Curt Cignetti Notes and Quotes: North Texas Game Week

Notes

• Indiana enters the season ranked 6th in both the Coaches and AP Poll
• Saturday’s Game vs. North Texas kickoff at Noon ET on FOX and FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff Pregame so will originate from Bloomington.
• North Texas Game Week: Praised Neal Brown as a coach
• Control the controllables
• How to scout against a team full of transfers
• Touched on Tayven Jackson
• Confirms Lynch as starting center

Quotes

CURT CIGNETTI: All right. Looking forward to prep for game week. I know our guys are tired of hitting each other. It will be exciting. Stacked days of meetings. Want to play well.

North Texas, team won 12 games last year. A new coaching staff. A lot of new players. I think it was 50 transfers and 70 total guys.

Neal Brown, good football coach. Accustomed to a setting like this. Beat LSU when he was at Troy a while back. We got to get ready to go.

Q. You talked all season about putting last season’s success in the rearview mirror. Do you think there’s something else the team needs to hear?

CURT CIGNETTI: I think our whole thing has always been keeping the main thing the main thing, controlling the controllables. It’s all about preparing to the best of our ability and putting it between the white lines against the first opponent.

That’s why today’s an important day, tomorrow is an important day. We’ll focus on that. Got to have the right mindset and respect for the challenge that’s forthcoming, play like we want to play, our brand of ball.

Q. You talked the last few years about preparing for these programs where a lot changes in the off-season. Have you refined your own process for how you scout a new staff, a new roster, looking at transfers, guys that return?

CURT CIGNETTI: Yeah, we got a scouting report on all the transfers. A lot of them once we get into Big Ten play we’ll know. Like on the offensive side of the ball, a lot of Baylor tape, on the defensive side of the ball a lot of West Virginia tape, some Texas maybe.

It is different now. Have never really played the game quite like this one where there’s just so many new faces, players to coaches.

Q. Your offensive line looks really good on paper when you look at experience and everything. What do you see and how good do you feel about them going into the season?

CURT CIGNETTI: Well, I’m anxious to see how we do. Running the football is obviously paramount for us, stopping the run on defense. I think we have a chance to be pretty good. I’m anxious to see how we play, play in, play out.

Q. You have so many outstanding kickers. What attributes do you look for in a good kicker? How does Nico fit in that?

CURT CIGNETTI: Grant Cain does a good job of evaluating kickers. We’ve had quite a few portal guys at kickoff and punter and long snapper.

Nico is just money in the bank. Really focused. His technique is good. He’s had a great fall camp. We had a guy at JMU Ratke, very similar to him. Set an NCAA record. Just had a lot of confidence in him.

Q. North Texas brings in Jahiem White, All-American. What makes their running game really good?

CURT CIGNETTI: I mean, they have a system, they had a system at West Virginia, now there’s some unknowns. Things could change. See some things we haven’t seen on tape. Jahiem White in particular, he was injured, missed some of last season, but he’s really fast and elusive. He’s great in space.

Q. Have you ever gone up against a quarterback that you know as well as this quarterback? What is the scouting report?

CURT CIGNETTI: Tayven played really good football for us in ’24. Came in at halftime in a Nebraska game and played a great second half. Started the next week against Washington, a game that we won. He saw action.

He’s very talented. He’s got a live arm. He can run. He’s a good athlete. Started a number of games last season. He’s a good player.

Q. What is your assessment on the secondary from last week of fall camp? What are you looking to get out of them in the first game of the season?

CURT CIGNETTI: Good coverage and good tackling. Guys doing their job, doing what they’re supposed to do. I think we have a chance to be good back there. Sharpe has had a consistent camp. We have A.J. back competing with Gandy. Ferrell has had a really good camp. The free safety spot, got two veterans there that can also play rover.

Wish we had a little bit more depth at the safety position, but we are where we are.

Q. From a health standpoint, how do you feel like you have come out of fall camp? In pretty good shape?

CURT CIGNETTI: Yeah, we do. We didn’t lose anyone other than probably Gibbs would be questionable for the game. He would be the only one.

Q. Expected sellout on Saturday. What is your message to the fan base, the students, everybody watching at home?

CURT CIGNETTI: Let’s be loud and proud. Let’s give them something to be loud about. It’s worth two touchdowns in my mind, no question about it.

Q. How excited are you to open the season at home, good stretch of home games to start the year, reigning national champions, celebrating with the fans?

CURT CIGNETTI: Yeah, our fan base, just so proud of the way they’ve turned out, really gotten behind this football team.

It’s just nice to switch gears. Camp can get a little old near the end hitting each other. I know the guys are going to be really excited now to run out there and play.

Q. Opening the season, what are you looking to see from your team in this opener against North Texas?

CURT CIGNETTI: I want us to play to a standard play in, play out, from the first play to the last play, (indiscernible) on the things we emphasize. I want to feel good about our performance walking off the field.

Last year against ODU they ripped off a 75-yard touchdown first play. Our first touchdown was a 90-yard punt return. We scored our first offensive touchdown with 3:36 to go in the second quarter. We were inside the 10 six times and came away with 20 points, which isn’t very good. Had the ball first and one on the opening drive, couldn’t get in the end zone. We won the game, which is what we wanted to get done. Thinking there’s a lot of work to get done. There’s going to be a lot of work to get done regardless. I’d like to see us play a nice, clean game.

Q. State Farm commercial debuted last week. In terms of the things you talked about, being deliberate about what you decided to do, how important was what you did to increase the visibility of your program?

CURT CIGNETTI: I thought the Indy 500 was good. That’s part of the fabric of state, national. I think State Farm been around a really long time.

We turned down a lot. Those are the ones we chose.

Q. I know two years ago you were in here, you had the same mindset. How are things practically for you different now than it was when you had your first-ever game here? How is your life practically different, especially when you’re on the field?

CURT CIGNETTI: Really more same than different, to be quite honest with you. The biggest difference is I think now I know the building better, I know how to get around. Pregame, before we go out for warm-ups, I know where I’m going to dress and where I’m going to get away from everybody and things like that.

A lot more same than different.

Q. Year three, you know the culture, how do you feel like the newcomers have embraced that through fall camp?

CURT CIGNETTI: I think up to this point well. Now we’re going to find out. This is when it really counts. I believe you learn about your team every week. Every time you go out there and play a game you learn a lot about your team.

What’s done is done. This is a new football team. We have a chance to be pretty good. We got to do it.

Q. Now that you’re in prep and everything, what is your feeling at the center position? How comfortable are you with the progress there?

CURT CIGNETTI: Good. Bray Lynch will be the center. He’s a veteran guy. He’s smart. Snaps the ball well. I feel good about it.