Indiana football opened up its season against Old Dominion and got the win, but if you let head coach Curt Cignetti tell it, the team barely played up to its true potential. After allowing a 75-yard rushing touchdown on the opening play, Indiana was able to bounce back and take control, but they didn't put a stamp on the game like they wanted.
Days later, Cignetti spoke about the game and had an honest take about how it went.
“We had 'em where we wanted 'em. We just had to put the fork in 'em and we didn't,” Cignetti said via Zach Osterman of Indystar. “This game really came down to what happened inside the 6-yard line, and two plays on defense.”
Indiana did have some good things to show for during the game. Their secondary was strong against Old Dominion, and they barely let anything happen through the air. On offense, the run game was strong, and they also had a 91-yard punt return from Jonathan Brady.
At the same time, there were points in the game where they just weren't able to capitalize. Their offense made it inside the 10-yard line six times, but they were only able to score two touchdowns.
“I thought we had them in position near the end of the second quarter where we could have stuck a fork in them and really jumped on them, and we couldn't capitalize offensively,” Cignetti said after the game via Michael Niziolek of The Herald-Times.
“First-and-two on the 2, couldn't get the ball in the end zone,” Cignetti continued. “Get down there the next time and fumbled the ball. Got open for a touchdown, make a nice throw and he (Omar Cooper Jr.) drops the ball. Hit the crossbar on a field goal. Overthrow a guy for a touchdown in the second half. From that standpoint, you know, we have to get better, gotta get better.”
Hopefully, Indiana will come out with better energy for the remainder of the season, as they know the standard is high.
