Curt Cignetti has been talking the talk since the moment he stepped off the plane in Bloomington in December.

From him stepping on McCracken Court in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall during an Indiana basketball game and proclaiming that Purdue, Michigan, and Ohio State all "suck" to his comments about the Rose Bowl Stadium, Cignetti has brought a different vibe to Bloomington.

After months of chatter about changing the narrative and escaping from the mentality of "the old Indiana,", the 63-year-old from Pittsburgh has an unblemished record through his first four games in his power conference head coaching job.

With the 52-14 drubbing of Charlotte, Cignetti became the first coach in program history to win their first four games of their career at Indiana.

"I think it's a pretty decent start," "We've got a lot of guys that have played successful winning football."

Although he has a history of playing coy to such achievements, Cignetti did not let the unbeaten feat go unnoticed this week, he even went as far joking about it with Don Fischer during his Thursday radio show.

"Did you know that if the we win on Saturday that I'll be the first coach here to ever start 4-0," Cignetti asked Fischer to which Fischer replied, "Yes I knew that, I've been here a while."

While strength of schedule has been a topic of conversation in the opening month of games, Cignetti and Indiana have been providing blowout after blowout, including a 42-13 over conference opponent UCLA on the road.

"We haven't had a whole lot of adversity since the season started," Cignetti said. "But when we do, it will make us stronger."

Following a 52-point performance on Saturday, Indiana is now averaging 52.3 points per game through four games, which is good enough for the highest average in the Big Ten and sixth in the nation.

Additionally, following Saturday's win, Indiana now sits at 202 total points through four weeks. For reference, the 2021 Indiana team scored 207 throughout the entirety of the season.

Although Cignetti is known to be an offensive coach, this season has gotten off to the start because of the defense, a group who has also been in the upper echelon of the country from the season's start.

Despite their first-half struggles, the defense, called by Bryant Haines, blanked Charlotte in the second half, marking the third time this season that the Indiana defense has kept an opposing offense scoreless in the second half. The only blemish came last week when UCLA made two field goals in last week's game.

Haines, who Cignetti brought over from James Madison over the offseason, has received high praise and is continuing to prove why he is one of the best defensive play callers in the country. Just another Cignetti decision that has panned out for Indiana football.

Following last week's win, Indiana gained national attention for how the team went in and took care of business on their first road trip, primarily due to Cignetti's demeanor.

Charlotte coach Biff Poggi had high praise for Cignetti and the Indiana program after the game.

“They have a really good football team," Poggi said. “It’s not the same Indiana I knew as the associate head coach at Michigan.”

Despite the outside praise, Cignetti will continue to keep a level head and expects the same from his team as they head into their first home conference game next weekend against the Maryland Terrapins.

"I think the whole key now is maintaining our focus."

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