Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti joined Don Fischer for a prerecorded edition of Inside Indiana Football on Wednesday night, with the Hoosiers preparing to return from their bye week for Saturday's top-20 matchup against USC.

Cignetti provided an update on Indiana's quarterback room, discussed the challenge awaiting them against the Trojans and acknowledged some areas where the Hoosiers need to improve.

Here are three takeaways from his comments.

Indiana's quarterback room had an unusual bye week

Indiana entered its bye week needing some rest, particularly at quarterback. But the week off didn't unfold quite as expected for the Hoosiers' top two options.

Cignetti revealed Wednesday that Grant Wilson missed practice last week with the flu, while Josh Hoover was held out as planned to recover from the injuries that have hampered him in recent games.

"Grant Wilson actually had the flu last week, couldn't practice," Cignetti said. "Josh, you know, the plan was to rest him the whole time anyhow."

That left Tyler Cherry working with the second-team offense and Jacob Bell taking third-team repetitions. Cignetti was particularly impressed with Bell, who hasn't received many opportunities outside of scout-team work.

"He went in there and did a real fine job," Cignetti said. "He's got a real rocket for an arm."

The development is interesting considering the uncertainty surrounding Indiana's starting quarterback against USC.

Hoover has struggled while battling injuries, and Wilson provided a spark in relief against Minnesota, leading the Hoosiers to an overtime victory.

Cignetti has remained noncommittal about who will start Saturday, and Wednesday's comments offered no definitive answer.

But the bye week provided an opportunity for Hoover — who was not listed on Indiana's initial availability report on Wednesday — to recover, and Indiana should have a healthier quarterback room when it returns to the field.

Cignetti isn't underselling the challenge USC presents

Cignetti regularly praises opposing teams, but his assessment of USC carried a little extra emphasis.

"This is more than a good football team," Cignetti said. "I promise you."

The Trojans bring one of the Big Ten's most dangerous offenses to Bloomington, led by quarterback Jayden Maiava and coach Lincoln Riley.

Cignetti praised Riley's offensive creativity and track record of developing productive quarterbacks, while singling out Maiava for his accuracy, quick release and command of the offense.

"Really impressed with him and the way he operates," Cignetti said.

What's particularly striking about USC is how much of its production comes from young players. Cignetti noted that the Trojans are starting several true freshmen at important positions, including wide receiver, tight end and along both lines.

While USC's offense receives most of the attention, Cignetti believes its defense has made considerable progress.

"They're dangerous. They're beyond dangerous," Cignetti said. "We're gonna have to play really well."

Indiana's defense has carried much of the load during the Hoosiers' recent stretch of close games, but Saturday presents another significant test.

The Hoosiers will need more consistency offensively, too, especially against an opponent capable of putting points on the board in a hurry.

Indiana's special teams must get back on track

Indiana survived its special teams struggles against Minnesota, but Cignetti knows the Hoosiers can't afford another performance like that against USC.

The Hoosiers endured a series of costly mistakes against the Golden Gophers, including shanked punts and missed field goal opportunities that helped keep Minnesota in the game.

Cignetti acknowledged that Indiana's kicking game hasn't matched its standard from previous seasons.

"We're not kicking quite as well up to this point as we did last season," Cignetti said. "But my confidence level that we can and will is still very high because I've seen these guys do it over a long period of time."

He specifically defended kicker Nicolas Radicic, who rebounded from earlier struggles to connect on an important 46-yard field goal against Minnesota.

Cignetti emphasized the importance of having a short memory at the position, expressing confidence that Radicic can return to form.

"Our special teams normally have been very highly rated," Cignetti said. "We're not quite as highly rated as we normally have been, so we got to get that thing going and be more clean on it."

That becomes especially important on Saturday. Against an explosive USC team, Indiana can't afford to surrender field position or leave points on the field through avoidable mistakes.

The Hoosiers have spent much of the past month finding ways to overcome those issues. Coming out of the bye week, they'll hope to eliminate them.