Curt Cignetti Radio Show Notes, Quotes Before Indiana Football Faces Illinois

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — While Don Fischer read through his 90-second introduction to start the Inside Indiana Football radio show Thursday night at Hoosier Hank’s, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti’s head turned left and his eyes fixated on a television screen attached to a wooden wall at the bar.

ESPN, airing College Football Countdown, played highlights of the University of Miami’s win over Notre Dame. Graphics flashed across the screen touting Miami’s defense while previewing the Hurricanes’ looming matchup with the University of Florida.

But as Cignetti eyed the screen, his mind remained on No. 9 Illinois, which will enter Memorial Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff Saturday night. For the No. 19 Hoosiers, it’s the first top 20 home matchup since 1987.

There’s no room in Cignetti’s head for anything else. He joked later he can only handle focusing on one team at a time. The Fighting Illini have demanded his full attention, though Fischer nabbed it for roughly half an hour Thursday night.

By the end, Fischer gave his prediction: Indiana, he said, will win Saturday night. Cignetti smirked, winked and shook his hand, walking off the stage to laughs and applause from those gathered inside Hoosier Hank’s.

Here’s everything of note Cignetti said in between …

Cignetti likes Indiana’s progress in mental intensity

After Indiana defeated Indiana State 73-0 on Sept. 12, Cignetti said the Hoosiers merely had more bullets in their gun than the Sycamores. Deeper and more talented, Indiana strolled past Indiana State to cap its nonconference slate with a 3-0 record, handling business as Cignetti said it was supposed to.

Still, there were parts of the Hoosiers’ performance Cignetti didn’t like.

Indiana State’s defense threw a few blitz-related curveballs at Indiana’s offense early in the game, which Cignetti said put the Hoosiers off balance. There were also a pair of special teams penalties — an offsides on Clay Conner during a punt block attempt and a holding called on Charlie Becker on a punt return — that Cignetti acknowledged didn’t please him.

But plenty of other positives arose. Indiana’s defense didn’t give up a first down until just over four minutes remained in the second quarter. The Hoosiers’ offense rolled, putting up 680 yards of total offense. Indiana emptied its bench and gave playing time to several young players.

And, perhaps most importantly, Cignetti saw clear growth in his team’s sideline mentality.

“What I liked the most about it was I thought we had the mental intensity and urgency from the first play to the last play and played like every play was 0-0, game on the line and not to the circumstances of the game, which is what we were looking for as a staff,” Cignetti said. “And I thought we really progressed well in that regard.

“We took care of business, which we're supposed to do against a team like that.”

Mendoza made ‘really nice progress’ in non-conference play

Cignetti often shies away from comparisons, but he’s noted several times redshirt junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza has followed the same developmental track as many of his past transfer passers.

Mendoza had a strong end to spring practice, picked up where he left off to begin fall camp, made another leap in the last few practices leading into the regular season and steadily improved through the first three weeks.

In a Week 1 victory over Old Dominion, Mendoza went 18-for-31 passing for 193 yards, no touchdowns and no turnovers. His per-game numbers have steadily improved — his completion percentage from 58.1% to 72% to 95%, his yards from 193 to 245 to 270, and his touchdowns from zero to four to five.

Cignetti said Mendoza has “had a good week of practice” entering Saturday night, and the Hoosiers’ coaching staff likes where the Cal transfer stands in his Bloomington acclimation.

“I think he's really made nice progress since the season started and really like where he is at heading into this next game,” Cignetti said. “He only played a half (against Indiana State), made some nice plays. He's made some nice throws. He's improved in the areas that we thought were important for him to make progress in.”

Cignetti sees ‘silver lining’ in Beebe’s injury

Redshirt junior running back Lee Beebe Jr. suffered a non-contact knee injury in the third quarter against Indiana State, bringing an abrupt end to his first season in Bloomington.

Beebe served as a key piece to Indiana’s rushing attack, which ranks No. 3 in the FBS with an average of 307.7 yards per game. He’s third on the team with 27 carries, second with 209 rushing yards and, among those with at least 20 attempts, first with an average of 7.7 yards per carry.

