Curt Cignetti

 

Indiana University Vice President and Director of Athletics Scott Dolson named Curt Cignetti the 30th head football coach in program history.

Cignetti posted an 11-1 record in 2023, his fifth season as James Madison head coach. He had an overall mark of 52-9 (.853), including a 19-4 run over 2022 and 2023, JMU's first two years as an FBS program.

Prior to his stint at James Madison, Cignetti amassed a 14-9 record in two years at Elon, a program that went 12-45 in the previous five campaigns. The Phoenix qualified for the FCS Playoffs in both seasons, just the second and third playoff berths in program history (2009).

Cignetti led Elon to a six-win improvement in 2017, going 8-4 and finishing second in the CAA at 6-2. He was named Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year as the Phoenix reached the postseason and finished 20th in the national rankings.

Cignetti's inaugural head-coaching opportunity came at IUP, where his father, Frank Cignetti Sr., patrolled the sidelines for 20 years. He went 53-17 with three playoff appearances and four Top 25s in six campaigns.

“We are going to change the culture, the mindset, the expectation level and the brand of Indiana Hoosiers football and there will be no self-imposed limitations on what we can accomplish. It’ll be a day-by-day process that is hinged on being focused on the present moment and improving as much as possible on a daily basis to put yourself in the best position, tomorrow. It’s how we do everything as coaches, players…everybody in the organization and there is one leader and he’s standing right here and everybody follows that lead. That’s one of the keys to success…We get everybody thinking alike.”

COACHING EXPERIENCE
James Madison University
2019-23: Head Coach
Elon University
2017-18: Head Coach
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
2011-16: Head Coach

University of Alabama
2007-10: Recruiting Coordinator/Wide Receivers

North Carolina State University
2000-06: Recruiting Coordinator/Quarterbacks/Tight Ends

University of Pittsburgh
1993-99: Quarterbacks/Tight Ends

Temple University
1989-92: Quarterbacks

Rice University
1986-88: Quarterbacks

Davidson College
1985: Quarterbacks/Wide Receivers

University of Pittsburgh
1983-84: Graduate Assistant

Source:

Indiana University Athletics 

Tome Allen gone after seven seasons

 

The inevasible happen. Tom Allen was relieved of his contract with close to $20 million as part of the University’s obligation to buy him out before his contract came due. 

Allen had a 33-49 overall record (18-43 in the Big Ten) with two bowl appearances in seven seasons. 

The athletic department will have to pay a $20.8 million buyout to Allen, among the highest ever recorded for a college football coach, but the growing concern behind the scenes was that it was hard to see a scenario where Allen regained the momentum he had coming off two straight bowl appearances in 2019 and 2020. 

Indiana is one of only four Power Five programs with fewer than 10 wins since 2021 (Vanderbilt, Colorado and Stanford). 

The Hoosiers had a 3-25 record in the Big Ten the last three seasons, the worst among member schools. Vanderbilt is the only Power Five school with fewer conference wins (two) and wins against Power Five opponents (two) than the Hoosiers during that stretch. 

Former Indiana coach Kevin Wilson originally hired Allen to be his defensive coordinator in 2016. Allen spearheaded a remarkable turnaround for a group that gave up 509.5 yards (ranked No. 121 out of 128 FBS teams) and 37.6 points per game (No. 117) the year before he arrived. 

The Hoosiers allowed 380.1 yards and 27.2 points in Allen’s lone season as coordinator.

Update

In early January Allen was  hired by Penn State University signing a three year contract as their Defensive Coordinator. 

Sources
Bloomington Herald Times
Getty Images

IU @ Purdue

The Boilermakers won the Old Oaken Bucket 35-31 for the third straight season.  Hudson Card threw for 275 yards and rushed for 85, including a 10-yard touchdown with 2:39 left to bring home the Old Oaken Bucket. 

IU was 1-11 on third down. Despite major positives on offense, they were unable to sustain drives consistently. 

The Hoosiers had three turnovers plus a turnover on downs, making them minus-four in the turnover margin department.

Indiana had 13 tackles for loss but also exhibited awful tTJ Inmanackling on several occasions. 

This game was a perfect summation of the season and of the past few seasons under Tom Allen. IU found a way to lose.

Aaron Casey was a warrior all season and deserved more than a 3-9 record. He had 11 tackles including four TFLs. 

