Indiana's Curt Cignetti Explains Why He 'Respects What He Sees' From Purdue
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Purdue and Indiana have vastly different experiences on the football field this year. The Hoosiers are one win away from closing out a perfect regular season and punching a ticket to the Big Ten Championship Game. The Boilermakers are looking for their first conference win since 2023.
As Indiana prepares for Purdue on Black Friday, though, coach Curt Cignetti says he's not taking the in-state rival lightly. Although the wins haven't come for the Boilermakers, he believes Barry Odom has the team playing much better than it did a season ago.
"I respect what I see on tape," Cignetti said on Monday. "They're playing hard. They're making plays. They're in games. They're doing a good job up there coaching, and we have to go up there prepared, and we've got to play well."
To Cignetti's point, Purdue has been much more competitive in games than it was one year ago. The Boilermakers had multiple chances to win games against USC, Minnesota, Rutgers, and Michigan. Critcial turnovers and poorly-timed penalties have been costly in key moments, though.
As a result, Purdue is riding a nine-game losing streak after a 2-0 start. That includes a 49-13 defeat at the hands of Washington on Nov. 15, a game in which Odom's team never really competed.
In Cignetti's eyes, though, that's not been the case for Purdue for a majority of the season.
"First of all, they're competing really hard. That's what I see," Cignetti said. "There's no give-up in that team, and I'm sure they're disappointed in the way it went out at Washington."
Cignetti sess 'aggressive' team
Indiana is preparing for a "physical" football game against Purdue on Black Friday. Cignetti says the Boilers present some problems on both sides of the football because of their aggressive style of play.
"They're wide open on offense: balance run and pass. Defensively, really mix it up. Every play is something different," Cignetti said. "They attack. They've got an aggressive style on offense and defense and special teams, and I'm sure that's the personality of the head coach, who played linebacker in college, being a defensive guy. They attack. They're a physical football team."
With a 2-9 record, Purdue has nothing to lose. So, there's a chance the Boilermakers throw everything they can at Indiana to confuse the Hoosiers on both sides of the football. But Cigentti's team is 11-0 and a heavy favorite against Purdue for a reason.
Purdue may have improved from last season, but it still faces an incredible challenge on Friday against Indiana.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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