Curt Cignetti didn’t need much prompting Monday afternoon to make his feelings clear about Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith.
“"He’s a freak.”
That was the Indiana coach’s blunt assessment during his weekly press conference, as the Hoosiers turned the page from their road win at Nebraska and onto a home showdown with Ohio State. Cignetti said Smith stands alone at the position right now, and he made it obvious Indiana will have its hands full trying to slow him down.
“You know, there is no one like him right now playing at this level,” Cignetti said. “We got two really good ones.
He’s a freak. We’re going to have to do a great job on him.”
Smith’s numbers back up the praise. The 6-foot-4, 222-pound wideout has 48 catches for 916 yards and 11 touchdowns this season, and he’s only fallen short of 100 receiving yards in games where Ohio State didn’t need to lean on him early.
Cignetti also looked back at what went wrong for Indiana in stretches against Nebraska, especially on defense. He pointed to assignment issues in the first half as the biggest culprit.
“A lot of our issues were assignments, and they got the ball out there in space and we had a hard time getting off blocks,” Cignetti said. “You know, but once we settled down we did a better job.”
Indiana eventually steadied itself enough to keep Nebraska off the board in the second and third quarters, giving the offense time to find its footing later. Nebraska did manage a fourth-quarter touchdown, but the Hoosiers were able to make enough plays around it, with Nick Marsh leading the way on six catches for 187 yards and two scores.
That kind of margin for error won’t be there against Ohio State.
Cignetti also addressed Indiana’s unusual day on the ground against Nebraska, when Turbo Richard and Lee Beebe Jr. combined for just 17 carries and 41 yards. He said the weather and Nebraska’s defensive approach played a role, along with the game script.
Harsh winds made the passing game less effective, which pushed Indiana toward the run. Nebraska was ready for it, especially with help from its safeties in run support. And once Indiana was trailing, the ground game became harder to lean on with the clock working against it.
Nebraska also seemed to have a read on some of Indiana’s run tendencies, but Cignetti wasn’t overly concerned.
“Good teams have tendencies, but you to some changeup pitches, too,” Cignetti said. “Run game has got to have at-bats. When you run 16 plays in the first half you’re not getting many at-bats.”
In Other News...
Khobie Martin Could Solve An Indiana Backfield Problem Soon
Indianas backfield has been pieced together for much of the early season, and Khobie Martins absence has been a big part of that. The running back suffered multiple breaks in his right forearm in the first quarter of the season opener, and Indiana had initially expected him back around midseason. Since then, the Hoosiers have had to shuffle bodies to get through the position, including moving freshman linebacker Henry Ohlinger into the running back room because of the injuries.
Curt Cignettis latest update offered a more encouraging picture, with Martin now nearing a return to action. For a position group that has been stretched thin, getting closer to full strength matters, especially as Indiana tries to stabilize its rotation and regain some depth. Martins comeback would not solve everything at once, but it would give the Hoosiers a much-needed option in a spot that has been under pressure since opening night. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana May Have Found An Early Frontcourt Strength Fans Will Notice
Indianas preseason exhibition at Hinkle Fieldhouse offered an early look at a roster still taking shape, and the most encouraging signs may have come from the interior. In a 96-68 win over Butler, Markus Burton, Samet Yigitoglu and Darren Harris each finished with 13 points, but the frontcourt also gave the Hoosiers a stable foundation with Aiden Sherrell pulling down a team-high nine rebounds.
Sherrells activity around the glass and the way he and Yigitoglu worked together inside stood out as Indiana tried to establish some early balance. Trevor Manhertz also played a useful role in the rotation, giving the Hoosiers another option as they sort through the best combinations up front. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Faces One Harsh Reality Ahead Of Ohio State
Indianas recruiting progress is real, and it is showing up in the way its roster stacks up against the rest of the Big Ten. The Hoosiers have upgraded their talent base for 2025 and 2026, but a position-by-position look at the 247Sports composite data still makes clear how far they have to go to match the kind of depth Ohio State has built over time.
The gap is not just about the top-end names, either. Ohio States roster simply has more highly ranked recruits and far fewer players without rankings, which is the sort of difference that tends to show up when the teams finally line up on the field. For Indiana, the trip into that matchup offers a useful snapshot of progress, but also a blunt reminder that recruiting climbing is not the same thing as closing the distance. [Read more 🡒]