Indiana Football Has Made Its Statement Ahead Of Big Ten Play
· Yahoo Sports
The Hoosiers are 3-0, ranked No. 5 in the country and have outscored North Texas, Howard and Western Kentucky by a combined 145-16. More importantly, Indiana has steadily answered some of the questions it entered the season with as it prepares to open Big Ten play against Northwestern.
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Curt Cignetti has viewed the opening stretch as something of an evaluation period for his team, using the first three games to develop consistency, establish standards and understand what the Hoosiers can become.
"I like the way we developed and where we are right now," Cignetti said on Monday.
That development has been evident on both sides of the football.
Indiana's offense has shown balance, while the defense has now posted consecutive shutouts for the first time since 1963. Against Western Kentucky, the Hoosiers out-gained their opponent roughly 520-180 and stopped the Hilltoppers on all three of their fourth-down attempts.
Cignetti also pointed to improvements in some areas that are hard to measure and don't show up on the stat sheets.
"Our standards have improved, our consistency has improved, our togetherness, better understanding of what's expected," Cignetti said.
The next step, however, comes against a Northwestern team Cignetti believes presents a much different challenge.
The 2-0 Wildcats enter Big Ten play with an experienced roster and a defense that has been difficult to score against. They also just boat raced Colorado 41-7, giving them a lot of confidence heading into this Friday's matchup. Cignetti highlighted Northwestern's ability to create turnovers, its success in the red zone and the development of its quarterback.
That makes protecting the football an immediate priority for Indiana. The Hoosiers have already put the ball on the ground several times this season, while Northwestern has created four turnovers and has been strong at turning those opportunities into points.
On offense, quarterback Josh Hoover has been another encouraging piece. Cignetti pushed back on criticism of Hoover's performance against Western Kentucky after reviewing the film, saying his quarterback missed only one throw outright.
"I'm glad he's our quarterback," Cignetti said.
Now the Hoosiers get their first opportunity to see how all of that development translates against a Big Ten opponent.
Cignetti isn't looking beyond Northwestern or discussing where Indiana could ultimately end up.
"This thing is a journey and we're process oriented," he said.
For Indiana, that process now enters a much more meaningful stage. Big Ten play brings tougher opponents, more experienced rosters and games that can turn on one or two plays. Northwestern will be the first real test of whether the Hoosiers' early-season dominance can carry over when the stakes go up a notch.