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EVANSTON, Ill. — Indiana football defensive end Mikail Kamara knows how much Curt Cignetti loathes handing out praise.
Kamara has been with Cignetti going back to 2020 as the first verbal commitment for James Madison’s coaching staff during that recruiting cycle.
There’s a small window when Cignetti lets down his guard after games — just a tiny bit — and that happened Saturday in the wake of IU’s 41-24 win over Northwestern. It was the type of gritty victory that was missing from IU’s resume, and after the game he had to admit something he doesn’t like to put out in the public.
“We are 6-0 as a football team, proud of the team up this point,” Cignetti said. “Which I’m not supposed to say.”
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Kamara said that sentiment will be a distant memory once the team gets back to Bloomington as everyone turns their focus to Nebraska, but that small bit of praise from Cignetti was still a meaningful moment given the high bar of success he sets.
“It’s like we are playing so well he has no choice but to tell everybody,” Kamara said with a chuckle.
The final 12 minutes of the game is what Cignetti will remember the most from Saturday.
Indiana’s offense kept on putting points on the board, but the defense struggled to come up with a stop for much of the second half. Northwestern quarterback Jack Lausch orchestrated a six-play, 61-yard scoring drive early in the fourth quarter and got the crowd on their feet with a 47-yard completion to Bryce Kirtz that was the team’s longest play of the day.
The Wildcats’ upset hopes evaporated after that.
Indiana starting quarterback Kurtis Rourke connected with the team’s leading receiver Elijah Sarratt three times on the ensuing drive…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/curt-cignetti-not-supposed-hes-014827893.html
Author : IndyStar | The Indianapolis Star
Publish date : 2024-10-06 01:48:27
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