The Hoosiers’ run faces big test in South Florida.
Indiana LB Riley Nowakowski calls Miami ‘fast and violent’ ahead of national title game originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
With the national championship still a few days away, Riley Nowakowski isn’t pretending the moment hasn’t arrived. He’s just choosing not to live in it yet.
When asked about the challenge ahead for the Indiana Hoosiers, Nowakowski went straight to the tape.
“They’re fast, they’re physical, and they’re violent,” he said of the Miami Hurricanes. “That’s kind of what they pride themselves on, and it shows on the film at all three levels.”
He ticked through it like someone who’s studied every snap.
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“The D line you got those two edges, those are good players. Linebackers are filling gaps. You even got guys on the third level, safeties, cornerbacks, coming down, sticking people,” he said. “They play really violent, and they play really fast.”
That speed, he explained, is fueled by trust.“They’re not worried about making mistakes. They know their brothers are going to have their back. They’re all rallying to the ball, all chasing it.”
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As Indiana has moved from the Rose Bowl to the Peach Bowl and now into championship week, Nowakowski said something familiar has returned. Routine.
“It definitely feels like we’re right back in it,” he said. “That rhythm both mentally and physically, I appreciate it a lot.”
That rhythm mirrors the tone set daily by Curt Cignetti.
“He comes in every day at four or five in the morning and watches film until everybody’s gone,” Nowakowski said. “Nothing we’ve done before is going to earn us anything in the future.”
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So the noise stays off? “Me personally, I switch the TV off,” he said. “We don’t need to hear it.”
The journey still feels unreal. Reflection can wait.
“It’s kind of like a dream come true,” Nowakowski said. “But winning a big game just gives you an opportunity for another one.”
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