LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — You can almost see it now.
The fireworks. The flyover. The 80,000 fans. The camera finding Fernando Mendoza’s cheekbone. The crescendo of a national championship broadcast.
And somewhere on the sideline, Curt Cignetti, chewing a cud of indifference, scowling with that, “let’s get this thing going already,” look he has.
“I mean, we’ve got to prepare for this game no different than we prepared for Ohio State or Alabama,” he said Monday. “The biggest mistake our guys can make is making this game bigger than it is.”
That’s not coach-speak. That’s Cignetti code.
And it, folks, is the reason Indiana is here.
In a sport where coaches leap into Gatorade buckets like Navy pilots and quarterbacks conduct brand launches before bowl games, Indiana’s head coach is telling his players to put their phones down, drink their electrolytes, and remember their assignments.
Where others see legacy, he sees a practice plan. Where others see destiny, he sees third-down Thursday.
It’s the Cignetti Way. Take the helium out of the moment, deflate the hype, strip the game back down to its bolts and brackets. Call it Midwestern Zen. Or Pennsylvania-bred Doom Prevention. But in Cignetti’s world, the game is only as big as your next rep.
This is not just a mood. It’s a method.
“We’ve broken a lot of records,” Cignetti said. “But you get it done with the right people, properly led, and you’ve got a blueprint, plan, and process.”
Indiana football is a win away from a national championship. But Cignetti would rather talk about offensive line meetings. And veteran leadership. And why Pat Coogan, a transfer center from Notre Dame, was 20 yards downfield recovering a fumble against Oregon like he had left something behind.
“Didn’t surprise me a bit,” Cignetti said. “We just have to teach him how to roll over properly after he recovers it.”
Yes, a proper post-fumble protocol. That’s how you prepare for Miami.
This is what makes Indiana dangerous. Not hype. Not history. But a locker room of old souls with good knees, a head coach who sleeps with a laminated practice script, and a quarterback who says things like “delayed gratification” and means it.
Louisville | Kentucky | Indiana | Eric Crawford
They say Indiana is a Cinderella story.
But this remarkable tale isn’t about a prince and a pumpkin. It’s about process.
When he arrived, Bloomington was in the midst of a portal exodus. Only one starter on offense and one on defense was left. More than half the roster had fled.
He hit the portal hard — “guys that had the right stuff” — many of them from James Madison. Not five-stars. Not phenoms. Just men who were hungry to win and new a little something about doing it.
It’s not magic. It’s mortar. And it holds because of continuity. Assistant coaches with him for 10-plus years, strength staff who know how to build trust, and players who listen, learn and get better.
The result?
Three straight postseason wins over Top 10 teams.
Just 38 total points allowed in those games.
No. 1 in run defense. Top 5 in total defense. And a quarterback who leads by throwing touchdowns and credit in any direction he can think of.
“He doesn’t say a lot in the building,” Cignetti said. “I think what he's done behind the scenes to bring the offensive unit even closer together is a lot. Those are a lot of things that I'm not aware of at the time. I find out later. You know, he's just done a tremendous job in every single area where you could impact team success. He's been front and center.”
They’ve impacted him, too.
This team is tight. It’s mature. And it’s “probably taken the message of how we want to play and put it on the field to a greater extent than any other team we’ve had,” Cignetti said.
He talks like a man who’s driven the same route so many times he doesn’t need a GPS. Stack practices. Build the plan. Trust the people. Then put it on the field. Rinse. Repeat. Rinse again.
Cinderella? No.
Just a team that made midnight their friend, not their deadline. They don’t fear the clock striking. They embrace it. They prepare for it.
They’ll take the field Monday night in front of the college football universe. There will be fireworks. And fanfare. Maybe even a trophy.
And yes, Curt Cignetti might even smile.
Not because it’s a big game. But because his team made it look like just another one.
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