Indiana coach Curt Cignetti explains why star receiver didn't start last week
· Yahoo Sports
BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football receiver Nick Marsh was back in the starting lineup for the No. 4 Hoosiers on Saturday in a 38-0 win over Western Kentucky.
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The Michigan State transfer had his best game as a Hoosier too.
Marsh nearly matched his production through the first two games with seven catches for 81 yards. He was targeted a team-high 10 times and would've had an even bigger day if quarterback Josh Hoover hadn't overthrown him on a wide-open vertical route down the sideline at the end of the first half.
The breakout performance came after he sat out the first series against Howard last week.
At the time, Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti told reporters he started Shazz Preston over Marsh in hopes of getting the Tulane transfer more reps, but he offered a bit of a different rationale after Saturday night's shutout victory over the Hilltoppers.
"I mean, he didn't start last week, there was a reason," Cignetti said of Marsh. "And then, we didn't really decide until yesterday who would start there."
That reason may relate to what Cignetti said on his most recent coaches show about Marsh's practice habits.
"Nick's new, and he's still learning," Cignetti said Thursday. "And, you know, we're still trying to, like, work some kinks out, day in, day out, in terms of practice standards."
It's not the first lesson he's learned from Cignetti during his brief time in Bloomington.
Earlier this season, Marsh showed up to IU's first spring practice wearing gold cleats. The fashion choice didn't go over well with Cignetti, who sent Marsh right back to the locker room to change.
"He learned what getting your ass ripped is all about," Cignetti said at the time. "I don't know if that happened to him very often at Michigan State. That was before practice started. That was a wake-up call."
Cignetti praised Marsh's progress at Big Ten media days, and he made mention of the receiver's playmaking skills throughout fall camp. Marsh flashed that skill set on IU's first drive of the season against North Texas with an impressive one-handed touchdown grab.
On Saturday, Marsh showed once again he's taking Cignetti's teachings to heart, and his teammates see it too.
"I think Nick is a guy that's getting more and more comfortable each and every week," Hoover said. "I think Nick's going to have a really big impact. He already has."
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana coach Curt Cignetti explains why star receiver didn't start last week
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