FLORINGTON – Indiana seemingly emerged from his first preseason struggle with greater clarity as a defender.
Whether that was necessary is debatable, but Curt Cignetti’s pronouncement that Ohio transfer Kurtis Rourke “separated significantly” over the weekend provided the kind of water cooler fodder on Monday that trades as well as gold in this time of year.
It wasn’t the most important thing Cignetti said. Maybe not even close to that.
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First and foremost, quarterback was never a position in doubt for Indiana this offseason. Cignetti clearly seems pleased with the progress of redshirt sophomore Tayven Jackson, and he has two freshmen who look intriguing in their own way. But you don’t sign a player like Rourke in the modern NIL/portal landscape – a talented MAC quarterback with nothing left to prove anywhere but here – to sit him down.
Rourke took all the senior team photos during the spring game in April. Nothing since then suggests he has regressed in the eyes of his coach, Cignetti’s confirmation on Monday is just the latest evidence of what has been clear for some time: Rourke, when healthy, will start at quarterback for IU this fall.
No, the most important part of Cignetti’s press conference came elsewhere in his recap. Specifically, on the other side of the line of scrimmage.
“Our defense,” he said, “is tough when it comes to protecting the passer.”
This should be nothing new for Cignetti, thanks to his current team.
While four of the six assistants Cignetti brought with him from James Madison to Bloomington work on the offensive side of the ball, the duo that follows him on defense is arguably more intriguing.
Bryant Haines, the highest-paid coordinator in program history and the first million-dollar DC IU ever employed, was a Broyles Award semifinalist in the same job last season. Roncalli and Notre Dame graduate Pat Kuntz coaches tackles at Indiana but manages the entire defensive line at Harrisonburg.
Interestingly, both men have experience as graduate assistants at IU, Haines for Kevin Wilson and Kuntz for Wilson and Tom Allen. Together at JMU, they built the most disruptive pass rush in the Sun Belt Conference.
“Schematically,” Cignetti said, “Haines knows how to get to the quarterback. He challenges these guys up front.”
Over two seasons at the FBS level, the Dukes have recorded 83 sacks, second only to Troy’s 88 in the Sun Belt. James Madison recorded 210 tackles for loss over those two seasons, including a league-high 114 in 2023. All of this contributed to 43 total turnovers achieved over the same period.
James Madison finished last season among the top teams not only in its conference, but in the country in destruction rate, a statistic that combines tackles for loss, passes defended (interceptions and breakups) and forced fumbles, all divided by total plays.
Cignetti was quick to point out on Monday that the Hoosiers only “tapped” during Saturday’s scrimmage, meaning they didn’t execute the full tackle. He still came away encouraged by a defense that, to hear him describe it, sounded a lot like what he saw the last two seasons in Harrisonburg.
“Any time you hit from scrimmage, it’s really hard to control the football,” Cignetti said, “because you can’t account for broken tackles or perimeter tackles. But, good pressure on the quarterback, pretty solid for the most part against the run.”
Cignetti cited better pocket containment as a point of improvement and said he would like to see his defense limit explosive plays more consistently. The same would happen to every coach in America.
Still, after he and his staff spent much of the winter winning key recruiting battles on offense, especially in the portal, Cignetti recognized during the spring that his team would be underway on the other side of the ball. The Hoosiers added two potentially important transfers after the spring season, cornerback D’Angelo Ponds (James Madison) and defensive tackle CJ West (Kent State), but they will still likely need some luck with injuries to maintain much-needed depth during the fall.
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More than that, he will need to be opportunistic, against a calendar that has few.
The Hoosiers won’t face Michigan or Ohio State until November. They don’t play USC, Oregon or Penn State. They have eight home games, an offense that on paper appears capable of moving the ball quite effectively, and a coach perpetually in win-now mode.
They don’t necessarily need a stifling defense. A disruptor will do. Create problems, force mistakes, capitalize on devastating plays (negative plays, sacks, turnovers, etc.). Let the offense work.
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This article originally appeared in the Indianapolis Star: IU’s football defense should look a lot like JMU’s destruction last year