Purdue outgained IU 453 to 369 but the Hoosiers were slightly better in yards per play (5.7 to 5.6).

The IU defense did a great job against Purdue’s running backs but allowed Hudson Card to run for 85 yards plus the game-winning touchdown.

The season ends at 3-9 with a 1-8 Big Ten record and the Hoosiers are again in the absolute basement in the conference. Where does the Indiana administration go from here and has Tom Allen coached his last game in Bloomington? Hoosier Huddle will have continuing coverage as IU turns to the offseason.

Sources:

The Helmet Project found here:
http://nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/index.htm
Photo © The B1G Network
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1145292-power-ranking-all-124-college-football-stadiums

TJ Inman Hoosierhuddle.com

2023 Bucket Game

The 2023 Bucket Game
The #125 meeting
Indiana v Purdue 
The battle for the Old Oaken Bucket for the #98 time
Bring it!

IU v Michigan State

Katin Houser hooked up with Maliq Carr on a 36-yard touchdown pass with 1:19 left Saturday to rally Michigan State for a 24-21 victory.

The Spartans  reclaimed the Old Brass Spittoon by winning their first road game of the season and their second under interim coach Harlon Barnett. It took an eight-play, 75-yard drive and Carr's tackle-breaking catch-and-run to win it.

Indiana  had a chance to force overtime but Brendan Sorsby drew an intentional grounding call when he had a miscommunication with his receiver. The penalty moved the ball back 6 yards and Chris Freeman missed a 49-yard kick that would have tied it with 2 seconds to play.

The Hoosiers have at least been competitive each of the past four weeks, but they've come away with three losses. And this one really hurts because the Hoosiers blew chances to win it and force overtime in the final five minutes.

Sources:
The Helmet Project found here:
http://nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/index.htm
Photo © The B1G Network
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1145292-power-ranking-all-124-college-football-stadiums

IU @ Illinois

 

John Paddock a Ball State transfer, making his first start with Illinois, tore apart the IU defense. Indiana got no pressure on Paddock and the secondary looked completely lost  and unable to track the Illini receivers. 

Paddock threw for 507 yards, the most for any Big Ten quarterback this season.

Illinois gained 662 yards to IU’s 451. 

The two teams combined for 21 penalties with Illinois accounting for 14 of them.  

Donaven McCulley was terrific. He had 11 catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns. His transition from quarterback to wide receiver has been a booming success and he is unquestionably IU’s top wideout.

With the season on the line and facing a backup quarterback, IU’s secondary failed to show up. 

Receivers were wide open all afternoon and Indiana had no answers or adjustments that made any difference.

Brendan Sorsby continues to show that he can be a quarterback IU can win with. Sorsby was 22-33 for 289 yards along with two rushing touchdowns.

Final Score: Illinois 48-45 in Overtime

Sources:

The Helmet Project found here:

http://nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/index.htm

Photo © The B1G Network

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1145292-power-ranking-all-124-college-football-stadiums

Hoosier Nation Fan page

IU vWisconsin

Second-year quarterback Brendan Sorsby ran for one score, threw for another and led the Hoosiers to a long field goal on their final possession  to snap a six-game conference losing streak with a 20-14 victory.

Indiana won this offensive quagmire despite gaining only 36 yards and scoring just three points in the second half, courtesy of Chris Freeman's 50-yard field goal with 70 seconds to go.

Sorsby was 19 of 31 with 186 yards and squirted free for an 8-yard TD run for the game's first points. Former quarterback Donaven McCulley had five receptions for 67 yards including a spectacular one-handed, 7-yard TD grab late in the first half to give Indiana a 17-7 lead. Those were all the points the Hoosiers needed.

Aaron Casey had nine tackles, seven solos, four for loss with two sacks and a forced fumble. He also received a game ball. ... Indiana had nine pass breakups.

The Hoosiers honored three-time national championship coach Bob Knight with a moment of silence about 20 minutes before kickoff. Football players also wore an “RMK” helmet decal with three stars, one for each of Robert Montgomery Knight's national titles. Knight died Wednesday at age 83.

