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Curt Cignetti's keys to the game on full display in Indiana's thrashing of Oregon

Andy Staples head shotby: Andy Staples01/10/26AndyStaples

ATLANTA — The morning before Curt Cignetti’s team punched its ticket to the national title game, a reporter asked the Indiana coach for two keys to the Hoosiers’ Peach Bowl matchup with Oregon. Cignetti responded by handing over all the keys.

“We talk about the same thing every single game,” Cignetti replied. “Line of scrimmage, run the ball, stop the run, affect the quarterback, protect the quarterback, turnover ratio. We’re number one in the country in explosive plays, runs plus 12 [yards], passes plus 15 [yards] on both sides, critical situations, third, fourth down, red area, two-minute before the half, end of the game, and [special] teams has to be a win. Every game, same stuff.”

Indiana cruised to a 56-22 win Friday that was finished being a competitive sporting event by the middle of the second quarter. The Hoosiers showed once again that they are the ultimate machine. They bring Cignetti’s relentless repetition to terrifying life on the field. They make precious few mistakes, and every mistake by their opponent gets punished severely.

In the national title game, Indiana will face a Miami team that overcame a cavalcade of miscues to rally and beat Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl. Hurricanes coaches probably watched Friday and thanked their lucky stars they played their sloppiest game of the CFP in the desert. Because even though Miami will be on its home field in the title game, it’ll need to be almost perfect to beat the Hoosiers.

Let’s examine how Indiana engineered the first College Football Playoff semifinal blowout of the 12-team era through the lens of Cignetti’s keys to the game.

Line of scrimmage: The Hoosiers mauled the Ducks up front, but perhaps no play showcased that dominance like a first-quarter run by Roman Hemby that gained 11 yards to the Oregon 6-yard line. Left tackle Carter Smith blocks two Ducks by himself. Center Pat Coogan pulls around the edge and throws Ducks safety Aaron Flowers out of the club.

Run the ball: The Hoosiers only averaged 3.3 yards a carry in the first half, but they didn’t allow that to get them out of their preferred playcalling rhythm. They ran the ball 20 times in 31 plays, reminding the Ducks that they’d keep pounding no matter what.

Stop the run: The score pretty much took care of this. Indiana allowed only nine rushing yards in the first half, but sacks accounted for minus-25 yards.

Affect the quarterback: Even before the dam broke, the Hoosiers were popping Dante Moore even on plays when he managed to squeeze off throws to receivers running crossing routes. But by the second quarter, the Hoosiers started getting home.

Moore seemed quite affected here.

Protect the quarterback: With the exception of one bizarre Fernando Mendoza fumble-recover-almost throw it away-take a sack situation, Mendoza stayed relatively clean for the brief period the game was competitive.

Turnover ratio: We probably should have started here, but we’re going by Cignetti’s order.

Indiana was plus-three in turnover ratio in the first half. On the game’s first play, Hoosiers cornerback D’Angelo Ponds intercepted Moore and returned it for a touchdown.

But Oregon didn’t wilt after the opening pick-six. The Ducks marched down the field and scored a touchdown. Indiana responded with an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that ended with an 8-yard Mendoza-to-Omar Cooper touchdown.

Then all hell broke loose.

Oregon, down No. 2 back Jordan Davison (broken collarbone) and with starter Noah Whittington limited, entered the night worried that playing inexperienced backs could be costly. Those fears came home to roost early in the second quarter when Moore lost the ball after it clipped the shoulder pad of passing back Dierre Hill Jr.

Indiana recovered the fumble on the Oregon 3-yard line and punched the ball into the end zone three plays later with a Kaelon Black run to make it 21-7.

After another Indiana touchdown stretched the lead to 28-7, Moore and the Ducks were getting desperate. They were going to have to throw their way back in the game, and the Hoosiers knew it. If you want to see this play, scroll back up to the “Affect the quarterback” section. You’ll see Indiana edge rusher Daniel Ndukwe twist away from Oregon tackle Alex Harkey just as Indiana defensive tackle Mario Landino shoves guard Dave Iuli into Harkey. Ndukwe crushes Moore, knocking the ball loose. Landino recovers, completing the metamorphosis of a two-man line stunt into a two-man wrecking crew.

Six plays later, Mendoza scored to stretch the lead to four touchdowns with more than two minutes remaining in the first half.

Indiana had brutally punished every Oregon mistake. The Hoosiers had almost flawlessly executed the plan Cignetti demands they follow every game.

All that remained was a confetti rain. 

But the Ducks still had to endure 32 more football minutes of pain.