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Curt Cignetti before 2025 win over Oregon: ‘F— it. Pray for Oregon’
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Curt Cignetti’s 2025 Indiana Hoosiers were a force of nature.
The Hoosiers went undefeated on their way to a national championship, one of the more shocking title runs in recent memory. Indiana played and beat some great opponents along the way, including the Oregon Ducks in Eugene in mid-October.
Before each game, Cignetti usually led his team in the Lord’s Prayer, but according to a book released by IndyStar IU beat writer Zach Osterman and Bloomington Herald Times IU beat writer Michael Niziolek, he lost track of time before the matchup against the Ducks. Strength coach Derek Owings, who now coaches at Tennessee, reminded Cignetti of the team’s tradition.
When asked by Owings, Cignetti checked his watch and said, “Ah f— it. Pray for Oregon.”
The Ducks needed it.
Oregon gave Indiana one of its most competitive matchups all season, but the Hoosiers came out on top by a score of 30-20 thanks to 215 passing yards from Fernando Mendoza, who led a 12-play scoring drive late in the 4th quarter to make it 27-20.
Truth be told, it’ll be tough for Indiana to replicate 2025’s success this year. Mendoza is now off to the NFL with the Las Vegas Raiders — that alone is a massive loss. The Hoosiers started the season off with a 52-16 win over North Texas.
Ethan Stone was an editor for his student newspaper at the University of Tennessee and is now a News Manager for Saturday Tradition.