Curt Cignetti played to win, not to lose, in the Big Ten Championship Game.
In his press conference after Indiana's historic win, the Hoosiers' head coach said his team came out victorious in a "hard-fought, physical football game." Cignetti expressed pride in quarterback Fernando Mendoza — who is all but guaranteed to win the Heisman Trophy after leading Indiana to a Big Ten title at 13-0 — as well as wide receiver Elijah Sarratt and more.
“Great win. gutty game. hard-fought, physical football game. Wasn’t perfect by either team. We found a way to survive it, made the plays when we had to. And I thought, once again, when the game was on the line, you know, Fernando was throwing dimes and Charlie Becker was showing up making big plays and Sarratt with a big touchdown. our defense created a lot of issues. Ohio State did start to scratch out a run game there in the second half and missed that field goal. Of course, we missed one, too, so, it's even. it's a great win for us — obviously, our first Big Ten title. Now I've got three and a half weeks to kind of humble this team again and get them ready for the playoffs.”
Cignetti said Indiana's experience in matchup games against Oregon, Iowa and Penn State gave the Hoosiers poise when the pressure intensified in Indianapolis. With the game in the balance, Cignetti said his players knew what they had to do to leave Lucas Oil Stadium with a win.
“No doubt about it. I mean, I think we probably all on the bench, as that clock started to tick down into the fourth quarter and it was game on the line, probably at some point felt like, 'wow, we've been here and we've won, and they've never been here.' I think there’s no question about it. When you've been through something one time, you're a lot better the second time. Gives you a lot of belief and confidence.”
Indiana may not have secured its win without the team's aggressive offensive playcalling down the stretch. That included a playcall that led to a 33-yard completion between Mendoza and wide receiver Charlie Becker.
“I wasn't going to play not to lose, We were playing to win. And the one thing, we do spend a lot of time on the clock, how many plays are left in the game, things of that nature.”
With its win over Ohio State, Indiana has secured its first-ever Big Ten title. It will also be the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. The Hoosiers will have a first-round bye before facing the winner of the No. 8 vs. No. 9 matchup in the Rose Bowl.
