Curt Cignetti says Indiana has to dismiss ‘rat poison’ in nod to Nick Saban
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Indiana hired Curt Cignetti as its head football coach on Nov. 23, 2023. Nearly 26 months later, Cignetti has turned the Hoosiers from a doormat into a championship-caliber team. He can make them outright champions on Monday if he can coach them to a victory over the Miami Hurricanes. And he’s calling on the words of an old mentor in an effort to do so.
During a recent press conference, Cignetti told reporters Indiana needed to ignore the “rat poison” that has emerged about their squad. The phrase, a staple of Nick Saban when he was roaming Alabama‘s sideline, refers to any and all positive press on the team. Cignetti served on Saban’s Alabama staff from 2007-10.
“I think there’s a lot of pro-Indiana hype, a lot of rat poison,” Cignetti said. “I did see Holly Rowe’s social media piece… there has been a lot of sentimentalism… it’s time to throw that out… you don’t go to war with warm milk and cookies.”
The Hoosiers have been one of college football’s biggest feel-good stories over Cignetti’s brief tenure. However, Cignetti wants them to be more than that. If they’re going to be, they need to finish the job against the Hurricanes on Monday night. Kickoff between Indiana and Miami is set for 7:30 p.m. E.T. on ESPN.
