Curt Cignetti Confirms Masterplan to Protect Fernando Mendoza After Indiana HC Forced to Confront Ghosts of the Past

You want a million-dollar T-shirt idea? Pack your bags, grab a microphone, hop on a bus to Bloomington, and convince Curt Cignetti for an interview. Curt Cignetti’s heroics in the 2024 season are undoubtedly invaluable, but more than that is his constant barrage of witty and hilarious quotes. “Hey, look, I’m super fired up about this opportunity. I’ve never taken a back seat to anybody and don’t plan on starting now. Purdue s—! But so does Michigan and Ohio State! Go IU!“. The inclusion of Purdue was understandable at the time when the head coach proclaimed this at Skjodt Assembly Hall, Bloomington. But the inclusion of Ohio State and Michigan was massive for a program that hadn’t even gone 8-0 since 1967. However, the head coach stayed true to his words, to an extent.

As Indiana got ready for their game against Michigan, the quote came haunting back with analysts and Michigan fans reminding Cignetti at every occasion of the ‘disrespect.’ But Cignetti that day wasn’t bluffing, and Michigan had no answer to Cignetti once the Hoosiers entered the field. Curtis Rourke passed for 206 yards for two touchdowns, and the game ended 20-15. The team was happy, the morale was high, and with that momentum, Cignetti entered Columbus to face Ohio State. Curtis Rourke was limited to just 68 yards that day, and the team lost 38-15 and later lost against Notre Dame in the playoffs. Undoubtedly, the season was a massive success after finishing 11-2. But Cignetti needs to keep this momentum if he wants to beat teams like Ohio State, even in the next season. And guess what? The head coach has a plan.

Curtis Rourke is now in the NFL with the 49ers, and thus, Cignetti brought another QB, Fernando Mendoza, from Cal. Mendoza last year was a revelation after passing for 3,004 yards at a 68.7% efficiency and rushing for 105 yards. Sure, the ceiling is high for the QB, and he is coming to Indiana to bolster his case for the NFL draft and also lead Indiana even deeper into the playoffs. While the onus would be on Mendoza to do that, the team will also need to provide him with top-notch protection.

Cignetti, talking to ESPN, gave his verdict on the protection that Mendoza will get at Indiana. “We’re going to have to settle him down in the pocket a little bit, because [Cal] just couldn’t protect him in the pocket last year,” Cignetti added. “And, so, you can only take so many hits until you start getting a little antsy back there.” For context, California stood 129th in 132 FBS teams last year in QB sacks per game, with Mendoza being hit 4 times every game at least. This at Indiana is changing for good.

Last year, Indiana’s O-line brought elite pass protection for Rourke as they stood 3rd in the Big 10 in run blocking. Moreover, the team also had 5 games last year without even a single sack, which again shows the quality that Indiana had in their O-line last year.

This year? Pat Coogan came from Notre Dame to take Katic’s spot at the center. Standing at 6’5″ and 310 lbs, Coogan brings an experience of 26 career starts and will be their leader. Other players like the 6’6″, 305 lb. Colorado transfer Kahlil Benson will be instrumental at right guard and is bringing 21 career starts with him. Also, players like right tackle Zen Michalski, with 158 snaps in 2024 at Ohio State, and Bray Lynch, the 6’5″ and 300 lb. returner at left guard, will also be the anchors to protect Mendoza.

Curt Cignetti gets haunted by ghosts of the past?

Curt Cignetti’s game against Notre Dame wasn’t easy last season. The Irish were in the form of their lives and were steamrolling opponents for fun. So there was some skepticism in the air. However, Indiana itself was coming after decimating opponents like Michigan and losing just one game in the regular season. So, it might have been expected to nudge Indiana’s way. However, at the start of the final quarter, the Hoosiers were down 27-3 and picked it up late to finish a respectable 27-17. The head coach reminisced about the loss with some regret.

“Should have gone two minutes sooner, but hindsight is 20-20.” The coach also mentioned, “That’s probably the silver lining of the Notre Dame game is a sour taste it left in my mouth. And everybody else’s mouth in terms of motivation to get started this year… When we played the real good people, we looked a little different.”

However, now the season is done and dusted. Regretting it is fruitless, and only lessons can be taken from that loss. One of those lessons would be to perform better against top opponents like Ohio State and Notre Dame. In 2025, the team will face opponents like Oregon and Penn State on the road. So, the lessons will come in handy too.

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