It's been 1,054 days since Charles Huff's Marshall squad stunned Notre Dame inside Notre Dame Stadium in Marcus Freeman's first year atop the Fighting Irish program.
Freeman since has won four bowl games, three College Football Playoff games -- the first just 222 days against Indiana -- and guided Notre Dame to a national championship-game appearance.
The program's quite advanced.
But that isn't stopping second-year Indiana coach Curt Cignetti from using that Irish upset three years ago as a teaching point for his Hoosiers, who also now have former standout Notre Dame starting center Pat Coogan.
"I addressed Old Dominion in the team meeting, the first team meeting, because these Sun Belt teams are very capable," Cignetti told reporters Wednesday. "They have a history of knocking off (Power 4 Conference), or in the past they were called FBS teams. We beat Virginia (while at James Madison). Marshall beat Notre Dame. App State beat A&M. Louisiana beat Mississippi State and on and on and on. They're good teams. When you play them early in the year when they're healthy and they're at full strength, they're especially dangerous.
"Throw in the first game, certainly the first game what's changed, what's different from last year. So we have to be ready to go, but we will be."
After a breakthrough, 11-win season in which Indiana was one of four Big Ten teams selected to the 12-team CFP, Cignetti said his program "creates a lot of excitement" and that he expects IU's Memorial Stadium to have corresponding crowds.
"Well, I just addressed Old Dominion. I'm not worried about anybody else," Cignetti said. "My focus is on camp, developing this football team, but we are 20 practices away from the opener, which creates a sense of urgency to get a lot done in a short amount of time with an eye on ODU. I really don't have an eye on anybody else.
"I mean, we did our opponent scout in the spring in the offseason. I expect us to sell out. I know one of those games is a Friday night game. It gets a little tougher to get to the stadium for some people on a Friday night, but we create a lot of excitement around here, and I expect us to have great crowds."
Cignetti, who later called Notre Dame a great program, explained a bit how the Hoosiers landed Coogan after he elected to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal as a graduate-student.
"(Coogan) played a lot of football for them; was an older guy, was looking for a home," Cignetti said. "He had a girlfriend that went to school here. We were looking for a center. Mike Katic had graduated. It was a perfect fit.
"Sure glad we got him, and I think he's going to be a great leader for us."
Indiana opens its season Aug. 30 at home against Old Dominion, hosts Kennesaw State under first-year, first-time head coach Jerry Mack a week later and then caps its trio of non-conference, non-Power Conference opponents Friday, Sept. 12, at home against Indiana State. The Hoosiers host Illinois Sept. 20 in their first Big Ten contest.