Curt Cignetti Notes and Quotes Week 6: Nebraska

Notes

• Final notes on Rutgers game
• Preview on Nebraska
• Anthony Colandrea is a quarterback that he knows well from his JMU days
• Trevor Gibbs improvement
• AJ Harris is day-to-day
• Secondary improvement; Jaylen Bell and Quan Sanks improvement
• Confident in where the defense is
• Looking forward to going to Nebraska, and has high praise for Matt Rhule and his team
• Turbo Richard and Lee Beebe Jr. and their patience and vision

Cignetti Quotes

CURT CIGNETTI: Good road win Saturday night. We did a lot of things well. Still some things to clean up. Zero penalties was huge, obviously, going on the road and not having any penalties, out-rushing the opposition 336 to 60.

Defense held them to 2 out of 14 on 3rd and 4th down. A couple first-half stops created some nice field position.

It was a good way to start Big Ten play on the road, and we’ve got a tremendous challenge this week in Nebraska. Very impressive team on tape. A lot of respect for Coach Rhule, what he’s accomplished throughout his career, the kind of person he is, what he represents, and what they put on tape.

They’re out-scoring the opposition 44-14, +6 in the turnover ratio, 230 yards a game rushing, throw it well.

The quarterback I know well. Played against him at JMU when we went to Virginia. He was a true freshman, stepped in, really played well, and he’s had an outstanding career. He can beat you with his arm and his legs.

Flying around on defense, trying to keep you off balance, impressive. Impressive football team. We’ll have to play really well.

Questions?

Q. Henry Ohlinger went to running back for Saturday’s game. Is he moving over there the rest of the season? And just in general with numbers now, is it harder to get the balance on your roster in the transfer portal era than it was say 10 years ago? Is it hard to predict what’s going to happen, things like that?

CURT CIGNETTI: Yeah, we’ll evaluate the running back depth week-to-week, day-to-day. He was an outstanding running back and linebacker in high school.

In terms of numbers, I’ve always carried a smaller roster, even here. It’s not much of an issue.

Q. I think Trevor Gibbs played a season high 53 snaps on Saturday. As you watched that game back, how did you evaluate his performance, strictly from a blocking perspective? I know you’ve always been high on that element of his game.

CURT CIGNETTI: Yeah, he missed some time in camp, and it was good to get him back about three weeks ago. I thought he played well Saturday night. Brock Schott got more snaps too. Andrew Barker went out early with an injury, and I thought those guys did well.

Q. You faced Colandrea at UVA in 203. How has he evolved since moving on from there, and what makes him so difficult to stop as a dual threat?

CURT CIGNETTI: Well, every year you play, you get better because repetition is the mother of learning. Nothing like game reps. He’s had a lot of success throughout his career. He’s very talented. He’s savvy, first of all, and I think he sees the field really well, and he’s very mobile and elusive too. So if there’s nothing there, he has the ability to create plays with his arm and his legs.

He was their leading rusher last week. He’s got a strong arm and he’s really smart. They’ve done a really nice job with him in this offense. He was Player of the Year in the conference he came from.

Q. With Chandler, how is he progressing? How would you evaluate his progression, and in particular his blocking as well as his receiving?

CURT CIGNETTI: Yeah, he’s made plays for us. He’s a playmaker. We try to put him in position to make plays, and he keeps getting better. I think every week more consistent. It’s all about consistency. And I think his blocking has improved as well.

Q. Do you think going on the road can have a galvanizing effect or other positive effects on a team, and do you think this team needed a road trip to really enhance their focus?

CURT CIGNETTI: Going on the road and winning is a good thing. It might bring you together a little bit. It’s a little different when you’ve played four straight at home and then go on the road. It’s just different.

I wouldn’t say we needed to go on the road (chuckling).

Q. How is AJ Harris progressing in his recovery, and in his absence what have you seen from the secondary, specifically with Jaylen Bell and Quan Sanks stepping up last week?

CURT CIGNETTI: He’s day-to-day. Jamari Sharpe went on the bench and played well, and Bell has played well at the field. Jaylen Bell has played well. Sanks is playing more of a safety and rover for us. He flies around, and I like the way he plays. I think those guys have done extremely well.

