PASADENA, Calif. – Curt Cignetti's perpetual seriousness has become a big part of the Indiana coach's burgeoning lore. His ever-glowering face on the sideline has sparked countless memes and has come to personify the sharp-eyed, no-nonsense manner in which these Hoosiers have rocketed through the sport in just two seasons.
With a couple of minutes left in Indiana's 38-3 thrashing of Alabama in the 112th Rose Bowl on Thursday, Cignetti allowed himself a broad smile that was captured by TV cameras. He showed a few teeth again on the podium while the Hoosiers celebrated their first bowl victory since 1991 with confetti and roses.
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Receiver Elijah Sarratt said it was “just about” the biggest smile he'd ever seen from his coach.
“You won’t be getting too much of those from coach Cig, so anytime you get one, you've got to appreciate it,” Sarratt said with a laugh.
But just a few minutes later, Cignetti had his business face back on. He was already thinking about the season-defining test presented to his Hoosiers (14-0, No. 1 CFP) by Oregon (13-1, No. 5 CFP) in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta on Friday.
“We’ll have a very big challenge ahead of us next week,” Cignetti said. “It’s very hard to beat a really good football team twice. There’s no doubt about that.”
Indeed, Indiana is responsible for the only blemish on the Ducks' record. The Hoosiers won 30-20 in Eugene on Oct. 11, physically trouncing the defending Big Ten champions in one of the landmark wins of Cignetti's incredible tenure.
The Hoosiers are the Big Ten champions now after they knocked off Ohio State last month. They've added their school's first Rose Bowl victory and its first Heisman Trophy since that trip to Autzen Stadium.
But the Ducks have also grown and matured in the past three months, and the quarterfinals left them as clearly the biggest threat to stop Indiana's march toward history. They earned that opportunity with an impressive 23-0 victory over Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl on Thursday.
“That team in that locker room has shown time and time again that they’re ready for big moments,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said.
Lanning smiles and laughs a whole lot more than Cignetti, in public at least. But the coaches share a deep respect for what they've both built at two schools that have never won a national title in football.
With Mississippi and Miami surprising most of the sport by advancing from the other two quarterfinals, it's clear the winner of the Peach Bowl will be a significant favorite to claim an inaugural national title in the championship game on Jan. 19 in South Florida.
And while Oregon is on an eight-game winning streak after throttling Texas Tech's high-priced roster, Indiana has done nothing to suggest it shouldn't be the favorite to cap this unprecedented two-year transformation by winning the biggest trophy of all.
A 35-point win the Rose Bowl was the latest improbable feat by Indiana, which had been in this stadium roughly 15 months earlier for the first Big Ten road game of Cignetti's tenure. The Hoosiers beat UCLA that weekend, and they've transformed into a powerhouse since then.
The Hoosiers and their grateful fans were having plenty of fun in Pasadena, but there's little danger they'll carry a celebratory hangover into Atlanta. From Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza to the support staff, nobody at Indiana seems to take this success for granted — because they all realize just how recently this position seemed impossible for the Hoosiers.
“We like being the underdogs,” defensive tackles coach Pat Kuntz said. “We like when people think we’re just ‘old Indiana.’ That’s all we need. We like that mentality. I hate it when we’re favored. I want us to be underdogs all the time. That’s our mentality. Never satisfied, always humble and hungry.”
The Hoosiers will also be the favorites because they didn't show any significant weaknesses while rolling the Tide.
Meanwhile, Oregon's offense wasn't terribly impressive in the Orange Bowl, posting 309 yards and struggling on the ground with just 1.4 yards per rush when sacks were factored. The Ducks managed only 267 yards in their loss to the Hoosiers three months ago, while the Indiana defense has only improved, now ranking second in the nation in yards allowed (252.6) and points allowed (10.3).
Dante Moore was held to 186 yards passing with two interceptions by the Hoosiers, but the quarterback and his Ducks have a week to figure out how to knock off unbeaten Indiana.
“You never want to look too far ahead,” Moore said. “You want to be where your feet are at, being in the present moment. We've got to worry about the next day.”
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