the level. We want to improve the level in everything we’re doing. We want to improve because we're not -- nobody is in a position in college football where they afford to go backwards. So you've got to keep striving.” Cignetti responded about keeping the team’s composure on a week-by-week basis.

As the Hoosiers get ready to welcome the Terrapins in Bloomington this weekend, they remain composed to face this tough opponent. They haven’t shied away from any of the opponents they’ve faced so far and will continue to be aggressive and fearless this Saturday. It will be a very exciting game to watch and will be a major test for Indiana to see if they can still be dominant even against tougher opponents.