Cignetti Press Conference & Player Stories
While working with Hoosier Huddle for the 2024 season, I attended every weekly press conference and player interview throughout the season. I displayed some already, but here are some additional stories I wrote regarding Curt Cignetti's weekly press conferences and Indiana football players' availability to the media.
It’s midway through the season and it seems that everyone is getting a nickname. First there was Kurtis Rourke who came in as “The Maple Missile.” Then there was Elijah Sarratt who was nicknamed “Waffle House” since he’s always open, and the person who gave him that nickname was wide receiver Ke’Shawn Williams who’s been dubbed as “The Touchdown Machine.” Now, the Hoosiers’ running backs have a nickname of their own, “The Ninja Turtles.”
The Hoosiers are 8-0 and the fans are absolutely loving it. Memorial Stadium sold out their last two games (Nebraska and Washington) and has sold out the remaining two games against Michigan and Purdue which is a single season record for the program and matched the number of sellouts from 2016-2023 (four). Not only that, but the city of Bloomington has hosted Big Noon Kickoff and College GameDay in the last two weeks and the fans have been reveling in the glory. It’s a drastic change from how the Hoosiers first three home games went, barely being able to fill up the stadium, but the crowd may not realize how important they are to the team.
Throughout the entire season, people have doubted the Hoosiers’ ability to compete in big games and that doubt grew after an underwhelming performance against Ohio State. This doubt that is cast upon them has driven the team all year and they will continue to play in the College Football Playoffs with that chip on their shoulder.
Last year, if anyone were to tell you that the Hoosiers would be 7-0 in 2024, you would’ve thought of them as crazy, but now it is a reality. Fans are still having trouble comprehending the massive turnaround of Indiana’s football program. Not only fans of the Hoosiers but college football fans around the country would’ve never expected this. The same goes for some of the players from last season’s roster who decided to return for the 2024 season. While they weren’t sure what to expect, all they knew was that Coach Cignetti expected them to win.
When you think of an impact player on offense, your first thought isn’t usually a tight end. With a lot of talent spread around Indiana’s offense, there are many names that come to mind when you think of standout players, but one name that doesn’t get enough recognition is tight end Zach Horton. Horton may not get the ball much, but he is a very important piece in the Hoosiers’ offensive attack.
It seems like with each week that goes by, Curt Cignetti gets a little more chipper. Granted he still wants the team to be a great team rather than a good team and stresses that weekly, if not daily. However, as the season progresses, Cignetti seems a bit more enthusiastic in his press conferences. Some people may say it’s the success that is happening around the Hoosiers, but Cignetti has been confident in his success as a coach for years.
If you watched the game last Saturday, it’s obvious that this is a completely new Indiana defense. They’re a lot more aggressive and play fast in order to pressure the quarterback and disrupt the offense and a lot of that is due to the defensive line and Coach Kuntz.
In the last four games, there has been a different receiver who led the team in receiving yards. Against FIU it was Omar Cooper Jr, WIU it was Elijah Sarratt, UCLA it was Miles Cross, and when Indiana faced off against Charlotte, it was Myles Price’s turn to lead the receivers (and all skill positions) in yards.
As the Hoosiers’ first game approaches, the excitement builds among fans and players. There has been a lot of hype about Curt Cignetti coming to this program and the players he brought to Indiana through the transfer portal, and this Saturday, we will get a taste of a new era in IU Football with Cignetti leading the charge. With the season approaching, a lot of people want to know how players are adopting the mentality that JMU players and coaches brought to Bloomington and on Tuesday, James Carpenter (Redshirt Senior + transfer from JMU) and Mike Katic (Redshirt Senior +) shined a light on that mentality during their media availability on Tuesday.
Elijah Sarratt has really stood out in the Hoosier’s offense this season, especially last week against Western Illinois where he logged 6 receptions, 137 yards and a touchdown (off of a 71-yard play). The Hoosiers are facing their first Big Ten opponent of the season and for Sarratt, it’ll be his first Big Ten game ever and he appreciates the opportunity to play in this historic venue.
The Hoosiers were having themselves a field day against the Spartans on Saturday and Coach Cignetti was loving every second of it. Indiana’s defense was tearing apart Michigan State’s offense and were constantly swarming the ball. After going down by ten in the first quarter, the Hoosiers regrouped and were electric scoring 47 unanswered points and didn’t allow MSU to score again.
