What Curt Cignetti has done to Indiana football is not short of magic. Taking a team from a 3-9 to 11-1 under one short year isn’t a joke. He lives every bit of his ‘google me’ flex, and nobody can deny it. Now, as they are moving to their first-round playoff game against Notre Dame, the coach, like a raw professional, isn’t much bothered about his 11 wins. Rather, the lone loss against the Buckeyes keeps haunting and propelling him to learn from his mistakes. What would be his quick follow-up to keep the Fighting Irish in check?

The 38-15 loss against Ohio State has been a humbling call for the Hoosiers. The one small flaw in their tremendously adorned season record lingers longer than usual. But it can be a wake-up call for the team if they correctly utilize the lessons in their action against Marcus Freeman and co. The AP coach of the year knows the slippery points best.

Addressing the OSU horror and the strict ‘not to do’ list, coach Cignetti noted in the Pat McAfee show, ‘‘We dropped a snap, and we gave up a punt return for a touchdown. And it seemed like we were in that one corner of the end zone for two and a half years. We didn’t handle the crowd noise very well, had some communication breakdowns in pass protection, and couldn’t play offense for a while there because we couldn’t protect the quarterback. We went to a silent count, which is the first time I’ve ever done that. And we’ll never do it again.”

The Hoosiers will face a similar environment as they are going to revisit the Notre Dame Stadium after the Ohio State game. But this time, they are more strategic, more in-tuned with their strength and weaknesses before reeling it on the field.

During the last season, the Fighting Irish stadium put together a giant record of 134 decibels. Please take care of your aural faculty before visiting. But whatsoever, the good thing is that Cignetti isn’t relying on the silent count anymore. Rather, he is up for a hard count.

While Notre Dame isn’t a team worth comparing to Ohio State, they will make the Hoosiers earn their win the hard way, if at all. A tough battle ahead for Kurtis Rourke and the team as coach Cignetti said, ”We are here to win it. We don’t want a participation medal.”

Kurti Rourke seems to be high on Indiana Hoosiers’ potential 

From all the predictions and minute speculations, one thing is clear: both teams are heading with a close, no-nonsense vibe. Since both carry unprecedented 11-1 records, they have similar paths to follow. Both of the teams didn’t get tested pretty much throughout the season. The only thing that made Indiana stand out is the fact that they lost the toughest game on their schedule — at Ohio State — and Notre Dame gave it away to the easiest game on their schedule — vs. Northern Illinois.

A win or loss is a tricky area to comment on. But Kurtis Rourke, the impact QB of the Hoosiers, seemed to have it all together before heading to the playoffs. The first-year quarterback not only stunned the nation with his skill, but he also exuded an unmatched seriousness that’s rare for a kid his age.

While asked about his potential final game for the Hoosiers, Rourke talked a bold game. ”We’ll talk about my last college game in four games,” the young prodigy marked Indiana’s fairly certain success not only just against the Irish but also for the remaining three games.

It sounds huge, and it is huge. But maybe it is the kind of attitude that can lead the Indiana Hoosiers to a ‘do or let the season die’ match-up this Friday.

Stay tuned for a jacked-up pre-weekend!