After games like Saturday’s, it’s tempting to just appreciate the good fortune that it took for Indiana to eke out a win, its 22nd in a row. But that’s not what this column is for, nor is it what Curt Cignetti and his staff will be doing in preparation for Ohio State this week.
Besides the end result, nothing about the win over Nebraska looked like what we’ve come to expect from Indiana. The one that stood out most to me, however, was Cignetti himself and how he approached decision making.
On each
of Indiana’s first three offensive drives, the Hoosiers faced a fourth down. On all three, the offense took the field, before Cignetti called a time out, opting instead for special teams, punting twice and kicking one field goal.
Each circumstance was different – a fourth and short in Nebraska’s territory, a fourth and long in Nebraska territory, and a fourth and one on Indiana’s half of the field. As a whole, though, the style of coaching marked a seeming departure from the aggression that led to a fourth down quarterback draw call in the National Championship, now the most recognizable play in the program’s history.
There are a number of possible explanations for Saturday’s caution, which makes it hard to know whether this is truly a point of concern.
First and foremost was the wind in Lincoln, which demonstrably affected special teams and offensive playcalling. Field goal range depended almost entirely on which side of the field Indiana was driving in, and the deep passing game was essentially off the table for both sides.
With the playbook thinned out by the inability to really get the passing game going, Nebraska was more able to stuff the run with more guys in the box, making the short yardage calls more understandable. Similarly, Cignetti didn’t Radicic losing confidence after missing his first career extra point last week, so it made sense to keep him on the sideline in those conditions.
What if it wasn’t just the wind, though?
Both teams had to play in the same conditions Saturday, which made Rhule’s poorly-timed aggression stand out against Indiana’s conservative attitude. Rhule opted for a long field goal try to end the first half, then turned it over on downs with a little under five minutes on the clock in the fourth quarter when he could have punted to improve his field position on the following drive, where a field goal would have tied it.
It’s uncomfortable to think that Cignetti is either complacent with his work to this point or lacking confidence in this year’s group to execute in the big moments that decide games. As somebody who’s inclined to trust Cigs, I’d lean towards it being the latter, but neither are appealing options.
The Buckeyes are coming to Bloomington with a lot on the line, having one loss already, so we should know soon enough how aggressive Cignetti is willing to be with this team. That is, assuming it’s not windy Saturday.
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