Indiana’s 55-0 dismantling of Howard gave Curt Cignetti plenty to like, and on Monday he made it clear the shutout was about more than the final score.
Cignetti said the defense “took a major step forward,” pointing to a unit that “flew around, swarmed the ball, dominated the line of scrimmage.” Howard never crossed midfield, and Indiana piled up the kind of defensive numbers that tell the story: eight three-and-outs, a four-and-out, 12 tackles for loss, five sacks, a deflected pass returned for a touchdown and a shutout to go with it.
The offense did its part, too. Indiana scored on seven of its eight possessions before easing off late, and Cignetti noted that four different receivers caught touchdown passes while two backs topped 100 yards. He also said the Hoosiers emptied the bench and played three quarterbacks along with all the running backs.
Still, he wasn’t ready to let the performance pass without a warning label. Cignetti said Indiana still had “nine or 10 plays ODK as a team that are negatives, negative plays” that need to be cleaned up before Big Ten play begins, starting this week against Western Kentucky.
The biggest concern from Saturday came on special teams. Indiana had two muffed punts, and Cignetti said one was lost. He called it the only time Howard got the ball across the 50-yard line and credited the defense for handling the short field.
“It’s a point of emphasis,” he said of penalties and ball security, adding that the staff and players have bought in. Indiana was flagged twice against Howard, but Cignetti said he wasn’t pleased with either one.
One came on a false start inside the 10, and another wiped out a touchdown run. He also mentioned two touchdown runs by the lead backs that were taken off the board because of holding.
On the other side of the ball, Cignetti said Western Kentucky “got off to a rough start against Nevada,” then went on the road to Georgia. He pointed out that the Hilltoppers’ quarterback returns and said their wide receivers did a good job separating early against Georgia. Even so, he said the focus this week remains on Indiana tightening up its own game.
“It’s still this week more about us and tightening some things up,” he said, “before we go to Big Ten play.”
Cignetti also addressed a few personnel notes. He said Jamari Sharpe, A.J.
Harris and Blake Smythe are day to day, with optimism around Sharpe and Smythe. On the young tight ends, he stressed that blocking remains the priority, saying, “Number one, tight ends got to be able to block.”
He added that Barker has made progress and that Gibbs is getting close to being ready to play.
At linebacker, Jacob Savage drew praise for his instincts and playmaking ability. In the secondary, Cignetti said Jaylen Bell and Ryland Gandy both took steps forward over the last two weeks, with Bell consistent and Gandy improving despite a couple mistakes. He said he has “a lot of confidence in both of them.”
And while Josh has piled up eye-catching numbers through two games, Cignetti said there’s still room to sharpen things up. He pointed to a few missed reads against Howard, even as he praised the offense for creating separation and getting multiple players involved.
The message from Monday was straightforward: Indiana likes where it stands after two games, but Cignetti is already looking at the details that have to get cleaner before the schedule turns tougher.
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