forums

Any die hards tell me why Indiana is this good?

Advertisement
They're like old, peak Clemson.

Very disciplined. Everyone knows where to be, and everyone knows where everyone else is supposed to be.

They scheme things up to be simple and effective.

They play to their strengths and are very good at masking their weaknesses.

I still think they're beatable.
 
With the NIL deals backers like March Cuban and his buddies can help Alot. I would say in the way of Tex Tech where the boosters can really splurge.
 
Great discipline, they don't get faked out of position with eye candy the offense is serving up, and they read / react very well to things defensively. They've got an old school mentality in tackling, go for the sure thing, wrap up, and leave the big chance flash hits to other teams.

Offensively, it's about simple execution. They are very good at blitz pickup and an accurate quality decision maker makes a simple offense hum. Most teams rely on playmaker making a play, something from nothing if you will. They don't count on that, they count on the simplicity and execution of the play design. This is true on both sides of the ball as well.
 
nycane said:
everyone talks about how cignetti looks miserable all game and doesnt change his facial expression. I like that better than lanning acting like a pitbull on the sideline. his crazy faces and stuff.
Click to expand...
Okay so the people are right then
 
Advertisement
They spent a load of money in the Portal to buy the talent they have. Great coaches and development. I would also add that they have done a fantastic job of evaluating the talent of the lower tier divisions and took a chance on developing those boys and we're successful. That is something I wish we would do more of. They have running backs and many other kids who came from far lower division than P4 who they identified and took a chance on. That is a potential gold mine. Marcus Stokes is a prime example at QB who I think could wreck at our level.
 
Bird4um said:
Haven’t watched any games.
Click to expand...


Indiana is very good for some of your "old-fashioned basic football" reasons.

On the player side, they have been a fantastic mix of "chip on their shoulders" overlooked kids who really want to prove themselves, and returning kids who needed time outside the limelight to build playing time and become battle-tested veterans. When you have "highly recruited" kids, they often want immediate playing time, or else are thrust into important high-profile roles before they are ready or have earned it.

On the coaching side, Cignetti is a "what you see is what you get" kind of a fundamentals coach, and has filled his staff with similar types. Beyond his "Google me" comments, I am struck by how many of his interviews hit all the right notes, with directness and humor and self-awareness. He can acknowledge that the other team is good without blowing hot air. And he always acknowledges the hard work that Indiana has to do to keep winning games.

And then there is the "putting the coaching into practice" stuff. His defense TACKLES. Fundamentally well. Good angles, good positions, able to pressure without exotic blitzes, able to cover without gambling. The offense has been everything I expected with Mendoza, maybe not OVERWHELMING stats, but efficient, more TDs than INTs, not putting the desire to complete a pass over the needs of the team. And something I'm about to post on with the Miami team, the moment never looks too big. Maybe the offense doesn't score fast enough early on, or the other team might score easily, but Indiana never looks rattled and doesn't deviate from the game plan.

It's very impressive stuff. And when you wonder why more teams don't emulate this approach? It's hard to find this many team-first players and coaches who aren't seeking the limelight or a promotion or a draft position. I don't know if this style of Indiana will last forever, but it's very nice to see at this time, when so many fans are acting as if "NIL" or "Portal" have ruined college football.
 
DTP said:
Not a single 5 star recruit on their entire roster. Alabama has the second most 5 star recruits of all the playoff teams.

Tell me again that coaching doesn’t matter.
Click to expand...
It does but you also need the trenches which Indiana definitely has.
 
Advertisement
Gameplan then execution. They are a P5 team, they have enough talent to play with people even. It’s literally just X’s and O’s.
 
DTP said:
Not a single 5 star recruit on their entire roster. Alabama has the second most 5 star recruits of all the playoff teams.

Tell me again that coaching doesn’t matter.
Click to expand...
I just posted the same **** thing in a separate thread.

Amen
 
Back
Top