Indiana’s Curt Cignetti warns intensity must never fade

Brian Schaible

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Indiana’s Curt Cignetti warns intensity must never fade image

Indiana showed no mercy Friday night in Bloomington, hammering Indiana State 73 to 0 while head coach Curt Cignetti drilled home a fiery message. “Mental intensity and urgency equals energy,” he said. “We wanted to play one play at a time like it was a game on the line, regardless of the competitive circumstances.”

The Hoosiers executed that vision from the opening snap. Indiana’s defense suffocated the Sycamores. “I don’t think defense gave up a first down until four minutes to go in the second quarter and then we pulled them pretty early in the third,” Cignetti said. “We swarmed the ball.”

Omar Cooper Jr. delivered the highlight performance of the night, catching 10 passes for 207 yards and four touchdowns. Cignetti did not hold back. “What I was pleased most about was his production. Omar Cooper. 10 for 207, four touchdowns. That is a pretty good day’s work.”

Quarterback Fernando Mendoza was nearly flawless, completing 19 of 20 passes for 270 yards and five scores. Still, Cignetti demanded more. “He made a couple of poor decisions, consecutively…Started to get off rhythm in the pass game a little bit. So was just trying to reel him back in a little bit. And then he made a really good play the next play.”

The Hoosiers piled up 379 yards passing and 301 on the ground, emptying the bench in the second half. Even with the blowout, Cignetti bristled at lapses. “Wasn’t pleased with a lot of the penalties early,” he said.

With a prime time ranked showdown looming in Week Four, Cignetti left no doubt about the stakes. “I’m sure it will be electric,” he said. “We have taken the steps we need to take.”

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Brian Schaible

Brian Schaible is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is an award-winning journalist with over 25 years of experience covering college and professional sports. Brian holds a master’s degree in journalism/public relations from Kent State University.