There has been a buzz about Indiana football since Curt Cignetti was officially announced as the head coach on November 30th, but Saturday marked the official beginning of a new era of IU Football.
Cignetti, wearing a white Indiana polo and black golf pants, paced back and forth in front of his team in the tunnel in the north end zone to the tune of AC/DC's 'Thunderstruck'.
Florida International had just taken the field, and it was time for Cignetti's 'new look' Indiana Hoosiers to take the field in front of a crowd of 44,150.
"I thought it was a really crisp start. Jumped up 21-nothing," Cignetti said. "Had it clicking in all three phases and then from the middle of the second quarter to halftime, really sloppy ball on both sides."
It became business as usual for Cignetti, who began his fourteenth season as a head coach and first in Bloomington after five seasons with James Madison with a 31-7 victory on Saturday afternoon.
It was a sharp contrast to Tom Allen's unique sideline energy; Cignetti was very tame on the Indiana sideline in the first half, remaining calm throughout the entirety of his first game in Bloomington.
Touchdowns weren't celebrated in an orthodox way, either.
Rather than clapping, Cignetti immediately started writing on his notecard, seemingly diminishing the fact that his team scored and was preparing for the next drive.
Cignetti's laissez-faire body language did not match what he said to Big Ten Network's sideline reporter Shane Sparks.
"We've got to learn to play when we're a little bit fatigued, and learn to play with a lead," a frustrated Cignetti said to Sparks."I didn't like the last 7 minutes of that 2nd quarter. Sloppy, even on the 3rd touchdown drive on offense."
Sparks asked about his halftime message to his team; Cignetti gave him a smirk and uttered a laugh before walking away with no further comment, sparking a funny moment on social media afterwards.
The second half wasn't too kind for Cignetti's offense either.
Indiana was shutout in the final half-hour Saturday, gaining only 92 yards on four possessions, resulting in a pair of punts and two turnovers on downs.
"We left some plays out there offensively," Cignetti said. "I was disappointed the way we played when we jumped up 21-nothing."
As his offense became stagnant and the penalties piled on, the frustration mounted on the sideline for Cignetti. Although his hands remained on his hips, the head coach's body language appeared to dwindle.
Indiana finished the game with nine penalties for 80 yards, eight coming from the offense alone.
The last penalty was a holding penalty with Indiana driving late in the fourth quarter, and it was the final straw that broke Cignetti's straight face.
"There were quite a few penalties in scrimmages. It was a focus to eliminate the penalties," Cignetti said. "I think when you look around college football, you're seeing that in all the openers. They're teachable moments, and they learn from it the next game."
If there was one thing Cignetti was pleased with for the vast majority of the game, it was his defense.
The group led by James Madison transfer Aidan Fisher held FIU to only 182 yards of total offense and 53 yards on the ground.
"Those TFLs and sacks are great. I didn't know the numbers," said of the pressure at the line of scrimmage. "We've always been high in TFLs and sacks, and we have guys that have the ability to do that, too. So I think it's something to build on."
The Hoosier defense was also relentless on FIU sophomore quarterback Keyone Jenkins, who completed 20 of his 29 pass attempts for 129 yards and a touchdown, tallying four sacks.
"We were swarming the football, doing a nice job," Cignetti said. "Other than the one drive, I thought I saw pretty significant improvement."
After the game, Athletic Director Scott Dolson presented the game ball to Cignetti in front of the entire team in the locker room. It was a gesture initially to the chagrin Cignetti, who rolled his eyes before grabbing the ball with a smile.
"This is the first of many," Dolson said to the team. "We want to give the game ball to Coach Cig for his first win as our head coach."
For Cignetti, it was just one of his now 120 wins as a head coach, and he hopes to add to his total next week when his team does battle with Western Illinois at Memorial Stadium on Friday night.
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