An Indiana unlike any previous Hoosiers team at Iowa comes in breathing fire

Do any Indiana-Iowa football meetings of the past stand out in your minds?

For forever and a day, with rare exceptions, the Hoosiers were mediocre. Lee Corso had a long ESPN career as a commentator, and Gerry DiNardo has had that role at BTN since 2007. Corso was 41-68-2 as Indiana’s coach. DiNardo lasted three years, going 8-27.

When Tom Allen was fired after the 2023 season, he became the 14th-straight Indiana head coach to leave with a losing record at the school. When Curt Cignetti was hired from James Madison to replace Allen, Indiana had three winning seasons out of the last 29.

We’re heading into Saturday’s Hoosiers-Hawkeyes game at Kinnick Stadium with Iowa the underdog by a touchdown. It isn’t because something has gone haywire with the Hawkeyes.

Indiana went 11-2 last year, losing only at Ohio State, and then at Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff. Cignetti was AP’s National Coach of the Year. A one-hit wonder? Hardly. Not when you beat then-No. 9 Illinois 63-10 last Saturday.

Cignetti has tipped the old conference on its ear in another way. He says what he thinks. When he began his 15 minutes at a ballroom podium at the Big Ten football media days in Las Vegas, he said this early in his remarks:

“Year One is in the books. One hundred and twenty-six years of Indiana football. Best season in Indiana history. Number 1 out of 126.”

It ain’t braggin’ if it’s true.

After the Illinois game Saturday, Cignetti said “I thought our defensive line could whip their defensive line, and we did.” and “We broke their will and just pounded them.”

This isn’t some young hotshot. Cignetti is 64. This is his second Indiana University. He was an assistant coach at six different schools before becoming head coach at IUP (Indiana University of Pennsylvania) for six years, Elon University for two, and James Madison for five. His career record is a ridiculously good 134-37.

He brought in 30 transfers last year, many from his James Madison team. During one of his first press conferences at Indiana, Cignetti was asked how he would sell his program to players.

“It’s pretty simple,” he said. “I win. Google me.”

Cignetti brought 24 more transfers aboard this year including quarterback Fernando Mendoza from Cal. Both Cignetti and Mendoza chose well.

Over his last three games, Mendoza completed 58 of 68 passes with 14 touchdowns and zero interceptions. Tuesday, Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz “I don't have a Heisman vote, but I'd vote for him based on what I have seen.”

A pass-happy program? Nope. Indiana has rushed for over 300 yards in each of its four games.

A good defensive team? After all the porous Hoosier defenses of the past? Uh, yes. As well as ranking No. 2 in the nation in total offense, Indiana is No. 3 in total defense. Now that’s complementary football.

Let’s not be quick to say Iowa is more cannon fodder for Cignetti’s explosive outfit. It’s Indiana’s first road game of the season. The Hawkeyes haven’t experienced what you would call a one-sided loss at home since a 24-7 loss to Purdue four years ago and haven’t lost by more than a field goal at Kinnick since 2022.

Many is the college football Flavor of the Week that went sour its next time out. However, Cignetti’s 9-1 Big Ten record with seven of those wins by double-digits is an ample sample size.

"I think we have to start wrapping our head around this idea that they might be better than they were a year ago, when they went 11-1 and went to the College Football Playoff,“ football analyst Joel Klatt said on his Fox Sports podcast. "I think they're better than last year.

“Maybe it’s just brand, but we keep wanting to dismiss Indiana as like ‘Well, you know, can it really happen again? It’s Indiana.’ And shame on me, shame on any of us if that’s our mindset.”

It’s easy to have that attitude, especially those in Big Ten country who saw the Hoosiers struggle for most of the time they’ve followed college football.

For maybe the first time in our lifetimes, an Indiana-Iowa game is a genuine measuring stick for the Hawkeyes. They’ll have to play great to win. If they do, they’ll know they have something good themselves.

Comments: (319) 398-8440; mike.hlas@thegazette.com