LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – This column is late because I’ve been staring at a blank screen trying to come up with a comparison that fits what Indiana football just did.
I’ve got nothing.
Indiana — checking notes, yes, Indiana — went to Eugene, Oregon, and beat No. 3 Oregon 30–20. In Autzen Stadium. Where the Ducks hadn’t lost since 2022 and had won 31 of their last 32. Indiana didn’t just survive. It controlled the thing. The Hoosiers — historically the Big Ten’s tackling dummy — walked into a national title contender’s backyard and rearranged the furniture.
Two seasons ago, they were 3–9 and hired a coach most people in the state couldn’t pick out of a Cracker Barrel. Curt Cignetti arrived from James Madison to polite claps and skeptical glances. He told reporters, “Google me.”
These days, those search results come with a breathalyzer.
He’s 17–2 in the Big Ten. He’s 136–37 in his college career. And Indiana is 6–0 and ranked among the nation’s elite.
We now live in a world where Indiana is a legitimate Top 5 team.
Come on.
That’s like Waffle House earning a Michelin star. Like Larry David being cast as the next James Bond. Like Chick-fil-A unlocking its doors on a Sunday to sell a few spicy nuggets.
This stuff doesn’t happen. Not here. Not at the program with the fewest wins in Big Ten history. Not at the place that treats football season like a warm-up act for Midnight Madness.
But here the Hoosiers were. Cignetti, walking off the field, asked about his feelings after the win, said it was pretty good, but you should’ve seen his James Madison team beat App State back in the day.
Translation: Ball is ball. And if you doubt that after watching Cignetti and a bunch of James Madison transplants beat the stuffing out of Oregon, I’m not sure what to tell you.
He just went into Oregon and won with a quarterback named Fernando and a receiver named Sarratt, which sounds like a French pastry but plays like Fred Biletnikoff.
But for two glitchy plays – a blown coverage in the first half and an Oregon pick-six that tied the score at 20 in the second – this would’ve been even more of a laugher.
Fernando Mendoza threw that pick six, then came right back out onto the field and led a 12-play, 75-yard drive, culminating in an NFL-caliber strike to Elijah Sarratt in the front corner of the end zone.
“That's resiliency right there,” Cignetti said. “That's like being a rubber ball, right? If you're not resilient, you don't want to be like the crystal chandelier. When you drop it, it breaks into a million pieces. You want to be like a rubber ball. It bounces it right back into your hand. That's what he did after he threw the interception “
The Hoosiers defense took care of the rest, intercepting Oregon’s Dante Moore twice in the fourth quarter.
Defensively, Indiana held the powerful Oregon offense to just 64 yards in the second half and only 15 in the fourth quarter.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning sounded like he wanted to ask if anyone got the number of that bus that ran over his team in the postgame news conference.
“A really well-coached team,” he said. “They did a great job in this game. They had a great plan, they were able to create pressure throughout, we struggled on third down, struggled to protect the quarterback. Ultimately, they were more prepared for us in this moment.”
Defensively, Indiana loaded the box and shut down Oregon’s run game, while managing to keep tight coverage on receivers, particularly on third down, where Oregon converted just 3 of 14.
Offensively, the Hoosiers identified some running room up the middle, and simply were the more physical team at the point of attack – on both sides.
A lot of that stuff is coaching. It’s confidence in your coaching. It’s the real deal. Mendoza threw for 215 yards and a TD. Roman Hemby carried 19 times for 70 crucial yards. And Sarratt caught eight balls (six for first downs) for 121 yards.
“I really felt like our team was in a good place," Cignetti said. "The most important thing to me was our mindset going into this game. That we believed, expected, prepared to make it happen, and could handle the ups and downs of the game without flinching, showing frustration and anxiety. That was the only thing you don't know until you play the game. We passed that test.
Indiana has now played two ranked teams and beaten both by double digits. It has won those games by a combined 63 points. However high Indiana is ranked this week, it deserves it.
And they might not face another ranked team during the regular season, though as UCLA’s upset of Penn State proved yet again – you still have to show up and play.
Still, there’s a lot of open field between Indiana and an unbeaten regular season and championship contention. But even saying those words is pretty heady stuff for a fan base that hasn't been this fixated on football since Antwaan Randle El was throwing 60-yard bombs and eating free lunch in the dorm.
And now I have this old song rattling around in my head:
I think it's gonna be all right
Yeah, the worst is over now
The mornin' sun is shinin' like a red rubber ball
Thanks, Cignetti.
Copyright 2025 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
