After a first half in which the new-look Indiana Hoosiers outscored Florida International 21-7 and outgained the Panthers by nearly 150 yards, Big Ten Network sideline reporter Shane Sparks asked Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti what his message would be in the locker room. His answer did not contain any words — just a sarcastic chuckle.
One does not need a psychology degree to conclude that what followed was a halftime speech that made one thing very clear — unforced mistakes like the three penalties which totaled 30 yards and the two fumbles, although neither was lost, were unacceptable. Cignetti called the last seven minutes of the half “sloppy,” even though that timespan contained an eight-minute, 93-yard touchdown drive capped off by senior James Madison transfer running back Ty Son Lawton’s second rushing touchdown of the game.
The first game of the Cignetti era ended in a 31-7 Hoosier victory that featured explosive runs from Lawton and Wake Forest transfer Justice Ellison in addition to a superhuman catch from wide receiver Miles Cross, defensive back Amare Farrell’s first career interception and numerous booming tackles from linebackers Aiden Fisher and Jailin Walker. Indiana’s first touchdown of the season came when quarterback Kurtis Rourke found tight end Zach Horton for a nine-yard completion to cap off an efficient seven-play drive.
Lawton and Ellison shared the wealth on the ground, combining for 156 of Indiana’s 234 rushing yards on 26 attempts while Rourke managed the game efficiently from behind center, completing 15 of his 24 passes for 180 yards and the touchdown pass to Horton, connecting with seven different receivers during the game. Indiana’s rushing attack opened up the play-action passing game for Rourke, who was forced to spread the ball around when receiving options like Elijah Sarratt and Myles Price were covered — they totaled six catches for 41 yards. Donaven McCulley left the game in the first half after making one reception for nine yards, with Cignetti saying that he was not medically cleared to return after halftime.
Led by Fisher and Walker, the Indiana defense stonewalled FIU from the jump, holding dynamic dual-threat quarterback Keyone Jenkins to 129 yards on 20 completions and allowing just 53 rushing yards on 30 attempts — an average of 1.8 yards per attempt. The Hoosiers outgained the Panthers 414-182 overall and 234-53 on the ground.
While at first glance it may look like everything was smooth-sailing for Cignetti and Co., that is far from the truth — as is often the case in season-openers. College football has no preseason and Indiana, a team with 54 newcomers, entered week one as one of the biggest unknowns in the country.
It will take time for Rourke, one of 30 players who transferred to Indiana, to gel with his offense. The Ohio transfer looked uncomfortable in the pocket at times — he only took two sacks but was pressured on many more occasions. Those kinks should iron themselves out with time, especially considering the preseason knee injury to projected starting guard Nick Kidwell. Chemistry takes time.
“We had some negative plays,” Rourke said postgame. “Those can really kill drives, and I think we had one too many of those today.”
Rourke added that film sessions in the coming days will help him and the rest of the offense understand areas where they can improve.
Cignetti said he thought Rourke did well.
“He made some plays, scrambled out of the pocket and then the protection broke down a little bit on him,” Cignetti said, adding that those errors will iron themselves out as Rourke takes more snaps.
Unforced errors are less excusable. Cignetti’s past teams made their living playing disciplined football. In 2023, Cignetti’s JMU squad averaged a Sun Belt-best 5.5 penalties per game and just 40.1 penalty yards per game. While FIU committed just three penalties for 25 yards, Indiana committed nine penalties — seven on offense — for 80 yards.
The most egregious offense was two-fold. A holding penalty on offensive lineman Drew Evans was immediately followed by a delay-of-game penalty that transformed a manageable third-and-four into a third-and-19 that killed an early second-half drive.
Although visibly frustrated after Indiana’s fourth holding penalty of the game, Cignetti said that penalties are common nationwide early in the season, opting to view them as teachable moments players will learn from moving forward.
“I’m not making an excuse, by any means,” Cignetti said. “We didn’t want to have any (penalties). I am pleased that we didn’t have turnovers, because I was worried about both. We’ve got to do better (with penalties).”
In the week leading up to Indiana’s 31-7 victory over FIU, Cignetti described the season opener as chapter one of a 13-page book. Indiana returns to Memorial Stadium, where it will write chapter two of that book at 7 p.m. Friday versus Western Illinois. The FCS squad will serve as another tuneup before the Hoosiers head to Pasadena to face off against UCLA on Sept. 14.
