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Why Curt Cignetti sees “human nature” as the team’s greatest enemy

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Why Curt Cignetti sees “human nature” as the team’s greatest enemy

BLOOMINGTON – Indiana football is emerging from its first of two bye weeks as one of 11 remaining undefeated teams in the country.

The Hoosiers (6-0; 3-0 Big Ten) are off to the second-best start in program history – they opened 1967 by winning their first eight games – and are tied atop the conference alongside No. 2 Oregon and No .3 Penn State.

This success has attracted national attention.

Indiana's game this weekend against Nebraska is the program's first sold-out game since 2021, and the game will be nationally televised on FOX and the network's Big Noon Kickoff will be broadcast live from campus.

The increased spotlight isn't all that different from what coach Curt Cignetti had to deal with last year, when JMU got off to a 10-0 start in the transition from the FCS to the FBS and finished in the top 20 for the first time in program history. The Dukes welcomed ESPN's College Game Day to campus and pushed for a waiver of postseason eligibility.

Cignetti addressed the comparison and potential pitfalls of success during his weekly press conference on Monday.

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“It’s like Mike Krzyzewski said when he retired; His toughest opponent was human nature,” Cignetti said. “Human nature, because it's natural to feel good, this and that, things are great. But that’s not what this game is about when it comes to preparing and operating between the white lines.”

This general sentiment was expressed regularly by one Krzyzewski, a Hall of Fame coach who won five national titles and three Olympic gold medals.

“Your opponent is not the other team, that’s human nature,” Krzyewski said back in 2019. “Has your team played three games in a week? Do guys come with injuries? Did you win? Do you just expect to win now? Is your best player experiencing a high or a low? These are the enemies you must defeat – the enemies of human nature – before you ever get on a playing field and defeat another opponent.”

It's a quote almost indistinguishable from one Cignetti would say at the podium.

“You never get there, that’s the thing with athletics, you’re always fighting against human nature,” Cignetti said during the final week of fall camp. “You have a good day, you can't relax, you have to come back with a better day because you get better, you get worse, you never stay the same. You have to keep the standards high. You can never lower your standards. The difference between victory and defeat is always very small.”

Cignetti has preached this message throughout his career. It's part of the much-touted plan he brought to Bloomington and one of the many JMU transfers who have become regulars for the Hoosiers and have become accustomed to it.

More: Indiana football has sold out half of its remaining home games in 2024

These transfers have helped the coaching staff reinforce that philosophy, which dates back to when the team began offseason workouts.

“These guys certainly made the change possible early on,” Cignetti said. “Dealing with success is much better than dealing with failure, but you have to stay humble and hungry and stay ahead.”

Can Indiana maintain this lead in the coming weeks? Can they overcome human nature and make the CFB playoffs? Cignetti believes they have the right “mindset and culture” to compete with anyone in the country.

“We have enough maturity, leadership and experience on this football team, I’m confident we can handle it,” Cignetti said.

Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek Click here to read all of his coverage.

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