Indiana Sharpens Red Zone Attack in Week 2

After Indiana’s Week One performance, questions quickly surfaced about the Hoosiers’ ability to finish drives. Against Old Dominion on August 30, the offense reached the red zone six times but managed just two touchdowns, settling for two field goals, while also suffering two turnovers on downs. Adding to the struggles, they fumbled once and missed a field goal deep in ODU territory.

Fast forward to Week Two, and the Hoosiers flipped the script. Despite a few missed chances against Kennesaw State, Indiana was flawless inside the 20, punching in touchdowns on all seven red-zone trips.

“Offensively we still had six or seven missed opportunities that we need to convert on,” head coach Curt Cignetti admitted during Monday’s press conference. “On the plus side, it was good to go seven for seven touchdowns in the red area on offense.”

The turnaround was striking — not only in execution but also in showing how quickly Indiana’s offense can grow with focused practice and film study. Still, Cignetti emphasized that there’s little room for leaving points behind as the competition stiffens.

“Well, you don’t want to leave plays out on the field,” he said. “When you have opportunities, you want to cash in on those opportunities because as we move forward, the windows will get tighter, et cetera, et cetera, so you don’t want to leave plays out on the field.”

Cignetti didn’t hold back when pointing out areas for improvement, making it clear that the Hoosiers still have work to do before Big Ten play arrives. With conference games looming, Indiana can’t afford to leave points on the field and must maximize every chance to score. While the passing game looked sharp, a few miscues in the first half showed the receivers still have room to grow.

“I thought the pass game took a step forward,” Cignetti said. “I’m not a stat guy, but I think it was 21 of 28 for about 280, five touchdowns. That’s pretty good. There was one drop, true drop, EJ on the RPO. A routine play. If you’re talking about Sarratt’s, that’s one where Fernando had a guy in his face and the ball was a little behind. It’s hard to see on tape. Tough catch it looked like. We took a step forward. There’s no denying that.”

Even with a couple of drops, Indiana’s offense found its rhythm, finishing with 280 passing yards and a second straight game topping 300 yards on the ground. Nearly 600 total yards later, the Hoosiers left no doubt about their offensive firepower. Still, Cignetti made it clear there’s plenty to clean up — and Indiana’s progress will be tested again Friday night when Indiana State visits Bloomington.