INDIANA UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 6, 2024

Curt Cignetti

Press Conference

Indiana - 77, Western Illinois - 3

CURT CIGNETTI: It was a good night. I was pleased that our team played with an edge and an attitude and at a high standard. The ones that I'm talking about didn't play down to the competition.

We emptied the bench pretty much and got a lot of people up on the field, and I was happy for them too because we had a lot of young people make plays, create some turnovers defensively.

So it was a good night.

Q. (No microphone).

CURT CIGNETTI: Yeah, that's what I saw too. I hate to make an evaluation until I watch the tape the next day, but that's what it appeared to me also, yeah.

Q. You talked about playing with an edge last week. You talked about that 21-0 lead and maybe just not playing with the lead the way you wanted to. The competition being whatever it is. How important was it in your mind for the offense in particular to keep going out and stacking good drive after good drive? They scored like nine straight.

CURT CIGNETTI: I think it was equally important for the defensive stop because offense, defense, special teams. About 40 percent of your plays are on offense, 40 percent on defense, and 20 percent on special teams, and you need all three phases to do really well.

The defense was doing their job too. The only thing I wasn't pleased with was the end of the half because they kicked a field goal.

It was good. There were plays out there. We threw and caught the ball well and protected well. That's part of what we want to clean those penalties up and protect the quarterback better than we did last week.

Then I thought the second half we really established even more dominance, and they got people involved, and they made plays.

Q. You mentioned earlier fighting human nature. Do you have a good sense that the message got through during the week. What buttons do you push differently during the week to get that message through?

CURT CIGNETTI: Yeah, I did. I thought every day built on the last. Tuesday wasn't a great day. I talked to the team afterwards about it. I don't talk to the team after every practice. Most of them I do.

I had some things to say, and I had a captive audience. They applied it the next day, and we had a really good day the day before the game. We went out in shoulder pads and helmets and practiced the day before the game.

Then they were charged up in the locker room before the game and came out and played pretty well.

Q. Tyrique Tucker tonight has a sack and a tackle for a loss. Can you talk about how much he's developed?

CURT CIGNETTI: I'm really proud of him. His brother played for me. He was an All-American linebacker, 5'8-1/2" linebacker, finished his career at Texas.

Tyrique has really improved every year. He's a great guy. He's overcome a lot in his life and really does great in classrooms. He's a great teammate. He's really improved every single year as a player. So I'm really proud of him and happy for his success.

Q. The defense created a couple of turnovers in the second half. How important is it to continue to create those turnovers moving forward?

CURT CIGNETTI: That would be nice. That's momentum and points, so it was good to see.

Q. You mentioned the end of the first half this week, and obviously the same sort of drive happened against FIU too. I know you haven't been able to watch this game here yet, but I guess what do you feel like is happening in those two-minute drill defense drives?

CURT CIGNETTI: There were probably a couple mistakes in there. I think we had subbed a little bit at certain positions also. I don't want to speak on it too much without watching the tape.

You've got to finish the half well. You've got to start the third quarter well. We've been starting the third quarter well, but we haven't finished the half well. We've been starting the game well and finishing the game well too.

There's a lot more positives, but just like 98 percent of the teams in the country, we have a couple things to work on and improve on.

Q. How important, how valuable is it to have this kind of period of small ramp-up before heading out west?

CURT CIGNETTI: We just play them. They choose the schedule, and I get them ready to play and put them in the best positions, me and the staff. We play as well as we can on game day.

We develop this team every single day with the intangibles. We develop the culture and mindset, the identity, and how they think, which is critical in how we play.

The schedule is what it is. We'll enjoy this one and think about the next one tomorrow or Sunday.

Q. Another young linebacker, Rolijah Hardy, had an interception and a forced fumble. How has he developed and turned into a playmaker on defense?

CURT CIGNETTI: I think he's got a real chance. We like him. He really started to take some steps forward at the end of fall camp, moving to that Number 2 linebacker spot behind Fisher although Isaiah Jones is kind of a swing guy there too.

Good athlete, comes from a great high school program, Lakeland. Family of athletes, have had good success collegiately. He looked really good when he caught that ball, showed good natural hands, good movement getting in there.

The other young guy got involved tonight too, Charlie Becker. Really brought up this week and had a nice week of practice. So good to see those young guys making some plays early in their career.

Q. Six yards per carry last week, seven per carry this week. How important is it that the offensive line starts to gel (indiscernible)?

CURT CIGNETTI: Some of it's relative to who you play too. I hope we create those kind of numbers later in the season, and then we'll be a hot item on the clinic circuit.

So we're just doing the best we can every single game, and we'll put the best plan together for next week. Thanks.