Curt Cignetti’s offenses have always carried a clear edge on the ground, and at Indiana, that edge starts well before the running back takes a handoff. It starts with the wide receivers.
That was a lesson Cignetti picked up years ago under Nick Saban at Alabama, when he was coaching receivers and handling recruiting for the Crimson Tide. Perimeter blocking wasn’t a side note there. It was part of the offense’s identity, and Cignetti still leans on it now in Bloomington.
"That's something we emphasize," Cignetti said Monday. "(Offensive coordinator) Mike (Shanahan) does, and me being an ex-receiver coach at Alabama where all we did was block when I was there, I kind of drive that point home hard to the receivers as we get close to game day. I give them credit, they've responded."
Indiana’s numbers show how much that emphasis has mattered. Through four games, the Hoosiers are averaging 233.5 rushing yards per game, good for third in the Big Ten and 19th nationally.
Last season, they finished 12th nationally at 212.8. Two years ago, Cignetti’s first season in Bloomington, they were 63rd at 165.0.
This hasn’t happened by accident. Cignetti has built his offenses around the run going back to his Division II days at IU-Pennsylvania, then at James Madison and now at Indiana.
But in his view, the formula goes beyond a strong line and a productive back. It takes all 11 players buying in.
That showed up in Indiana’s win over Northwestern, a game the Hoosiers spent much of the night trying to separate from because of mistakes on both sides of the ball. Northwestern got within a failed two-point conversion of tying the game in the fourth quarter, but Indiana kept leaning on the part of its offense it could trust most.
Even after starting running back Turbo Richard left the Big Ten opener with an injury in the second quarter, and with third-year back Khobie Martin still working through an injury suffered in Week 1, Indiana still rolled up 271 rushing yards and two touchdowns while averaging 6.8 yards per carry. Lee Beebe Jr. carried the load and responded with a career-high 203 yards on 24 carries.
The key was what happened away from the ball. Indiana’s receivers helped turn ordinary runs into explosives.
Third-year wideout Nick Marsh was active on crack blocks and downfield blocks, while Shazz Preston and Charlie Becker also handled their assignments with force and were often several yards beyond the line of scrimmage serving as lead blockers. All three graded at least 70 in run blocking by Pro Football Focus.
"I'm not gonna lie, once I saw that Nick and Shazz (were blocking downfield), my eyes got super huge," Beebe said. "I was like, okay, cool, we're gonna have a big run here. We're gonna have a great run, we're gonna create some momentum."
Marsh, the No. 5-ranked transfer receiver, arrived from Michigan State this offseason with a different idea of what his role might look like. He said he originally expected to play in one spot, but that has changed. Against Northwestern, he lined up outside, in the slot and even as an in-line pseudo-tight end.
Indiana values that versatility, but it values his blocking just as much.
"My job is to do the best I can for my teammates, and downfield blocking is one of the things I'm good at," Marsh said. "So I just try to elevate that in my game and really take that into character."
Cignetti likes what he’s seeing from him, too: "Nick is improving every week, and we're using him in a lot of different ways. He's a threat in the pass game and he's also an excellent blocker... So I'm really encouraged by the way Nick is trending."
There are still issues to clean up. Hoover and the passing game have not fully settled in, especially when deep shots are there to be hit.
The offensive line remains a work in progress. And the running back room is getting thinner because of injuries.
But Indiana has one thing it can keep returning to: effort and precision in run blocking. It’s become a reliable part of the offense, a trait Cignetti brought with him from Alabama and turned into a defining piece of Indiana’s identity.
"Blocking is about character," Hoover said. "It shows you that guys are unselfish and that they're willing to go do that. Everybody wants to run routes and go score and do all that, but to me, really good receivers are the guys that are willing to go block."
In Other News...
Indiana Fans Have A New Recruiting Weekend To Obsess Over
Chase Branham, the future Indiana guard, is spending part of the fall in Las Vegas at the Wootten 150 basketball camp, giving Hoosier fans another chance to watch a name already tied to the program. He is hardly the only recruit on the radar, either, with several other Indiana targets taking part in the Border League event and adding to a busy stretch on the recruiting calendar.
Darius Wabbington is among the prospects drawing attention, and his official visit to Bloomington has kept Indiana in the conversation as he sorts through his college options. For a fan base always tracking the next class, this weekend offers plenty to monitor, with familiar recruiting names in action and more chances for the Hoosiers to stay visible with top-end talent. [Read more 🡒]
Indianas First Road Test Suddenly Comes With A Thin Margin For Error
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Rutgers Gave USC A Real Fight And Indiana Fans Should Notice
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For Indiana fans watching the Big Ten landscape, that kind of fight matters. Rutgers showing against USC offered a clear reminder that a struggling record does not always mean an easy matchup, especially when a team has enough playmakers to turn a game into a test from start to finish. The deeper breakdown of how Rutgers pushed the Trojans underscores why opponents have to prepare for more than just the standings when they face a team with that kind of recent tape. [Read more 🡒]