ATLANTA — Indiana has historically been known as “the basketball state.” The “hoosier hysteria” surrounding basketball in the state overshadowed football.
At least until head coach Curt Cignetti took over the program.
Before Cignetti arrived in Bloomington, the Hoosiers had appeared in just two bowl games since 2017 and held the most all-time losses in Division I college football.
Cignetti grew up a fan of former Indiana basketball head coach Bob Knight, who helped transform the Hoosiers into a national powerhouse. Cignetti cited the former basketball coach’s intensity and “tell it how it is” coaching style as reasons why.
In his two seasons at the helm of Indiana football, Cignetti has translated these characteristics to the gridiron. With Cignetti, the Hoosiers have just two losses — both of which came in 2024 — and earned back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances.
In 2025, the Hoosiers carried an undefeated record and the No. 1 seed into the CFP.
Before Indiana’s CFP semifinal matchup against Oregon on Friday, ESPN’s Pat McAfee called Cignetti the Bob Knight of Indiana football.
While it took Knight five seasons to raise his first NCAA National Championship banner in Assembly Hall, Cignetti is on the brink of bringing the Hoosiers’ first college football national championship to Bloomington in his second year.
The Hoosiers dismantled Oregon 56-22 in Friday’s CFP semifinal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The 75,604 people watching Indiana on Friday was a far cry from the many empty seats at Memorial Stadium in 2023.
Over 500 miles separate Bloomington from Atlanta. But that did not stop Hoosier fans from nearly filling Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Friday night with cream and crimson.
This newfound belief in the Hoosiers’ football program is “heartwarming,” redshirt junior offensive lineman Drew Evans said postgame.
The filled seats in Mercedes-Benz Stadium emulated the energy of an Indiana home game at Memorial Stadium. “Hoo-Hoo-Hoo-Hoosiers” chants took over the stadium as the two teams awaited the opening kickoff.
“It basically felt like a home game of how loud it was — just Hoosier fans, you know,” junior defensive back Amare Ferrell said postgame. “I mean they proud of us and we proud of them. We gonna keep doing this for them — for the alumni, for the university.”
The home-like crowd energized the Hoosiers to a will-breaking effort on the ground. The Hoosier backs combined for 158 rushing yards and two touchdowns — both from redshirt senior running back Kaelon Black — across 33 attempts.
“Being able to go out there and play in front of those fans, and leave it all on the line for those fans — it’s awesome,” redshirt senior running back Roman Hemby said postgame. “To see those guys have that belief in us, it makes us go that much harder just because we’re not playing for just ourselves, we’re playing for the whole state of Indiana.”
In Indiana’s first matchup against Oregon on Oct. 11 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, the Hoosiers were forced to play with a silent count due to crowd noise. This made processes, such as audibling and checking at the line of scrimmage, more difficult. But with an Indiana-heavy crowd in the rematch, Oregon was forced to a silent count.
“And I think that not having to be able — not having to go on silent count because of Hoosier Nation being here and making them go on silent count is a huge aspect of the game and offensive operation that's not talked about enough,” redshirt junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza said postgame.
While Mendoza shined Friday, completing 17 of 20 pass attempts for 177 yards and five touchdowns, Oregon quarterback Dante Moore struggled.
The redshirt sophomore dropped back to pass on the game’s first play from the line of scrimmage. But Indiana junior defensive back D’Angelo Ponds jumped the targeted out-route, securing the interception and taking it back to the endzone. Ponds’ first-play pick-six sent the crowd into a frenzy.
“Yeah, thought we could go verbal, speaking cadence. But it was pretty loud,” Moore said postgame. “At the end of the day, it’s a dome — gets pretty loud. But we prepared for loud situations and changed up the cadence. But yeah, they came out and showed out.”
Indiana now faces one final test against the University of Miami in the National Championship Game at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 19. The Hoosiers could face a different atmosphere in the crowd, with the game set to be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, setting the stage for a possible Hurricanes-dominated crowd.
However, Friday’s attendance showcased the commitment and belief that the Hoosier faithful now have in Indiana football.
“They went to California, they came down to Atlanta — they’re gonna be there next week in Miami, I know it,” redshirt junior offensive lineman Carter Smith said postgame. “It’s not gonna be a home game for them. It may be close, but it’s not gonna be a home game.”
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and columnist Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa and qmrichar@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
