Curt Cignetti says Indiana 'broke their will' in 63-10 thrashing of Illinois originally appeared on The Sporting News

Curt Cignetti didn't hold back after Indiana's 63-10 demolition of No. 9 Illinois in Bloomington.

"Great night for Indiana Hoosier fans. Stadium was hopping. Really proud of the team. Dominant performance. The punt block got us going...and then we broke their will, I think," Cignetti said.

Quarterback Fernando Mendoza was nearly perfect, going 21-of-23 for 267 yards and five touchdowns. His coach was quick to raise the bar. "I thought he took a major step forward last week and again this week. His progress has really accelerated the last couple weeks. He was right on target...he probably has more physical ability, he does, than all the other ones."

The Hoosiers racked up 312 yards on the ground, while the defense suffocated Illinois with seven sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Cignetti insisted it was all there on tape. "I thought our defensive line could whip their offensive line, and we did. They couldn't stop us. They couldn't match up on the perimeter. And then we broke their will and just pounded them."

For critics who still doubt Indiana's legitimacy, Cignetti brushed it off: "I don't control that. I only control the development of our football team. I felt very confident about this game going in based on what I saw on film."

And if there was any question about Indiana's mindset, Cignetti framed it bluntly, "It's a mentality. We're tied in together. We don't talk a lot. We hit the field, it's all business...we kind of go about our business, kind of a blue-collar outfit. And I think there was a point in that game where we broke their will."

Indiana improved to 4-0, but the message from its head coach was as loud as the scoreboard: this team plans on breaking a lot more wills before the season is over.