Curt Cignetti fires back at noise that CFP stage was too big for Indiana Hoosiers

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Curt Cignetti fired back at the critics who didn’t believe in Indiana’s CFP chances following the No. 1 Hoosiers’ 38-3 rout over the No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide in the CFP quarterfinals on Thursday night.

Cignetti has enjoyed an incredible two years with Indiana since joining the program in 2024. He elevated them to CFP contention from day one, continuing to build the roster to the point of competing for the national championship.

However, there were critics who didn’t believe in the Hoosiers despite them posting a perfect record going into the tournament. Cignetti reflected on that after the game on the ESPN broadcast, shutting down the criticism as Indiana prevailed against adversity in convincing fashion throughout the quarterfinals.

“Why should [the moment] be too big, because our name’s Indiana? We’ve got a lot of veteran starters that played a lot of successful football in their careers,” Cignetti said. “They have high character. We’ve got great leadership and character on this football team. We’ve come through in the clutch moments. I’m proud of the way they responded and prepared and met this challenge. It’s a great win.”

How Curt Cignetti, Indiana performed against Alabama

Curt Cignetti is setting the tone that Indiana has a strong case to make for the national championship, blowing out historic powerhouse Alabama in convincing fashion.

It took a while for the Hoosiers to get going, being scoreless after the first quarter. Despite this, they exploded with 17 points in the second period and never looked back, never letting the Crimson Tide get off any explosive plays.

Fernando Mendoza didn’t throw a lot of passes but when he did, he enjoyed incredible accuracy. He completed 14 passes out of 16 attempts for 192 yards and three touchdowns.

The rushing attack played a major role in the Hoosiers’ dominance over Alabama. Kaelon Black racked up 15 carries for 99 yards and a touchdown while Roman Hemby provided 18 rushes for 89 yards and a touchdown.

Three players enjoyed great nights in the receiving game: Charlie Becker, Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt. Becker made two catches for 51 yards and a touchdown, Cooper had three receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown, while Sarratt caught four passes for 40 yards and a touchdown.

The No. 1 Hoosiers will look forward to their next CFP matchup in the semifinals. They take on the No. 5 Oregon Ducks on Jan. 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

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