Media Monday: Notes and Quotes From Curt Cignetti's Week One Press Conference

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti met with the media ahead of IU’s week one matchup with the FIU Golden Panthers. Here are some notes and quotes from his weekly press conference.

NOTES:

- IU Kickoffs of the 2024 season on August 31st at 3:30pm at Memorial Stadium.

- Cignetti is still finalizing which coaches will be in the press box and which will be on the field.

- A final Injury Report will be posted on Saturday prior to kickoff

Curt Cignetti Quotes:

Opening Statement:

“The game is finally here. A lot of work to be done. Have to have a great week of preparation at the day. Put ourselves in the best position to be successful to play FIU. Coach McIntyre does a great job, has throughout his entire career.

Extremely dangerous at quarterback, dual threat kind of guy. Throws the ball well, extends plays, can run and we'll have to do a great job on them. They've got a deep stable of receivers, returning two or three receivers and adding more guys from the transfer portal. Impressive with their running backs. The guys all returned that they played last season.

Experienced in the secondary at the safety, corner. Their leading tackler returns. Their linebackers, specialists are good -- kicker, long snapper, punter, return people.

So, it will be a challenge, and we'll have to play well. And I want to see us play fast and physical and work out some of the mistakes we made in the first two scrimmages -- penalties, missed signs, things of that nature -- but also play smart, disciplined and poised. So, there's a fine line there.”

On How He Will Handle Redshirting and Playing  Freshmen:

“ The best guys play, really. And we're a veteran team. We've got a lot of new guys. We've got a lot of seniors on this football team. So, I wouldn't anticipate seeing many freshmen out there. That doesn't mean you might not see one or two. But it's all based on who can help us be successful, who's ready to play winning football.

And things change every week. So right now, going into the first game, I don't see many freshmen having very significant role in this game.”

On The Offensive Line Adjustments with Kidwell’s Injury:

“ I feel good. Like I said previously, now you're looking at Drew Evans, Bray Lynch and Tyler Stephens, three guys for two spots. They all can snap also. And we'll see who we trot out there in the first series.”

On FIU QB Keyone Jenkins:

“Well, he's an extremely capable passer, but when he gets out of the pocket, he does a really nice job of extending plays. And even though he's a really good athlete that can tuck it and run and gain a lot of yards, he's going to look to throw first and does a nice job of finding people when he extends plays.

And we've got to win up front, our defensive line. And we've got to put pressure on him and keep him in the pocket and not give him much time to throw. We've got to get to him. And we need a game from our D-line.”

On Setting the Tone with His First Game at IU:

“ I don't look at it that way. This is the opponent. I'm spending every second of my day with a sense of urgency trying to help put us in the best position to be as good as we can be. And that's how we look at things as coaches, I think, across the country.”

On Cignetti’s Game Week Process:

“All the eyes are on this opponent and today. And typical for in season I was up at 4:00 a.m. and in the office before 5:00. And we'll have a light practice tonight and then tomorrow is first and second down and punt return. And then Wednesday is third down and Thursday is red area and goal line, two-minute. And the mornings and afternoons are spent preparing for those situations. And then we put it all together.”