Indiana Coach Curt Cignetti Takes Page From Nick Saban Ahead of Maryland Game

Indiana football is 4-0, but coach Curt Cignetti doesn’t want his team to relish too much in their early success. He used a famous phrase from Nick Saban to illustrate that.

Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti walks the sideline against Florida International at Memorial Stadium. / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Curt Cignetti resembled legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban going into Indiana’s crucial Week 5 matchup against Maryland.

Cignetti was a wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator on Saban’s staff at Alabama from 2007-10, which included a national title in 2009. Now off to a dominant 4-0 start coaching the Hoosiers, and on the precipice of Indiana’s first 5-0 start since 1967, Cignetti knows danger can come with success.

He’s confident his team will avoid that because of its maturity and heavy veteran presence, but he used a famous Saban phrase to keep the Hoosiers locked in.

“When you win, it's about maintaining your edge and avoiding complacency,” Cignetti said. “And not having the warm fuzzies and not taking the rat poison, right?”

Saban often used the term “rat poison” on his way to winning seven national championships. The rat poison he refers to is the outside praise from fans and media that comes with success. If a team takes that “rat poison,” it may relax too much and not take its next opponent seriously, which could lead to a loss.

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban shouts from the sidelines against Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium. / John David Mercer-Imagn Images

Cignetti is familiar with this challenge. He went 52-9 over the last five seasons at James Madison and has a 123-35 record as a head coach, with stops at Elon and Indiana University of Pennsylvania. 

He often talks about the role of mental preparation, in addition to the X’s and O’s and physical attributes required by a winning team. Cignetti wants his team to carry a business-like approach, never getting too high or too low during and after games. 

Following Indiana’s last two wins over UCLA and Charlotte, Cignetti said he’ll give the team 24 hours to enjoy the win, then it’s back to work. This isn’t to say Cignetti discourages confidence, but there’s a balance to strike.

“Success leads to confidence, which leads to success, and so they go hand in hand,” Cignetti said. “But you still have to put the work in during the week because everything we do isn't fun. You've got to pay the price in terms of your commitment level, make some choices and decisions, good ones, and sacrifices. But we should be a confident football team right now, but we've got to put the work in.”

Indiana’s 4-0 start has come with success on both sides of the ball. The Hoosiers rank fifth nationally with 50.5 points per game and 11th with 513.8 yards per game. Indiana was the first FBS team to surpass 200 points in 2024, and its 202 points are the most in a four-game stretch in program history, breaking the previous record set at the end of the 2015 season.

Defensively, the Hoosiers have allowed 300 total yards or fewer in all four games, the program’s longest stretch since at least 1990. Indiana has forced seven turnovers, and it is one of three FBS teams, along with Georgia and Louisville, that hasn’t turned the ball over.

Starting with Maryland on Saturday at Noon ET at Memorial Stadium, the task becomes more challenging. ESPN ranks Indiana’s strength of schedule 119th, accounting only for the games it has played so far, and its remaining strength of schedule ranks 34th. 

And despite its early success, Cignetti holds his team to a high standard and is not satisfied yet.

“We don't want to maintain the level. We want to improve the level in everything we're doing,” Cignetti said. “We want to improve because we're not – nobody is in a position in college football where they afford to go backwards. So you've got to keep striving. This is a really good football team coming in here. We're going to have to play our best game. But I'll be shocked if our guys don't understand that.”

Related stories on Indiana football

• CIGNETTI PUSHING FOR SELLOUT: Coach Curt Cignetti hopes the weather clears and fans pack the stands at Memorial Stadium on Saturday against Maryland. CLICK HERE

• HOW TO WATCH: Here's the game time and TV information for Saturday's game between Indiana and Maryland. CLICK HERE

• MEET THE TERRAPINS: A deep dive into what Maryland brings to the table for its game at Indiana on Saturday. CLICK HERE.

• CIGNETTI FAMILIAR WITH MARYLAND QB: Curt Cignetti tried to recruit Billy Edwards Jr. when he was head coach at James Madison. Now Cignetti has to find a way to stop the Big Ten’s leading passer. CLICK HERE

• FERRELL GAINING PROMINENCE: Amare Ferrell has grown into his new starting role as a rover with the Hoosiers. CLICK HERE.

• ROURKE'S STRONG START: Through four games, Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke contends with the nation’s best quarterbacks in certain statistics. CLICK HERE

• DONAVEN MCCULLEY UPDATE: Donaven McCulley’s production through four games has been limited after a Week 1 injury, but Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said Monday that the 6-foot-5 receiver is getting closer. CLICK HERE

• OPENING LINE: Indiana will face Big Ten opponents the rest of the way, and it has opened as a favorite against Maryland. CLICK HERE