What Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti said about Buckeyes
COLUMBUS — Ohio State will face Indiana on Saturday in a top-five showdown, the third game against a top-five team the Buckeyes have played this season and first at home. The Buckeyes previously lost to Oregon and beat Penn State in top-five matchups this year.
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti previewed the matchup on Monday, and he had plenty to say during his weekly press conference.
Opening statement…
“Excited about this week’s opportunity against Ohio State. Obviously, an excellent football team, one of the favorites to win the national championship, a lot of great players, extremely well-coached. Their tradition speaks for itself. It’s a big game for us because it’s this game coming up. We treat them all alike. If there was a better way to prepare for a certain team, we’d do that for every team. We have to stack moments, meetings, practices and days to give ourselves the best chance to be successful on Saturday. I’m confident in our team that we’ll prep well this week, play well, play in there with poise and play our game. Excited about the opportunity.”
On the Ohio State offense…
“Very skilled at the skill positions. The offensive line is good. Obviously everybody knows about the running backs, receivers, quarterback, tight ends. Chip Kelly has done a great job offensively everywhere he’s been. They’ve got an excellent scheme that puts defenses in conflict. You know, they have it all. They really do.”
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On having an idle week between games against Michigan and Ohio State…
“The off week came at a great time because it was a physical football game. We’ve played a number of games in a row. And it was good for everyone to catch a breather, get refreshed and recharged. And it gave us a little extra time on the next opponent.”
On exceeding expectations at Indiana…
“It’s all out there. Any P4 school with the proper commitment is capable of being successful — and being ultimately successful. Because really, the difference between victory and defeat in most of these games is very slight, slim. It’s all attainable. We’ve put ourselves in position right now to be talked about quite a bit. That’s nice. But it doesn’t help us prepare. Doesn’t help us play any better, but we’ve got some great opportunities ahead of us. This is a team that’s capable, and the only limitations on this football team would be those that we put on ourselves between our ears. But this is a group of guys that do not think that way. We’re going to go into this next game confident, believing, and we’re going to go out there and we’re going to play well.”
On handling the atmosphere at Ohio Stadium…
“I’ve been in a lot of those. I started this off at a young age. I was 23, full time in the Southwest Conference playing Texas, Texas A&M, out-of-conference LSU. I’ve been in those games. The last time I was in this particular stadium would have been NC State, triple overtime. We fell about six inches short at the goal line. That was 2002, I think. 38-31. We had a good football team. They had a good football team. Phillip Rivers had a big day, we came storming back and had an opportunity to win and didn’t get it done. Had a number of nice road wins. We’ve got a group of guys and coaches who have won 24 out of their last 25 games, so we don’t have a confidence problem. … It’s a football game. One play at a time. We have to execute. Whoever plays the best wins.”