 

Sources:
The Helmet Project found here:
http://nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/index.htm
Photo © The B1G Network
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1145292-power-ranking-all-124-college-football-stadiums

https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

IU @ Penn State

The #10 ranked Penn State  offense finally found a way to be explosive when it mattered most. Drew Allar threw three touchdown passes, including a 57-yarder to KeAndre Lambert-Smith with 1:46 to play, and No. 10 Penn State’s defense forced a late safety to beat Indiana 33-24.

Indiana capitalized with two long touchdown passes to take a 14-7 lead.

The Hoosiers opened the scoring when wideout DeQuece Carter slipped past Penn State’s secondary and Sorsby found him for a 90-yard score. Two possessions later, Indiana’s Donaven McCulley was left uncovered by a blitzing defense and race unchallenged for a 69-yard touchdown.

Penn State took control in the second quarter after Singleton scored on a 2-yard run and Jaylen Reed intercepted Sorsby at midfield.  

The Hoosiers played their best game in a long time. They entered with the worst statistical run defense in the Big Ten and held Singleton and Kaytron Allen in check for the most part.

Costly mistakes in all three fazes  led to the Hoosiers' demise. 

A muffed punt led to a touchdown, (special teams)

An avoidable interception led to a field goal. (offense)

A blown coverage in the final minuets led to the winning touchdown. (defense)

They’ll need to win their next four to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2020.

Sources:
The Helmet Project found here:
http://nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/index.htm
Photo © The B1G Network
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1145292-power-ranking-all-124-college-football-stadiums

The Associated Press

IU v Rutgers

Gavin Wimsatt ran for three touchdowns and 143 yards as Rutgers became bowl eligible with a 31-14 road victory over Indiana.

The Scarlet Knights (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) equaled their best start since 2012 and tied a program record for conference wins.  

Indiana drove to an opening touchdown as Brendan Sorsby threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Omar Cooper Jr., but Rutgers responded with two touchdowns. Shaquan Loyal came off the edge to block a punt and Eric Rogers scooped and scored from 17 yards out in the second quarter to make it 14-7.

The Hoosiers tied the game on a Sorsby 4-yard run and appeared to be headed to halftime tied but returner Jaylin Lucas, the reigning Big Ten’s Specialist of the Year, muffed a punt and Rutgers recovered at Indiana’s 25 with 28 seconds remaining. The turnover led to a Rutgers field goal for a 17-14 halftime lead.

Humbled by three losses to ranked teams as well as to then-unbeaten Maryland, the Hoosiers were unable to turn a losing season around despite taking an early lead. Pressure is mounting on Allen, who received a seven-year extension in 2021. The home crowd booed after the Hoosiers ran unsuccessfully on a third-and-7 play in the second quarter, settling for a punt. It would take $20 million to buy out the remainder of Allen’s contract.

Sources:
The Helmet Project found here:
http://nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/index.htm
Photo © The B1G Network
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1145292-power-ranking-all-124-college-football-stadiums

IU @ Michigan

J.J. McCarthy threw a tiebreaking, 2-yard touchdown pass to Roman Wilson late in the first half and No. 2 Michigan pulled away to pummel Indiana 52-7.

Indiana (2-4, 0-3) took a 7-0 late late in the first quarter when Brendan Sorsby threw a lateral out wide to Donaven McCulley and the receiver heaved a 44-yard pass to Jaylin Lucas, who was wide open against a defense that was fooled by the trick play.

Sources:
The Helmet Project found here:
http://nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/index.htm
Photo © The B1G Network
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1145292-power-ranking-all-124-college-football-stadiums

IU @ Maryland

Taulia Tagovailoa threw for 352 yards and accounted for all six Maryland touchdowns, leading the Terrapins to a 44-17 rout of Indiana and their first 5-0 start since 2001.

Tai Felton caught seven passes for 134 yards and three first-half TDs for the Terrapins, who are 2-0 in Big Ten play for the first time since joining the league before the 2014 season. Now they face their first big test of the season when they play at No. 4 Ohio State next weekend.

Tagovailoa's five touchdown passes were one shy of the school record, set by Frank Reich in his famous comeback victory over Miami in 1984.

The Hoosiers enjoyed a significant edge in time of possession, but that was mostly because Maryland scored so easily. Sorsby and Jackson are both redshirt freshmen, so it will be interesting to see who Indiana goes with in its next game.

