Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti joined Don Fischer for his weekly Inside Indiana Football radio show Thursday night, reflecting on the Hoosiers' loss to Ohio State and previewing Saturday's road matchup with Michigan.
Here are four takeaways from Cignetti's comments.
Cignetti belives Indiana has responded well to its first loss
Indiana hasn't had much experience dealing with defeat under Cignetti, but the Hoosiers' head coach believes his team has handled their first setback in nearly two years appropriately.
Cignetti said he didn't sugarcoat anything when addressing his team following Saturday's loss to Ohio State, emphasizing the missed opportunities that ultimately cost Indiana the game.
But he also made clear that one loss doesn't change what the Hoosiers can still accomplish.
"The sun will come up tomorrow, and no one died, and we gave great effort," Cignetti said Thursday night. "It was a hell of a football game, and all our goals are still attainable, except we can't go undefeated."
Cignetti believes Indiana's mental edge is where it needs to be, but the real test comes Saturday.
"A setback used properly is an opportunity to grow, and we'll find out Saturday," Cignetti said.
The Hoosiers have already proven they can respond to adversity within games. Now they'll have to prove they can respond to adversity between them.
Cignetti identifies multiple issues with Indiana's rushing attack
Indiana's rushing attack has struggled to find consistency over the last two games, and Cignetti offered several explanations Thursday.
"We're probably not moving people as well up front," Cignetti explained.
But the offensive line isn't solely responsible. Cignetti also pointed to tentative running from the backs against Nebraska and missed opportunities for quarterback keepers and run-pass options.
Those issues have contributed to Indiana's inability to sustain drives and establish its preferred offensive balance.
Against Ohio State, Indiana threw 46 passes compared to just 26 rushing attempts, a departure from the balance attack Cignetti wants.
Cignetti emphasized that an effective running game often requires patience. Without enough first downs and sustained possessions, opportunities to wear down a defense and break explosive runs later in games become limited.
That's a concerning trend heading into Michigan, which features one of the nation's better defenses. Indiana doesn't necessarily need to dominate on the ground, but finding more consistency would take pressure off Josh Hoover and prevent the offense from becoming one-dimensional.
Michigan looks different with Tommy Carr at quarterback
Indiana's defense is expected to face a different Michigan offense than the one that began the season on Saturday.
Freshman quarterback Tommy Carr replaced Bryce Underwood against Penn State and helped spark a second-half comeback, something that caught Cignetti's attention.
"As soon as that guy walked into the huddle, everybody else got better," Cignetti said of Carr.
Cignetti described Carr as polished for a freshman, although the limited film available makes preparing for him more difficult.
He also acknowledged Underwood's physical tools, particularly his arm strength and mobility, leaving Indiana to prepare for the possibility of seeing both quarterbacks.
Although Carr is expected to start, the uncertainty creates an interesting challenge for a Hoosiers defense that played well against Ohio State. Michigan has leaned heavily on its running game this season, but Carr's emergence could give the Wolverines a different dimension offensively.
Indiana preparing for another hostile road environment
Saturday's trip to Michigan Stadium presents another challenge for an Indiana team looking to bounce back.
Cignetti joked that the Wolverines' crowd of more than 110,000 would rival the combined home attendance from his six seasons at IUP.
But Cignetti knows the environment is no laughing matter.
Indiana expects to use a silent cadence against Michigan, something the Hoosiers practiced extensively before their trip to Nebraska and have continued working on this week.
The experience in Lincoln should help, but communication and execution will remain critical against a talented Michigan defense.
Indiana hasn't won in Ann Arbor since 1967. Ending that drought self-inflicted will require the Hoosiers to avoid the self-inflicted mistakes that proved costly against Ohio State, particularly in an environment where routine offensive communication can become difficult.
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