Behind Enemy Lines: What Indiana Is Saying Ahead Of First Round Clash
One hundred and ninety-nine miles.
That’s the distance that separates the campuses of Notre Dame and Indiana — just over a three-hour drive south from South Bend to Bloomington.
So let’s take the drive down US-31 to hear how the Hoosiers are prepping for Friday’s showdown with the Irish.
FILM BREAKDOWN
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti has been watching a lot of film. According to Cignetti he’s a ‘film junkie,’ and it’s his favorite thing to do other than sit in his recliner.
And while Notre Dame would be happy to see Cignetti sitting in his recliner next week instead of prepping for Georgia, that isn’t stopping the head man from studying up on the Irish.
“We've been watching Notre Dame from the get-go,” Cignetti said. “I also like the sense of urgency during game week in terms of preparation where you're more detailed and focused and putting that plan together.”
One of his main observations from studying Notre Dame was Riley Leonard’s ability to run the ball. Whether off of designed quarterback runs or scrambling outside the pocket, Cignetti knows his defense needs to be ready.
“They run the quarterback quite a bit, and he's an excellent player,” Cignetti said. “I've been watching him for a couple years, studying Duke offense, when he was at Duke. He's a competitor, and he throws the ball well. He's got good movement skills, good size.
“When you play Notre Dame offensively, it starts with the run game, and the quarterback is a big part of the run game, not only on the designed quarterback runs but when he drops back and he's in the pocket and escapes the pocket and his ability to create plays with his arm and his legs.”
Another area of focus for Cignetti is the Irish defense. Cignetti understands the tall task that his quarterback Kurtis Rourke and the rest of the offense face Friday night.
“Well, they're good,” Cignetti said. “Their defense is good, and Al Golden does a great job of coordinating their defense. They're a high-pressure, blitz outfit, quite a bit of man coverage. Then they've got the zone mixers and fire zones to keep you off balance a little bit.
“They get 11 guys doing their job pretty consistently. They play fast. They're physical. They're good tacklers, and they get a lot of hats to the ball. They adjust well during the course of the game. They haven't given up many points because they've got good coaches and they've got good players. Up front, they're quick, a lot of movement. But when you take into account then the blitzes, there's a lot of moving pieces, and they play coverage extremely well. They do a great job in man coverage.”
JUST ANOTHER GAME
The Hoosiers are taking a similar approach to the Irish when discussing the magnitude of their first-round matchup — it’s just a game. They aren’t trying to psych themselves out before the game even kicks off.
“I think to me and our guys, in my mind, it's just another game,” Cignetti said. “You prepare for this one like you prepare for all of them. I think for our players, they're going to be excited to play and excited to prove something.”
It’s a course correction after their double-digit loss to Ohio State, one they are still taking lessons out of. After hanging around with the Buckeyes on the road in the first half, special teams miscues played a major factor in their lone loss of the regular season.
“I don't think anyone was happy with the way we came out of Ohio State,” Cignetti said. “We didn't give ourselves a chance to be successful, giving up 14 points on the punt team and then having some of the communication breakdowns we had on pass pro. We didn't give ourselves a chance to play offense.”
“But I think our guys have learned from that too and we'll be better in a hostile environment than we were that particular day. At the end of the day, it's just football. The game is going to be won or lost between the white lines. I want them to go out there, fly around, have a little swag, and play the way we can play.”
X-FACTORS
Like most games, Cignetti believes this one will be decided in the turnover margin. Both teams rank in the top-five in turnover margin in the country — Notre Dame sits at No. 2 and Indiana at No. 5.
“I think we're plus 15 on turnover ratio, and they're plus 16,” Cignetti said. “They've forced 25 fumbles on the season. That's a high number. So ball security for us and them is going to be really important, winning the turnover battle.”
Cignetti is also trying to sure up his punt unit before Friday. The Hoosiers are well aware that head coach Marcus Freeman isn’t afraid to play it aggressive and throw a fake punt out there. Notre Dame also has seen success applying pressure on opponent’s punts this season.
“The other area that they're really dangerous is their punt return team, they've blocked three punts and forced a couple bad snaps because of the pressure they put on consistently,” Cignetti said. “So they've gotten points there. Then when they punt, they faked three punts, which those kinds of plays can be game-changers in a game. So they use their punt and punt return as weapons. We've got to be right on point.”
Indiana doesn’t have to wait much longer to take the drive up US-31 to take on the Irish in South Bend as Friday’s 8:00 p.m. kickoff draws closer.
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