“We don’t want to be a one-hit wonder,” Indiana’s athletic director, Scott Dolson, told ESPN. And yeah, nobody wants that. Especially not Curt Cignetti, who walked into Bloomington last year like a man on a mission. He validated his legendary “Google Me” quote. He wins everywhere, even in the Power Four conference. This man turned Indiana into a College Football Playoff team. Eleven wins. Eight in the Big Ten. Top-10 AP finish, something they haven’t seen since the 1967 season. It was like watching a Netflix series where the underdog flops the script. The whole country binge-watched the Hoosiers in 2024. But hold up, even the best fairytales come with a hard reality check.
“You get it going in football, it’s different,” Curt Cignetti said. “And I think everybody saw that last year.” But just because you did a good job doesn’t mean there are no issues to address. In an ESPN post on May 15, Pete Thamel gave fans a glimpse into the mindset of the IU HC as he hit the brakes on the victory lap with a tough admission. “When we played the big boys, it didn’t happen,” he said. “There’s a real disappointment about the way we finished.” And he wasn’t wrong.
Take the Notre Dame game in the first CFP round, for instance. Indiana was down 27-3 in the final quarter. But by the time the clock ran out, the final score was 27-17. Imagine the possible change in fortune if the Hoosiers were able to pick up the offensive tempo earlier! Regret still haunts Curt Cignetti to this day — “Should have gone two minutes sooner, but hindsight is 20-20.” Now, he’s making sure that that sour taste in his mouth is fuel for a wiser and better 2025.
Still, Indiana’s plight wasn’t just about Notre Dame alone. “When we played the real good people, we looked a little different,” Curt Cignetti admitted. Against ND, Ohio State, and Michigan, the Hoosiers’ offensive line became rickety. ESPN Analytics dropped the hammer — Indiana had a 13% sack rate against those three powerhouses versus just 3% against everybody else. The blown block rate was 30.1% against the trio of teams versus 14% in other matchups. But there’s a good chance that 2025 is going to be even more formidable offensively, starting with the addition of Cal transfer QB Fernando Mendoza.
Fernando Mendoza reveals Curt Cignetti’s big promise
Curt Cignetti has high hopes for his new QB, replacing Kurtis Rourke, who is now a San Francisco 49er. Fernando Mendoza is buying what his new HC is selling — “He’s a very enticing coach. He’s very confident. He knows what it takes to win, and he sets a very high standard and he said that if I were to come to Indiana, I would develop as a quarterback. I get great coaching, and I’d be able to be the best Fernando Mendoza that I could be, and so that’s something that was extremely attractive to me.” And there’s a high possibility he might just be.
Fernando Mendoza threw for 3,004 yards and 16 TDs in 2024, despite playing behind what had been one of the worst offensive lines in the nation. He took 41 sacks, second only to Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders’ 42 sacks. But Indiana heard the alarm bells bringing in big guys like ND’s Pat Coogan, OSU’s Zen Michalski, and even an old face in Colorado’s Kahlil Benson. Add in returning talents like Carter Smith, Bray Lynch, and Drew Evans, and suddenly, Mendoza’s got a real wall in front of him. The cherry on top is that he’ll have All-Big Ten WR Elijah Sarratt to throw to. So, he’s set up for success.
So, the goal that Curt Cignetti has in mind for Indiana in 2025 isn’t just to contend for another playoff run. It’s to beat the big names. And this time, they’ve got the tools to make that happen.
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