‘We’ve got to get better’: IU football beats Old Dominion despite poor execution in opener
- Josh Pos
- 13h ago
His frustration reached a boiling point. In the face of a two-score advantage late in the fourth, Curt Cignetti paced the west sideline with a stern look.
In front of him, a sloppy performance full of miscues and mistakes. Despite No. 20 Indiana’s 27-14 win against Old Dominion to open the regular season Saturday, Cignetti was far from thrilled.
After exchanging a handshake with Old Dominion’s coach, Ricky Rahne, Cignetti bolted towards the locker room sporting a look of disgust. Though calmer, the second-year head coach was matter-of-fact in his postgame press conference.
“I guarantee you, everybody in this organization realizes we didn’t play as well as we wanted to,” Cignetti said. “That’s just a flat-out fact.”
Anticipation for the season opener in Bloomington was at its highest in years. More than 47,000 fans packed Memorial Stadium, hopeful as Indiana played its first game since reaching the College Football Playoff.
However, things didn’t go as planned.
From the first play, Indiana was underwhelming. Old Dominion quarterback Joseph Colton took the opening snap 75 yards on an option play, forcing the Hoosiers to play from behind 11 seconds in.
It wasn’t until a Week 10 visit to Michigan State last season that Indiana trailed in a game.
The frustration persisted for Indiana, as the ensuing offensive possession ended with a turnover on downs inside the Monarchs’ one-yard line.
Goal-line miscues on the first drive swiftly became a trend. Indiana entered a goal-to-go situation six times on Saturday, finding the end zone only twice in the must-score situations. There were 42 points available, but only scored 20, capitalizing on two field goals and two turnovers on downs.
Though it was too early for him to assess fully, Cignetti was unimpressed with the game plan for the scenarios.
“I was really concerned about it leading up to the kickoff,” Cignetti said. “There wasn’t a lot of go line on tape because people were scoring explosive touchdowns. We certainly had those opportunities to do that and didn’t — ended up on the goal line.”
The expectations entering Saturday afternoon’s contest were far higher than last year’s opener against Florida International. However, the two games had a striking similarity.
A bland Indiana team looked uninspiring in the first half last year, sparking concerns amidst the expectations. Although Indiana walked away with a 24-point victory against FIU, Cignetti wasn’t singing the praises of his team then either.
The only difference between the two games was the second-half execution from both sides. This year, Indiana seemingly couldn’t get out of its own way the entire game.
Defensive back Amare Ferrell noted similarities between openers, emphasizing that simply winning wasn’t the ultimate goal for Indiana this season.
“There were definitely some similarities,” Ferrell said. “It was a win, but it wasn’t the way we wanted it.”
Even as it seemed that the Hoosiers had taken complete control of the game in the second half, poor execution kept Old Dominion within reach.
After another offensive drive fizzled out at the goal line, the defense gave up a 78-yard touchdown run from Joseph.
Touchdown runs of a combined 153 yards overshadowed the exceptional play from the Indiana defense. Old Dominion did not run a single play in Indiana territory on Saturday afternoon. The only time the Monarchs were across midfield, a false start penalty pushed them back into their own territory.
Indiana earned a pair of first downs on its final possession, draining the clock and sealing its first win.
Cignetti was content with the outcome, yet dissatisfied with how it happened, hoping that his team would learn from mistakes.
“I’m not pleased with the way we played,” Cignetti said. “There will be a lot to learn in this tape and we’ve got to get better.”
As last season showed, a shaky Week 1 doesn’t preclude a special season. Still, when dominant wins become the standard, an underwhelming opener can raise questions.
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