BLOOMINGTON — Urban Meyer gave Indiana football high praise on FOX’s “Big Noon Kickoff” on Saturday morning, and the IU coaching staff spent the ensuing afternoon backing it up.
The three-time national championship-winning coach proclaimed the Hoosiers one of the best-coached teams he’s seen in his career, in front of a crowd full of crazed Indiana fans. That’s a big statement from someone who’s seen as much football over the last 25 years as Meyer has.
“This is one of the best coached teams I’ve seen in my career.” @CoachUrbanMeyer has HIGH praise for Curt Cignetti’s @IndianaFootball 👏 pic.twitter.com/HmfWblfkxg
— Big Noon Kickoff (@BNKonFOX) October 25, 2025
Indiana has risen to No. 2 in the country through its ruthless, intense, and fundamentally sound brand of football — all elements tracing back to the coaching staff. And IU repeatedly displayed why it’s a well-coached team throughout its 56-6 win over UCLA at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium.
“We just have everybody on the same page. I know what I want. I got a lot of assistants. We’ve been together a long time. We all kind of speak the same lingo,” IU head coach Curt Cignetti said after the game. “We try to play every play like it’s nothing-nothing, game on the line, regardless of the competitive circumstances.”
One of Indiana’s defining characteristics as a team is the way it limits mistakes. The Hoosiers (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) aren’t perfect — no such thing exists in sports. But Cignetti’s emphasis on fundamentals and playing relentlessly but also disciplined has molded a team that doesn’t give much away, and if it does, it rarely follows that with another error.
The mental toughness Cignetti always preaches is a big part of that. He regularly talks about fighting human nature in keeping his team focused throughout the season — ignoring outside noise, staying level-headed, and locking in on the next play, the next series, or the next game. That philosophy has led to his players teeming with mental toughness as the season’s progressed.
“I think it really comes down to coach Cig’s philosophy of keeping it one play, one game at time. I think our team did great,” quarterback Fernando Mendoza said. “There’s a lot of outside noise. UCLA’s a fantastic football program. They’re coming off a heater, with a three-game win streak. They’re essentially an undefeated team in the Big Ten, they’ve had three great Big Ten wins. They came in our house. However, I thought our team, our defense, and our run game excelled today, which led us to victory.”
Indiana is consistently well-prepared, in all three phases.
That starts at the top with Cignetti, but his staff also deserves a lot of credit. Saturday’s game provided a glaring early example of Indiana’s preparedness. UCLA (3-5, 3-2) faced a fourth-and-7 from the IU 41-yard line in the middle of the first quarter and lined up to punt. The Bruins proceeded to fake the punt, running a double reverse pass play. But the Hoosiers blew it up, as if they knew what was coming.
Cignetti had mentioned UCLA’s fake punts in multiple media availabilities during the week ahead of the game. It’s clear he and special teams coordinator Grant Cain made sure the players were ready for those situations.
“We were pretty prepared,” linebacker Isaiah Jones said. “Coach Cain had us really juiced up. We knew what they had already run, and we knew what could come off of it. So we were kind of amped up. We knew they were going to try something, try to get some hope going for them. But not today.”
Indiana’s offense has had some short-yardage and red-zone hiccups during a few games this year. And in those moments, offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan took some criticism.
He’s called plays for a strong Indiana offense for more than a season and a half, and his game plans have had plenty to do with the success. Even the best coordinators will make occasional calls they want back; nobody bats 1.000. But Shanahan’s ability to make adjustments, both during games and from week to week, has put IU’s offense in great positions. Whenever the group had trouble in the short-yardage situations in a game, it’s usually come back much stronger the next week.
Indiana’s offense has capitalized on the good coaching: IU recorded 475 yards of total offense against UCLA, a mark that would’ve been higher if not for three Bruin defensive pass interference penalties. The Hoosiers have topped 400 yards of offense in six games this season, and they did so eight times in 2024.
Cignetti praised Shanahan’s willingness to collaborate during games with quarterbacks coach Chandler Whitmer and offensive line coach Bob Bostad. IU’s head coach isn’t immune from questioning Shanahan’s in-game decisions at times, but he’s learned that may actually be a good sign.
“Mike’s got a great work ethic. He’s a smart guy. Got great disposition. He was dialing ’em up today — when they worked,” Cignetti said, winking. “This has been pretty consistent, because sometimes I can be pretty rough on the phones. Every time I questioned a call the last three weeks, it’s gone for a big play.”
Defensive coordinator Bryant Haines has his group among the best defenses in the country for the second year in a row.
IU entered Saturday ranked seventh in the country in total defense, allowing just 248.7 yards per game. The Bruins finished with 201 yards — and nearly half of that came in their last three possessions, when the game was already well out of reach. The Hoosiers also came into this game second in the country with 66 tackles for loss, and they added seven more on Saturday. They’ve allowed only six offensive touchdowns in eight games this season, and rank in the top five for fewest points per game allowed (11.6)
Haines consistently puts his players in position to succeed. IU’s defensive line, coached by Pat Kuntz and Buddha Williams, has been a dominant force all season. Aiden Fisher was already one of the Big Ten’s best linebackers entering the season, but Haines has helped Jones and Rolijah Hardy develop into strong players alongside him. Indiana utilizes a lot of zone in the secondary, but Haines’ blitz designs and ability to scheme up pressure allow those zones to add to the chaos IU opponents deal with.
When creating game plans, Haines emphasizes finding weaknesses in opposing offenses and finding ways to exploit them. That focus sets up his defense to know what’s coming on Saturdays.
“They work really hard, all week. They’re in here late and up in there early in the morning. So they really put us in the best position to win,” Jones said of IU’s defensive coaching staff. “They want guys to play fast. So it’s never too much. But we do try to find weaknesses on the offense, and then attack them. So we always want to attack the offense and never let them attack us.”
Indiana football’s success under Cignetti isn’t an accident. The Hoosiers have added a lot of talent over the last couple years, and those players have rose to the occasion so many times. But their coaching staff has plotted every minute detail of this 8-0 start.
Cignetti is a heavy favorite to win the Bear Bryant Award for national coach of the year. He’d become only the second coach to win the award in consecutive seasons. And while there are plenty of other worthy candidates around the country, it’s hard to question Cignetti’s plaudits.
But Indiana’s strong coaching extends beyond its leader. Shanahan and Haines should be among the contenders for the Broyles Award for the nation’s top assistant coach. The entire Hoosiers coaching staff is putting its players in position to win football games.
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