Curt Cignetti finally let loose just a little bit Friday after Indiana wiped the floor with Oregon in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
The Hoosiers crushed the Ducks 56-22 in a wire-to-wire drubbing at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. Indiana took control on the very first play when star cornerback D’Angelo Ponds intercepted Oregon quarterback Dante Moore for a pick-six.
Indiana rode that wave to lead by as many as 41 points in a game that was never close after the first quarter. Despite the lopsided scoreboard, Cignetti looked locked in all throughout the game. Even when Indian was making game-changing plays, Cignetti somehow maintained his signature scowl.
During his postgame interview, however, Cignetti surprisingly let his guard down.
“I’m really not thinking about the next game,” Cignetti said when asked about Indiana’s next game against Miami. “I’m thinking about cracking open a beer.”
“I’m really not thinking about the next game. I’m thinking about cracking open a beer.”
— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) January 10, 2026
Curt Cignetti 🐐 pic.twitter.com/5Tw9cSoptl
With more than a week between Friday’s game and the College Football Playoff National Championship against Miami, even Cignetti feels comfortable enough to crack open a cold one.
The veteran coach probably won’t be sharing any IPAs with Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza. But the reigning Heisman Trophy winner definitely deserves at least one mug of draft beer for the way he sliced up the Oregon defense.
Mendoza went 17/20 for 177 yards with 5 touchdowns to get his team to the national title game. He vastly outshone his counterpart in Moore, who faltered under the bright lights of the CPF semifinals.