Cignetti said Beebe will have surgery and a few weeks, and he’s confident the UAB transfer will come back strong — and he now has an extra year of eligibility in his back pocket.

“He was doing a nice job running,” Cignetti said. “Silver lining there is he'll get an extra year, so he'll have two years of eligibility remaining. I feel bad for him, but it's part of the game. Injuries happen, and you got to move on.”

Indiana will turn to redshirt freshman Khobie Martin to fill Beebe’s place in the running back rotation. Cignetti said the 6-foot, 208-pound Martin, who rushed 11 times for 109 yards and two touchdowns against Indiana State, “ran well” in his extended action.

“He's got a good center of gravity when he runs, and he's going to play a more prominent role now in the offense,” Cignetti said. “And I think he got off to a good start.”

Is Indiana ready for the stage?

When Fischer asked if the Hoosiers were as prepared as possible, Cignetti smiled, squirmed to the left in his chair and, with his palms facing upward, lifted his arms in the air.

Then, he crossed his arms and spoke.

“Well, you know, the hay's never in the barn until you kick the ball off, so to speak,” Cignetti said. ”And then it becomes a game of adjustments once the ball's kicked off. So, there's preparation to the very last second. There really is.”

Indiana still has plenty more boxes to check between Friday morning and kickoff. The Hoosiers have meetings and a walkthrough Friday, and again Saturday.

Coaching continues on the sideline. Cignetti and his staff speaks to players on either side of the ball when they come off the field, with iPads holding videos of previous plays to allow for immediate corrections.

That was one side point of Cignetti’s response. Another featured a brief explanation for some of Indiana’s early-week practice mistakes, which stems, in part, from a delayed package from China.

“We've got some things to clean up,” Cignetti said. “I'd like to have seen it start a little cleaner, but I'll make an excuse for the players. It's the third day in a row that it's been really hot. But once the sun went down a little bit and that press box blocked the sun and it got a little shady, practice picked up.

“The air conditioner is not here in the indoor (facility) yet. It was supposed to be here like a month and a half ago from China, and it's been delayed. So, I probably would have gone in the indoor this week a little bit, but the air conditioner, which was supposed to be here before we started, isn't here yet.”

But don’t let Cignetti’s rollercoaster response mislead you. He’s pleased with Indiana’s week of preparation.

“I like where we're at for a Thursday,” Cignetti said. “I like where we're at.”

Cignetti previews Illinois

As he did Monday in his press conference, Cignetti touted the Fighting Illini’s talent and experience. Their offensive line is big and seasoned, and they’ve replaced losses at running back and receiver with productive newcomers for senior quarterback Luke Altmyer.

Similar to the Hoosiers, Illinois had a strong 2024 season, going 10-3 and winning four of its final five games. The Fighting Illini added new pieces to strengthen their roster and are now ranked inside the top 10 for the first time since 2001.

“They're a veteran team, and they had a good year last year,” Cignetti said. “They've got a lot of guys returning that kind of know how to win. And then they've added some new pieces, kind of like us. … They're scoring a lot of points.

“Defensively, some new defensive linemen on the inside, and everybody else is pretty much back for the most part from last year. They do a nice job on defense. They don't give up many points, and their special teams are very good.”

Cignetti said the Hoosiers have “had our eyes on (Illinois) for a while” in the offseason, and he knows the Fighting Illini have circled the Week 4 matchup on their calendar, too.

“It's two good teams matching up early in the year,” Cignetti said, “and I'm glad it's at home.”

The game will be broadcast on NBC, which Cignetti believes should happen more often. Cignetti said Indiana University President Pamela Whitten told him IU has the largest alumni base in the country, which should produce more nationally televised games.

“Well, we ought to have a lot of games on NBC TV if we're doing what we're supposed to be doing,” Cignetti said. “Me, the staff, the players, the administration, and the alumni, we should have a lot of games on national TV.”

Cignetti and the Hoosiers get the chance to prove why Saturday night.