BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti caught glimpses of Ohio State throughout the season while watching crossover games.
He also watched a little bit of their tape during the team’s off week.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt was enough to paint a clear picture at the kind of challenge the No. 2 Hoosiers will face this weekend in the Big Ten title game.
“They're dominant, really, everywhere,” Cignetti said plainly.
Cignetti took a brief break from scouting OSU more fully to speak with reporters on Sunday via Zoom.
The bulk of Cignetti’s film study will occur over the next 48 years after the team’s quality control staff delivers him an entire season worth of cutups. He usually prioritizes the film from his opponent’s last four games and various subcategories like all of their explosive plays.
Cignetti has already developed a high opinion of the Buckeyes based on what he’s seen.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOhio State football has pummeled opponents throughout the 2025 season
Ohio State has won by an average of 29.6 points per game this season while shutting out two opponents. The Buckeyes only one possession game this season was a 14-7 win over Texas in their season opener.
They didn’t allow a touchdown in five games this season and three of those were against Big Ten opponents.
Cignetti told reporters on Sunday he thought the score in many of those wins could have been even more lopsided in OSU’s favor if they hadn’t tried to shorten the game and gone easy on teams in the second half.
“Sometimes when you watch Ohio State, the game is in hand,” Cignetti said. “And I know Ryan is banking on playing a really long season, and they huddle, and they're not interested in running a lot of plays on offense. And sometimes when you watch them, it's almost like they're holding back a little bit.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHe praised OSU coach Ryan Day as a future “legend of the game” — a compliment that left Day fluxomed when he was asked about it later in the same call — and was equally complimentary of his roster.
“The thing about Ohio State, you know, they play fast, they play physical, nasty with an edge,” Cignetti said. “And they really haven't been challenged this year.”
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Nov 23, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day(right) and Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti meet at midfield before the game at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn ImagesIndiana football coach Curt Cignetti impressed with OSU’s talented offense, defensive production
Ohio State’s gaudy numbers under new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia jumped off the page for Cignetti.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCignetti ran through a few of the notable statistics on the conference call — OSU ranks first in the country in total defense (203.0 yards allowed per game), pass defense (121.3 yards allowed, third-down conversations allowed (56.9%) and have allowed the fewest number of explosive plays (23 gains of 20 or more yards).
While the defense looks different than the one Indiana faced last year with Jim Knowles at the helm, he didn’t outline any specifics. He said they run multiple looks and have a “lot of really good players.”
Cignetti focused more on individual players while breaking down the OSU’s offense, starting with quarterback Julian Sayin.
“Julian Sayin is a tremendous football player,” Cignetti said. “He's young, but doesn't play like he's young. He's got super quick release, very accurate, and he's mobile. “
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSayin also has “great weapons” all over the field from a pair of dynamic receivers, Jeremiah Smith and Carnall Tate, to one of the game’s top running backs, Bo Jackson. Jackson is a true freshman who is averaging 86.5 yards per game and topped 100 yards in each of the team’s last three games.
“They're fully dimensional,” Cignetti said. “They can beat you a number of different ways but they're super explosive, capable of scoring from any point on the field at any time.”
He saved his biggest praise for Smith, who is projected to be the top pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
“Jeremiah Smith, you know, he's in a league of his own,” Cignetti said. “I mean, I had the opportunity to coach Julio Jones at Alabama. They remind me a lot of each other. And, you know, Jeremiah Smith is just a sensational football player.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMichael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Why Indiana football's Big Ten title opponent is 'dominant, really, everywhere'
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