In less than 12 hours, Curt Cignetti’s Indiana Hoosiers will play the CFP semifinal game against the Oregon Ducks. The Peach Bowl matchup is set to take place at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
There’s a lot of preparation that goes into every game in college football. However, when the stakes are high, during a semifinal game, the preparation and focus increase 10 folds for players as well as the coaches.
At a time when Cignetti should be laser-focused on eliminating flaws, perfecting plays, balancing planning and execution, etc., with his team, his other commitments as the program’s head coach are causing a distraction.
While speaking to the media ahead of the Peach Bowl, Cignetti talked about how he has lost hours of preparation with his team. Just an additional hour of practice and complete focus with the team can help make their chance of winning stronger. Cignetti has lost 10 such hours.
“I was playing catch-up most of the week,” Cignetti SAID.
The 10 hours that could’ve gone into preparation have been consumed by transfer portal recruiting and visits. Is that admission an early sign of what’s about to happen in Atlanta? We’ll know by the end of the day.
As difficult and time-consuming as it is, balancing the transfer portal recruiting and visits is just as important. Getting the right players from the portal that opened on January 2 can help the program over the next few years.
Even though Cignetti’s focus should’ve been on practice and preparation for the semifinal game, missing out on key players in the portal can hurt the program in the long run. Indiana has been unbeaten this season, so it’s safe to say Cignetti has done his job well so far.
Curt Cignetti Explained His Serious Sideline Demeanor
Every time a camera pans to Cignetti on the sidelines, he has his serious face on. The coach is rarely seen laughing or enjoying moments during games. There’s a good reason why Cignetti has developed that approach.
During a press conference on Thursday, where he was joined by Oregon’s Dan Lanning, Cignetti explained why he always looks serious. The coach also revealed that there’s a fun side to him, but not everyone has the privilege to see it.
“There’s a lot of times I am happy. I just don’t show I’m happy,” Cignetti said. “If I’m going to ask my players to play the first game, first play to play [No.] 150 the same, regardless of competitive circumstances, then I can’t be seen on the sideline high-fiving people and celebrating, or what’s going to happen, right? What’s the effect going to be?”
That sounds reasonable. A good coach would never ask his players to do something that he himself isn’t willing to do. If Cignetti is demanding complete focus from his players on the field, he has to match their energy from the sidelines.
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