‘We’re not going to change the way we play’: Curt Cignetti comments on targeting calls that plagued IU football in week three win

It was a dominant performance from IU football in week three but some of the most discussed plays from the win had nothing to do with the outcome of the game. But, it will have an impact on the roster for the Hoosiers the next time they take the field.

Against Charlotte this upcoming Saturday, Indiana will be without some key players for the first half after a handful of targeting calls plagued the Hoosiers in the second half of Saturday’s 42-13 win over UCLA.

Defensive lineman CJ West and cornerback D’Angelo Ponds were both ejected in the win — both somewhat questionable calls. There was also an unsportsmanlike penalty on Lanell Carr that resulted in a 15-yard penalty, but no targeting.

Now, West and Ponds will miss the first half of Indiana’s week four matchup.

Following the win, IU football head coach Curt Cignetti expressed his disgust in the calls.

“I mean — you know, I don’t want to comment too much about it all, but, I watched some of those on replay. I’m like, ‘that’s targeting’? I mean, you know, you want your guys to play physical,” Cignetti said. “Like, how do you make a good tackle and play physical?”

Those three calls were part of a night when IU football had 14 penalties for 127 yards.

“We went in there and we wanted to play physical, tough, nasty,” Cignetti said. “We did.”

On Monday, Cignetti described in a bit more detail his thoughts on the targeting rule in football.

“Yeah, I think there needs to be a balance there and common sense and intent, also,” Cignetti said. “Probably the most hardest hit in the game was when (Indiana linebacker) Aiden Fisher intercepted the pass and got hit in the head, and there’s no call for that one. You know, the other ones were kind of Mickey Mouse.”

The play Cignetti is referring to was a play that was also reviewed for targeting but was kept as a clean tackle by the refs. IU defensive coordinator Bryant Haines didn’t mince words when responding to it on Twitter.

Glad that this is NOT targeting – We embrace it over here. No factor. We’ll get up and laugh. That said, let’s be consistent— Let us BANG too!!! #NewEra #LBC https://t.co/iqckv5E88i

— Bryant Haines (@Coach_BHaines) September 16, 2024

“In the second half, we had some adversity, obviously, with the penalties on defense,” Cignetti said. “There was no panic, frustration. Maybe there was frustration in terms of what was going down, but our guys kept their poise and responded. And so, you know, I thought that was great.”

Through three weeks, Indiana is outscoring their opponents 150 to 23 and a large reason for that is the energy and toughness that the defense is playing with each and every play. Indiana is holding its opponents to just 180.3 yards per game — good for third nationally. The Hoosiers are also 11th in holding opponents to just 7.7 points per game.

So, will Curt Cignetti look to change the way his team and defensive unit is playing?

“I don’t think there was anything dirty out there, that’s for sure,” Cignetti said. ” … That’s the way it went down Saturday, and we’re not going to change the way we play.”

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