If there is one thing about Curt Cignetti that has stayed constant throughout his time at Indiana, it's that the head coach really doesn't show a lot of emotion on the sideline. His team could be up by 50, and he still won't crack a smile. However, when his team has a win like they did today against Penn State, the second-year Indiana coach couldn't help but smile.
Indiana squeaked out a 27-24 win over Penn State after an amazing game-winning drive that ended in what should go down as the best catch of the season. After the game, Cigneti was interviewed on the field, and he couldn't help but smile and had a three-word response on how his team won the game was amazing.
"Refuse to lose," Cignetti said.
"I've seen a lot of stuff in my days, I've never seen anything quite like this."
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) November 8, 2025
Curt Cignetti was emotional after @IndianaFootball's win over Penn State 😊 pic.twitter.com/Z4pzrAAnyD
Cignetti has always been great with short responses about his team and himself, with his best one coming last season when he uttered the two words he is now known by, 'Google me.' However, this response truly speaks to how his team fought ot win this game.
It was all Penn State in the fourth quarter as the Nittany Lions had all the momentum and even scored 14 unanswered points before Indiana's game-winning drive. The Hoosiers got the ball back just under the two-minute timeout without any timeouts in their pocket. The drive started the most disastrous way it could have, with Mendoza taking a sack.
After that sack, however, Mendoza looked like the quarterback college football is accustomed to seeing this season. The Cal transfer truly went into his bag and pulled out all the stops to get the Hoosiers down the field to set up for what is going to go down as the best catch of the season.
After some great passes and catches, the best one topped off the drive with a touchdown. On 3rd and goal, Mendoza faced pressure again from Penn State's defensive line, which has been getting home throughout the game. However, Mendoza's patience paid off as his high throw to the back of the end zone was caught by Omar Cooper Jr., and he had the body control to bring a foot down just in bounds for the catch and touchdown.
A lengthy review confirmed the call, and the Hoosiers took the lead back with just over a minute to go. This win practically had Cignetti giddy, something fans are not used to seeing.
"You know what, this was an unbelievable win," Cignetti said. "I've seen a lot of stuff in my days, I've never seen anything quite like this."
Indiana is now 10-0 on the season for the second year in a row and now prepares for a showdown with Wisconsin next week.