The Indiana Hoosiers and Curt Cignetti’s last loss came in the First Round of the College Football Playoff in 2024 against Notre Dame. A 27-17 game that was not as close as the score indicated. While the loss stung and raise more questions about the staying power of IU, the hard lesson learned was to go for the win when you have the chance.
IU did not do that against Notre Dame and instead punted the ball with under seven minutes left. A very un-Cignetti like move.
“I have a lot of guys hurting in there but a part of life is learning how to deal with disappointment the proper way and come back a stronger person because of the experience. You never get everything you want in life. That’s how life is.” Cignetti said after the loss to the Irish.
Well, lesson learned.
Fast forward nearly 13 months, IU found themselves in a very similar situation in the National Championship against Miami. Leading 17-14 with the ball at the Miami 12-yard line and facing a fourth-and five with 9:27 left in the game. The Hurricanes had stolen momentum back and kicking a field goal would probably not get the job done.
Indiana ran the clock down and called time out. The coach had a decision to make. Play it safe and kick a field goal to go up six points or put the ball in the hands of your Heisman Trophy winner and go for the win.
“We’re going for it.” Cignetti said to his team on the sideline.
“That particular play didn’t feel really good about kicking a field goal there.” Cignetti explained after the game. The play before they were in the coverage for the quarterback draw, which we put in specifically in the medium package in the low red against that look. We had to block a little different than we normally do, and that was about a 45-minute discussion in the staff room how we were going to call it and do it.”
The Hoosiers had already converted a fourth down earlier on the drive when Fernando Mendoza hit Charlie Becker on an 18-yard pass to convert a fourth-and-five.
So the offense trotted back on to the field to go make another winning play, which IU has been making all season long.
When the movie eventually comes out, this is the part with the slow motion camera and intense musical score.
The ball was snapped and what happened next will go down as the greatest run in Indiana football history. A Heisman Moment even after winning the trophy more than a month ago.
“At that point I took the drop. It wasn’t the perfect coverage for it, but I trust my linemen, and everybody in that entire offense, that entire team had a gritty performance today. And we were all putting our bodies on the line, so it was the least I could do for my brothers.”
Mendoza broke a couple tackles to get the first down and then spun off of a big hit before going airborne, fully horizontal, and getting crunched by a defender and landing in the end zone.
“Let me tell you, Fernando, I know he’s great in interviews and comes off as the All-American guy, but he has the heart of a lion when it comes to competition. That guy competes like a warrior.” Cignetti said.
Mendoza has been a warrior for the Hoosiers all season. He’s come up huge in the clutch with fourth quarter drives against Iowa, Oregon and Penn State. So while this play was as memorable as they get, it surprised no one that it was Mendoza to pull it off.
“A big constant that we’ve really had on ourselves this year is always bet on ourselves.” Mendoza said. “Whether it’s preseason no one thinks we can make it, whether it’s figuring out in situations like Oregon, Penn State, and Iowa, we always figure it out.”
IU and Cignetti figured it out and turned that hard lesson in South Bend to the top of the mountain in Miami.