What Curt Cignetti Said After No. 16 Indiana's 56-7 Win Over Nebraska

Curt Cignetti's remarks to the media after Indiana defeated Nebraska to remain unbeaten.

Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti looks up at the scoreboard during the Indiana versus Nebraska football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Curt Cignetti struck a confident tone on Saturday. Who can blame him after No. 16 Indiana hammered Nebraska 56-7 at Memorial Stadium.

Here's everything Cignetti had to say to the media in the wake of the win.

Opening statement ...

Cignetti: Great win. Featured game. Proud of the way we approached this week and our effort today. Big game because it was this game. Dominant win.

I know people are going to ask me about Kurtis Rourke. Thought he played really well in the first half. He had a thumb on a helmet, nail kind of came off. We'll know more tomorrow. But optimistic.

And let me say this. Shawn Asbury's play (a 78-yard interception return) was probably the big play in the game. There was a lot of big plays in that game, but that was a real momentum-turning play.

Thought our offensive line did a great job. We dropped our first ball of the year at receiver at the end of the game. The defense kind of got to a point there where it made it really hard on Nebraska.

Good win against a team that's got a good tradition and history that a lot of people thought was a good football team.

On the team meeting the moment ...

Cignetti: It's a veteran team with the right kind of guys. Got a good staff. It all starts at the top. I'm not going to let them get complacent, or the coaches either. I was a maniac in the fourth quarter of this game, a maniac. But we responded.

It was a tight game like I said, then we broke it open with some key plays. Back-shoulder catches got us going, hit a couple runs. They couldn't answer. They took it down the field, had a chance to really make it a game. Asbury made that big play. I think it was fourth and eight when he made that big play. Says a lot about the character on this football team.

Got a lot of experience on this football team. Enjoy tonight. We're the same guys that we were this morning when we woke up, right? We just kind of overcame another challenge.

On the offensive line physicality and how the running backs took advantage ...

Cignetti: We got some real blue-collar guys up front coached by a blue-collar guy. Coach Bostad is an old-school line coach. Put a good day's work in. Never coached for a guy like me that gets them off the field like I do (smiling).

Those guys are tight, they're tough guys. Those backs we got, they're all about the same. They're good players. Perimeter blocking is important, too. Explosive plays happen with great downfield blocking, so...

On Tayven Jackson ...

Cignetti: I mean, he's always been the backup quarterback. I thought he played well his first opportunity at home. Second opportunity at home okay. Guy still has to practice better. It's hard to be the second-string quarterback because you don't get many reps. We put a lot of new stuff in in the pass game week to week. You look at the variables in terms of their coverages and defenses, right?

But I thought he went in there and did a good job. I had confidence. Team had confidence. I was proud of him.

On Terry Jones and Bryson Bonds playing more ...

Cignetti: Yeah, Terry Jones started and played most of the game. Ferrell started at strong safety this week. Bryson Bonds went in when Shawn Asbury started cramping after the interception.

Terry Jones got a lot of reps at rover today. We'll see what the tape looks like.

On how much the crowd helped Indiana's cause ...

Cignetti: I notice 'em. It was great because it was sold out. Michigan is sold out. Got to get Washington sold out still.

There's a lot of excitement a lot of places, which is awesome. I could tell they were really loud. We did have some people leave, which I understand, as the game waned on. We had a pretty big lead. Always on Scott and his crew about in-game entertainment, music selection in the second half.

Keep winning, people are going to come. I felt confident it could happen here like that, too, because I'd done it at one other place that was very similar to this going in.

On how Indiana unsettled Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola ...

Cignetti: They threw the ball a lot more than they had. Then they got behind, they had to throw the ball more. So he's under pressure. Then he's in some tough down and distance situations. Maybe he's forcing the ball. He's young. Very talented guy, but he's young. We made some nice plays out there.

On what the performance said about Indiana's offense ...

Cignetti: I think this says a lot about our team. I know there was a national perception that Nebraska had a pretty legit defense on a national scale. So that will open their eyes, okay?

I think this is a great team win.

On Indiana's offensive confidence ...

Cignetti: No, I think with success comes belief, which comes confidence, which comes success, right? It's that cycle. I think you saw that really kind of start against Western Illinois. Wasn't a great team, but we played well. We went to UCLA and you just have seen it build off every other week.

On the Indiana running game ...

Cignetti: They probably had some nice holes. The box count was probably in our favor, which tells me they were probably overplaying the RPOs. We were handing the ball off and gaining yards.

On having a target on their back ...

Cignetti: Yeah, you guys make that stuff up, right?

Look, this is the here and now. This is where my feet are, right? I have to be focused, locked in, learning and have a great attitude rub off on other people positively as a teammate, okay? An hour from now is a concept. Tomorrow is a concept. All there is is the here and now.

You want to improve as much as you can on a daily basis. We have a process. If there was a better way to handle it, you know what I mean, we'd have been doing that a long time ago (smiling). This is the way, right?

You go on the field, and the margin for error is like that, right? The guy catches the ball for a touchdown. That much more the DB would have tipped it away. That's athletics.

We got to put ourselves in the best position. If you prepare properly, anything's possible.

On Kurtis Rourke getting off to a better start ...

Cignetti: I thought he played really well. Made plays. Ran a little bit, too. The wideouts made some catches. He threw some nice balls on those back shoulders, and those wideouts made some real nice catches.

Thank you.

Related stories on Indiana football

• LIVE BLOG: Read about Indiana's 56-7 victory over Nebraska as it happened. CLICK HERE.

• CIGNETTI KEEPING HOOSIERS HUMBLE: On his Inside Indiana Football radio show, Curt Cignetti talked about how he wants fans to be excited, but his team to stay hungry. CLICK HERE

• PREDICTIONS, 3 KEYS FOR NEBRASKA GAME: How does Hoosiers On SI see this game? CLICK HERE.

• INDIANA ADJUSTING TO MORE ATTENTION: Curt Cignetti noted that it's all part of being successful. CLICK HERE.