Q. Stephen Daley has been super productive the last couple weeks. In terms of how he attacked his rehab and the situation obviously with the eligibility, how have you seen him attack all that?

CURT CIGNETTI: I think he’s focused on his craft and his game. His rehab took place when he was not on campus before, prior. He came in in decent shape, and he’s playing well.

Q. Coach, the defense has been ultra effective this season, but it hasn’t been creating turnovers in terms of fumbles and interceptions, yet it’s still been a really solid defense. Is that a level of concern? Are you comfortable with how it’s playing, and are you desiring at least any more picks even though you’re not turning the ball over offensively?

CURT CIGNETTI: I think we’re giving up 10 points a game maybe. We had two 4th down stops in the first half, which is like creating a turnover. When we get people bottled up and create sacks and TFLs, we generally get good field position on offense.

I think we keep improving. I think all facets of our team are improving. And no, I don’t have any concerns. We’re on the plus side of the turnover ratio, and they had no penalties. Rutgers had some explosive people in the skill positions, and I thought we did a nice job.

Q. You’ve faced a couple slippery and mobile quarterbacks so far this season. Are there any parallels you can draw when preparing for Anthony Colandrea to Aidan Chiles or any of the other quarterbacks you’ve face so far this year?

CURT CIGNETTI: They’re a little different. They’re both very good players. We’ve played guys that are mobile and can throw it. A guy that can spin it pretty good and process and get it where it’s got to be accurately as quickly as possible, on time, on rhythm, that can also extend plays and make his with his legs, that’s a real weapon for the offense. So we’ll have to do a great job of caging this guy and putting pressure on him.

Q. Obviously the test that lies ahead here, two undefeated teams in the Big Ten going head-to-head. How forward do you look to challenges like this when the stakes are higher, at least from our perspective, before you guys head in?

CURT CIGNETTI: Well, it’s a Big Ten game on the road against an undefeated team, so it’s a huge challenge, which we have to respond to, and our guys will be excited to play.

I’ve never been to Nebraska. I’ve never been to the state of Nebraska, and I’m looking forward to it. I’ve heard great things about the stadium, the fans. Obviously great tradition and history there through the years. They’re playing really well, and Coach Rhule and his entire staff have done a tremendous job of developing that program, and what they’ve put on tape this year is extremely impressive.

Q. Tobi Osunsanmi had a sack and a tackle for loss against Rutgers. How have you seen him grow more comfortable in this defensive system?

CURT CIGNETTI: Repetition, again. There’s still a play or two where maybe he was supposed to do this and he did that. But he’s a quick-twitch guy that has really good pass rush ability. He can get from point A to point B really quickly. He plays really hard, and we can drop him in coverage and he’s effective doing that too.

He’s really developing into a guy that can create a difference for us.

Q. With Turbo, I think he has almost as many 20-plus-yard runs as anybody had on the team last year. I know the receivers and the offensive line is important, but what does he do just beyond speed to have that explosiveness, and what have you seen from him for him to be able to consistently generate those plays?

CURT CIGNETTI: Well, he prepares himself. He’s a real consistent guy. His standards are high, his work ethic, his preparation. I think he sees the game quickly. He has good cutting ability, very patient, but burst and acceleration too.

He’s a great guy to have on the team in terms of leadership and the running back room. He’s got excellent hands, and he’s really good at pass pro. Really good. He’s had some outstanding games almost every game, outstanding. He’s a real weapon.

Q. You used the word “patient” with him and it felt like Lee was running patiently as well Saturday night. How important is it for those backs to be part of — obviously the blocks have to come, but being patient and allowing maybe plays to develop, holes to develop so that they have the room to sort of explode through to the second and third level?

CURT CIGNETTI: Yeah, patience, vision, and then the ability to accelerate and hit the hole, especially against Rutgers, doing a lot of twisting and linebacker movement, finding the creases because they’re not big creases a lot of times. But those guys do a good job of finding them, and Coach Miller does a tremendous job of preparing them.