Sometimes it’s best to save the trash talking until after the game’s been won. Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti learned that lesson in primetime after the coach suffered a crushing loss to the Fighting Irish in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Friday night.
Cignetti had plenty to say during his pregame appearance on ESPN’s “College GameDay,” noting that the Hoosiers “don’t just beat top-25 teams, we beat the s— out of them.” However, that was not evident in Friday’s 27-17 loss to Notre Dame.
Perhaps more mystifying than the loss was Cignetti’s controversial decision to punt in the fourth quarter. Trailing by 17 points with just over 10 minutes remaining, Indiana found itself at fourth-and-11 at the Notre Dame 48-yard line. All things considered, Indiana was expected to go for it, but instead punter James Evans ran out on the field.
After the game, a deflated Cignetti was asked to explain his decision. Cignetti said, “I didn’t want to punt, but we were doing nothing on offense, and our defense was fighting. That was the only positive, really, that I could draw, is our defense was still fighting, because offense was doing nothing. And I didn’t want to go fourth-and-10 – it’s like you’re just wishing and hoping. You have nothing to base it on that you can convert fourth-and-10 at that point, right? And there’s still time if you punt to win the game. So, that was the reason why. I didn’t want to do it, but I felt like it was the best move.”
The plan quickly backfired, and Notre Dame would extend their lead on the ensuing drive. Notre Dame moves on to face SEC champion Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.