Curt Cignetti Talks Areas Of Improvement Ahead Of Howard

When a team wins a game 52-16 things obviously went pretty well, but coaches don't always see it that way. Sure, Indiana head man Curt Cignetti was pleased with his team's 36-point win over North Texas, but he was also able to identify several things that IU could do better in week two against Howard. In his first start as a Hoosier, Josh Hoover went 13-of-16 for 231 yards and four touchdowns. On paper, it was nearly a perfect game. Yet Cignetti still pointed out a few things that Hoover can do better and specifically said that they have to be better during conference play. "Yeah, I thought obviously it was a good start. Four touchdown passes, great catch by [Nick] Marsh on the first one. He made some nice throws, some good decisions," Cignetti explained. "He got away with one that he's not gonna get away with in Big Ten play. And the one long touchdown to Charlie [Becker], he's got to step into that throw better and get it out there and get it up and down. "The one he got his helmet ripped off, he flipped the protection and really shouldn't have. So, he became unprotected to the side of the blitz. But then he responded and threw a touchdown pass shortly thereafter. But even then, a hair late and made a little tougher catch for Charlie than it needed to be. Great catch by Charlie. "He played well. There's no question about it. It was a good start." To the average fan, Hoover was incredible. To a very demanding perfectionist of a coach, there's room to improve. That level of accountability is why Indiana went 16-0 last year and won a national title. It's also why Fernando Mendoza won the Heisman and became the No. 1 pick in the draft. Cignetti is going to push Hoover to new heights and it starts with constructive criticism in a nearly perfect outing. Cornerbacks AJ Harris and Jamari Sharpe both exited the game in the first quarter creating a pretty big issue for the Hoosier defense very early. Running back Khobie Martin didn't see the field and neither did a couple of young tight ends. Overall, Indiana is a bit banged up, and even though this one is obviously out of Cignetti's control, he's got to be hoping that his team can get as healthy as possible over the next few days. "I think the corners are day to day right now. I talked to our trainer yesterday. I have not spoken with him yet today," Cignetti explained. "Khobie Martin will be out for a little bit. And expect him back sometime around midseason." With North Texas in the rearview, and another outmatched opponent coming up in Howard, right now is the best time for guys to rest up and get healthy. After Howard Indiana takes on Western Kentucky ahead of Big Ten play. The Hoosiers will kickoff conference play with Northwestern and Rutgers. Indiana held North Texas to just 16 points, so this is nitpicking a bit, but Cignetti pointed out a few things that happend that defenses usually try to avoid. For two more weeks, it probably won't hurt the Hoosiers, but once the competition goes up a notch, the defense needs to get better. "Defense had a hard time getting off the field," Cignetti said. "And the opponent had the ball 37 minutes, a combination of some critical missed assignments, poor tackling. So gotta get better there." Again, it feels like a nitpick given the outcome, but that is a big chunk of the game. Sure, some of that is a result of Indiana's offense getting a short field and scoring quickly, but still. North Texas was able to sustain some drives and hang onto the ball. Moving forward that unit needs to be more stout and get the ball back for the offense.