‘They can really make the difference’: IU football desires more from its home crowd as conference play begins

Photos from IU football's 55-0 win against Howard at Memorial Stadium.

Under Curt Cignetti, IU football has used the non-conference slate as an exhibition-style season.

While this may be the best option for the team, it has drawn criticism. IU fans, especially students, tend to leave early. The team does not use its full playbook. Games are not as close or exciting as they would be against better teams. Indiana has nine convincing wins in three seasons in the non-conference slate, but the scores do not matter. The games are about development.

The pressure on Indiana in the non-conference is fairly nonexistent. Indiana is expected to blow out all three of its opponents every season and it does just that. In the nine non-conference games under Cignetti, Indiana has won by an average score of 51.2-7.8.

The incentive for students to stay falls when the scores are so lopsided, particularly when the heat index is above 100 degrees. That is the trade-off Indiana is apparently willing to make. Worse opponents, worse crowds in the second half, easy wins, more development.

When Big Ten play comes around, the pressure automatically skyrockets. Indiana has met challenges in each of its first two seasons under Cignetti.

It is hard to argue against the importance of the exhibition-style non-conference slate when conference play comes around. Indiana is 17-1 in regular-season conference play under Cignetti. In the first conference game of both previous seasons of the Cignetti era, Indiana has dominated.

In 2024, the Hoosiers beat UCLA 42-13 on the road after playing FIU and Western Illinois. In 2025, Indiana crushed then-No.9 Illinois 63-10 at home after playing Old Dominion, Kennesaw State and Indiana State.

This week, the Hoosiers host an undefeated Northwestern team that is coming off a 41-7 win against Colorado. The formula has prepared Indiana for the challenge.

“We developed in fall camp, in the last three games we developed, and I saw a lot of positive things,” Cignetti said on Monday. “Our standards have improved, our consistency has improved, our togetherness, better understanding of what’s expected. Some of the returners are now really back into the flow of things where you got to have the edge every day. We’re playing a really, really good football team. That’s my total focus.”

The crowd could be let off the hook for leaving during the non-conference slate. Friday night’s matchup with the Wildcats will not allow for that. Cignetti and his leaders are making that very clear.

“We need to have a great crowd that stays the whole game,” Cignetti said. “We played our three sauna games in the afternoon. I can understand having to leave in the second half, particularly when the game is out of hand and it’s 152 on the turf. It’s hard to coach in these games, too. But this will be low 70s weather this week and it will be a nice, cool football kind of night in Bloomington and we need to have a great crowd.”

This is not the first time Cignetti has had to spark Indiana fans, especially students. In the past, they have answered the call. He expects the same.

When they do follow through, Indiana’s players take notice of the tactical advantage of having them present the entire game.

“When you’re playing with all these fans yelling and getting loud on third down, it’s like the 12th defender, I like to call,” linebacker Isaiah Jones said this week. “It’s an atmosphere that I think coach said something about being like a seven-point or 14-point swing. When you have an atmosphere that’s like that, as the other team, it’s hard to communicate. You get a little rattled. Maybe the bright lights get a little bit too bright. For us, we just feel comfortable with that. We feel comfortable with our fans and you know we embrace having them here.”

“I don’t think they realize how much of an impact they have on the game,” wideout Charlie Becker said. “They can really make the difference in a game like you saw versus Oregon last year. They’re the best in the world and it just brings all the team morale up when we look out there and just see a sea of red.”

Indiana is undefeated at home under Cignetti. Juniors, sophomores and freshmen at IU have never seen Indiana lose at home as a student. They are part of the reason why, especially in the big games.

Indiana will kick off against Northwestern at 8 p.m. ET in Bloomington. It is the latest home kickoff time since Week 2 of 2022, when Indiana beat Idaho 35-22.

Friday’s game has been sold out for months. The incentive to stay the whole game is much larger.

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