‘Ready to Play’ -- Big Game Is the Next Game for Hoosiers
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Kellan Wyatt pushes perspective amid national football hype. Yes, No. 19/17 Indiana (3-0) and No. 9/8 Illinois (3-0) collide Saturday night at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium in a Big Ten opener like few in Hoosier history – it’s just the sixth ever top-20 matchup played in Bloomington, and the first since 1987, when No. 15 IU beat No. 20 Michigan 14-10.
Excitement is building throughout Hoosier Nation, but players and coaches remain committed to the process of not getting too high or too low, of staying focused and avoiding distraction because, win or lose, all season goals will remain in play given eight more regular season games will follow.
“To me,” says Wyatt, a senior linebacker, “it’s just another game. The way we prepare throughout the week typically shows on Saturdays. I don’t look at it like a big game.”
Head coach Curt Cignetti has used this approach throughout his career and it works -- his 82.5 winning percentage ranks fourth among active FBS head coaches, and he led the Hoosiers to last season’s 11-2 record with the program’s first-ever playoff appearance.
His players bought into that mindset then. They still do.
“This game is not anything different,” defensive lineman Mikail Kamara says. “It’s just the next game. We have plenty of opponents in the future. This is a big game because it’s the next game. That’s it.”
And yet …
IU and Illinois are two of seven ranked Big Ten teams, and the only ones playing each other this weekend. The others are No. 1/1 Ohio State, No. 2/2 Penn State, No. 6/5 Oregon, No. 21/20 Michigan, and No. 25 USC.
Oregon and USC lead the early conference standings with 1-0 records.
“It’s a situation where we get in conference play and right off the bat we’re playing a ranked opponent,” Kamara says. “It will be fun to show what we can do. We want to continue to improve individually, improve as a team, and improve mentally.”
A sold-out stadium will generate a dynamic environment the Hoosiers can’t wait to experience.
“Our stadium will be rocking,” Kamara says. “It’s going to be fun. The fans are going to enjoy it.
“It’s something you dream about as a kid, playing on a Saturday night, the lights are on, the weather is beautiful. We have to go out there and dominate. Go out and attack it so we can enjoy it on Sunday.”
IU has won a program-record 11 straight home games under Cignetti. He has never lost at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium. The key to keeping it that way, Wyatt says, is mindset and preparation.
“Coach Cig puts a lot of pressure on us through the week. When he stresses us out through practice, I think when it comes to Saturday, it's pretty easy.”
The result, Wyatt adds is, “You see a lot of clean football. You see guys rallying to the ball. You see a lot of points being scored.”
The bottom line -- the Hoosiers are gearing up for a big performance in their biggest game of the year so far.
“It’s not really nervousness,” Wyatt says. “You get butterflies a little bit. That can be a good thing. We’ll have a lot of excitement. I see that from our players. We’re ready to face this opponent.”