A week after saying he didn’t know how good his team is, IU football coach Curt Cignetti said Monday he knows a lot more after the Hoosiers’ first loss in 22 games.
“I woke up, you know, with kind of a new perspective, that we proved that we’re capable,” Cignetti said. “We just got to clean up a couple things, get a little better in certain areas.”
IU, which fell from No. 5 to No. 6 in the Associated Press poll, travels to Michigan on Saturday.
The Hoosiers fell to Ohio State on Saturday, 19-15, after a fourth-down pass from quarterback Josh Hoover to receiver Nick Marsh was caught with a foot out of bounds, allowing Ohio State to kneel out the rest of the clock.
Indiana had a chance to take a seven-point lead in the second quarter before a missed field goal. Ohio State responded with a touchdown. And on the opening drive of the second half for the Hoosiers, they lost possession on a fumble.
“We fell short, plain and simple,” Cignetti said. “Had great effort and had our opportunities for sure. In some ways, we beat ourselves, which is uncharacteristic of this football team.”
Cignetti praised the defense’s performance and said Indiana will need another strong effort this week.
“I thought our defense rose to the occasion,” Cignetti said. “They did spin a few runs, but we gave up a little bit schematically to double cover the receiver.”
Michigan is coming off a victory over Penn State. The Wolverines replaced starting quarterback Bryce Underwood at halftime.
Freshman Tommy Carr took over and Michigan scored three touchdowns in the second half to secure the win.
Cignetti said he expects Carr will start Saturday.
“I would assume it would be him,” he said. “Could be two quarterbacks on the field at the same time. That would not surprise me. They did a lot of that at Utah (where Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham used to coach).”But what caught Cignetti’s eye was Michigan’s defense, particularly its speed and physicality.
“Really impressed with their defense, quickness, their tenacity, the way they play, play in play out, the way they run to the ball,” Cignetti said.
Other takeaways from the press conference:
● Cignetti addressed IU’s two missed field goals, from 32 and 55 yards, by Nico Radicic.
“That first miss was an uncharacteristic miss,” he said. “We should have been in the end zone the play before but weren't.”
Cignetti said he intended to go for the first down before attempting the 55-yarder, but called time out after seeing Ohio State’s defensive alignment. He was close to using Paddy McAteer for the longer kick.
“We went into the game 56 Paddy, 55 Nico,” Cignetti said. “He hit it right down the middle. That would've been good from 53, because he's improved his range.”
● On IU quarterback Josh Hoover, Cignetti said, “I thought he made good plays. There are some he would like to have back, some overthrows for sure.”:
● IU’s home game against Minnesota on Oct. 31 is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff and will air on CBS.
