MIAMI – As Indiana wrapped up practice at Florida International University on Saturday night, the weight of the moment began to sink in. For some Hoosiers, it was the realization that the session marked their last practice in an Indiana uniform — and the emotion was visible.
ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe posted a video to social media of players hugging each other as they left the practice field, describing the scene as “loving” and “emotional.”
Curt Cignetti, however, had little interest in letting those feelings linger with Monday’s game just around the corner.
“I’ve seen quite a bit of sentimentalism from some of our seniors all week,” Cignetti said during Sunday’s coaches’ press conference. “But I think now’s the time to sharpen the saw and throw those warm fuzzies out the door.
“It’s time to go play a match against a great opponent.”
The end of practice under a South Florida dusk marked the final moment when Curt Cignetti’s team would allow itself to linger on the emotion of the season — at least until late Monday night, if the ending warrants it.
Regardless of the outcome, Indiana football’s Hollywood run ends in Miami. A season full of twists and periods of total domination has already secured its place in program history.
For decades, Indiana only flashed onto the national stage during the Truman and Johnson administrations. What the program has accomplished over the past five months will leave a lasting impression. To outsiders, a victory could mean the emergence of continued dominance.
However, this is not discussed at the InterContinental Hotel overlooking Biscayne Bay. Indiana is not here to think. It’s here to get the job done.
“It’s been rapid progress, quite surreal to some extent,” Cignetti said. “But that’s somewhat separate from the mentality of our team right now, in terms of us being here physically and what our intentions are.”
There was little excitement surrounding the Indiana program at CFP media day Saturday. Players embraced the moment they found themselves in with confidence. Well equipped to answer questions about what a win would do for their legacy, each player followed the company line.
Center Pat Coogan is no stranger to the bright lights of the national championship. A year ago he stood in the same spot and answered many of the same questions.
Aware of the lasting impact this team has already had on the Indiana fan base and college football in general, Coogan avoided nostalgia. For the senior preparing for his final collegiate competition, the focus remains firmly on the task at hand.
“We’re all grateful to be where we are, there’s no doubt about that,” Coogan said, “but at the same time, looking at the macro lifespan of what we’ve done, not necessarily yet.
“We’re just so hyper-focused on the task at hand, and it’s hard to have perspective when you’re still on the ground, in the moment.”
One member of the 2023 team, Isaiah Jones, experienced the program at its lowest point. The Indiana, he and his teammates, who had undergone a coaching change, originally measured their success by simply reaching a bowl game.
With that once-modest benchmark long surpassed, Jones’ mindset is on a goal that once seemed enormous – and now only one win away.
“We may not have committed to the team that everyone picked to be the national championship team,” Jones said. “But when you have guys like that who maybe have been overlooked and maybe aren’t top recruits or don’t have stars coming out of high school, we’re not satisfied being here. We want to win the whole thing.”
Press conferences, availability and open practices concluded on Sunday morning. All that remains is the 7:50 PM EST kick under the lights of Hard Rock Stadium.
Indiana Football’s ideal ending is one 60-minute game before it becomes reality, a feat previously only realized in dreams and video games. There will come a time when players and coaches sit back and enjoy the sunlight of the moment. But now is not that time.
Eager to get between the blank lines, Cignetti was never shy with a turn of phrase and delivered another line destined for the highlight reel of his one-liners.
“Throw those warm fuzzies out the door,” Cignetti said. “You don’t wage war with hot milk and cookies.”
The hugs shared Saturday will pale when Indiana takes the postgame stage Monday night.
That’s when the achievement Cignetti and the Hoosiers have been chasing for the past two years will finally become a reality: a glimpse above college football’s highest mountain peak.
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