The Hoosiers have been shocking on both sides of the ball this season. Their offensive is explosive and seems as if no one can stop them, and their defense is domineering, especially as of late with 9 turnovers, 12 sacks, and 28 tackles for loss in their last three games. They rank fourth in the FBS in sacks (31) and fifth in tackles for loss (69). Plus, against Michigan State, the Hoosiers combined for 31 quarterback pressures, a blocked punt that resulted in a safety, and a punt deflection. Where can all their success be credited to? Well in Tuesday’s player media availability, defensive lineman, CJ West, attributes it to their intense preparation for games.
It’s no question that Curt Cignetti is having a historic first year coaching the Indiana Hoosiers, but not many would’ve expected Cig to achieve this much success so early on. Cignetti has been known to win throughout his career as a head coach which is precisely why Indiana brought him over from JMU. Over his 13 seasons as a head coach before the start of the 2024 season, Cignetti’s record was 119-35 (now 127-35) with a 29-9 record in his first seasons with his previous three teams (Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Elon, and James Madison).
Aiden Fisher has been dominating on the field this season and loves everything about it. During IU’s last game against Michigan, the offense was struggling in the second half, but when they needed the defense to bring the intensity, they brought it. Aiden Fisher has been a key leader for the defense all season and played amazingly when the team needed him most, getting in on 14 tackles against the Wolverines.
After a disappointing loss to the Buckeyes, the Hoosiers are ready to get back on track and face off against their biggest rivals, the Purdue Boilermakers. Everyone from Indiana understands how important the rivalry is, but a lot of the players on this team’s roster are transfers. Not only are there a lot of transfers, but 13 transfers are from JMU who didn’t really have any rivalry games.
The week has finally arrived leading up into the Hoosiers first College Football Playoff appearance. After stomping Purdue, the Hoosiers have been waiting patiently for the past few weeks for the chance to prove themselves. While it’s disappointing for the Hoosiers to not make the Big Ten Championship, it has proven beneficial to the team giving them an extra week to rest their bodies to ensure they are as healthy as they can be when Friday arrives. While the players have probably enjoyed some time off, they are itching to get back to playing and so is Coach Cignetti who has been working overtime to prepare for the Fighting Irish.
The 2024 college football season has been a crazy one to say the least, but one of the most astounding teams this season are the Indiana Hoosiers. With the regular season coming to a close, the Hoosiers have two games remaining on their schedule. After facing a challenging opponent in the defending National Champions, Indiana was met with a much-needed bye week to address their offensive struggles. Now, the 10-0 Hoosiers are preparing to face a championship caliber team this Saturday in Columbus.
During the Ohio State game last Saturday, a lot of mistakes were made by the Hoosiers. A majority of those were from the special teams, but also the offensive line. Indiana’s offensive line let up five sacks and eight tackles for loss against the Buckeyes which is the most sacks and tied for the most TFLs (tied with Michigan) allowed in a game for the Hoosiers this season.
The Hoosiers had another impressive performance against the Charlotte 49ers last Saturday, but they are going into this week to face the toughest opponent they’ve seen so far in the season. This Saturday, the Indiana Hoosiers will host the Maryland Terrapins for their first home conference game of the season. If you remember what happened the last time these teams faced off against each other, the Terrapins came out victorious, defeating the Hoosiers 44-17. In order for Indiana to not repeat last year’s outcome and come out on top, they have to remain focused and continue to improve.
After a spectacular weekend of college football, Indiana is preparing to travel to Los Angeles for their first conference game of the season against one of the four new Big Ten schools, UCLA. The Hoosiers have had a good start to the season so far, but now they are facing their toughest opponent yet. While a lot of people are excited to see Indiana play in the historic Rose Bowl, Cignetti is treating it like nothing more than another football game.
​On Thursday August 1st, Jailin Walker spoke to the media after the start of Indiana’s fall camp. After recovering from offseason surgery, Walker is excited to be back and playing football again. Walker did not practice during Spring Camp, but still showed up and has become a leader in his new program. During the offseason, his teammates would refer to him as Coach J Walk due to him being on the sidelines and coaching up some of the players.
Indiana’s Week 3 matchup against the Bruins was a testament to a new era of IU Football. While the stats and score show the Hoosiers kept the Bruins under check, those who watched the game were especially irritated by the officiating crew. Hoosier fans around the country were constantly yelling at their screens every time a yellow flag flew onto the field.