Sources:
The Helmet Project found here:
http://nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/index.htm
Photo © The B1G Network
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1145292-power-ranking-all-124-college-football-stadiums

https://apnews.com/hub/college-football  

IU v Akron

 

For their final non-conference game. It would be long. It would be ugly. But it would be a win.  The Hoosiers would outlast Akron 29-27 in four overtimes.

The Hoosiers’ struggles revealed several problems. Their two losses were understandable, considering Ohio State and Louisville are each 4-0. Akron, however, went 2-10 last season and was picked to finish fifth in the Mid-American Conference’s East Division. The offense must improve as the Hoosiers resume Big Ten play.

Sources:

Indiana University Athletics

https://apnews.com/hub/college-football  

https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll

IU v Louisville

Indiana spotted Louisville 21 first half points then  started the second half by recovering an onside kick. Three plays later, new starting quarterback Tayven Jackson hooked up with Jaylin Lucas on a 30-yard TD pass — the first of Jackson's college career — to make it 21-7.

A failed fourth-down try stopped Indiana’s next possession but after the Hoosiers' defense forced a three-and-out, Jackson deftly engineered a 97-yard drive, capping it with a 2-yard scoring run from Josh Henderson to cut the deficit to 21-14 with about one minute left in the third quarter.

Then, with less than five minutes to play, the Hoosiers (1-2) had fourth-and-goal from 18 inches away. Louisville linebacker Stanquan Clark stuffed Henderson in the backfield with 4:38 to play and the Cardinals ran out the clock.

The Hoosiers were missing their top cornerback, Nic Toomer, and lost starting guard Max Longman in the first half. Longman went to the locker room with what appeared to be an injured right leg. He was replaced by Matthew Bedford, the usual right guard, who was listed as questionable before the game.

Jeff Brohm improved to 5-1 all-time against Allen with the previous five meetings all coming in the Indiana-Purdue rivalry. The Cardinals also beat the Hoosiers for the first time in three tries.

Sources:
The Helmet Project found here:
http://nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/index.htm
Photos © The B1G Network, Indiana University Athletics
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1145292-power-ranking-all-124-college-football-stadiums

IU v Indiana State

Tayven Jackson completed 18 of 21 passes for 236 yards and added a 10-yard touchdown run in his first career start, and Indiana racked up 558 yards of total offense Friday night in a 41-7 rout of visiting Indiana State.

Jaylin Lucas finished with 10 carries for 88 yards and four catches for 39 yards. His pair of 25-yard TD runs opened the scoring in the first quarter. Jackson’s scamper up the middle made it 21-0 at the end of the period, and the Hoosiers (1-1) were never threatened the rest of the way.

The point total was Indiana’s highest since a 56-14 defeat of Idaho on Sept. 11, 2021. The Hoosiers improved to 7-0 all time against Indiana State, an FCS program.

For a program that had gone 6-20 in its previous 26 contests, any win is a good win. A win with above-average quarterback play is even better. Given the way Jackson played, it might be his job to lose. He showed he’s capable of playing within offensive coordinator Walt Bell’s system, making big plays and affecting games with his ability to run.

Sources:
The Helmet Project found here:
http://nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/index.htm
Photo © The B1G Network
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1145292-power-ranking-all-124-college-football-stadiums

 https://apnews.com/hub/college-football 

IU v Ohio State

Starting against its most dreaded opponent with a new, inexperienced quarterback looked like a recipe for disaster. But a better than expected defense and a simple game plan kept the Hoosiers competitive. Despite the loss, a solid showing may give fans hope things can get better.

Indiana has not beaten the Buckeyes since posting back-to-back victories in 1987 and 1988. The teams also played to a 27-27 tie in 1990. When the Hoosiers won in Columbus, Ohio, in October 1987 then-Buckeyes coach Earle Bruce called the loss “the darkest day I’ve seen in Ohio State football since I’ve been associated with it.” Final Score Ohio State 23 - Indiana 3

UP NEXT Indiana: Hosts FCS foe Indiana State on Friday. The Sycamores are coached by Curt Mallory, the son of the late Bill Mallory, Indiana's winningest football coach.

Sources:
The Helmet Project found here:
http://nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/index.htm
Photo © The B1G Network
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1145292-power-ranking-all-124-college-football-stadiums

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll

2023 Schedule

Source:

Indiana University Deportment of Athletics