Curt Cignetti couldn’t be happier after another Indiana win, this time over Penn State, improving to 10–0 on the season. During the game, FOX reporter Jenny Taft approached the head coach on the sideline with a question, pointing out that the Hoosiers had never won at Beaver Stadium and the game hadn’t even started yet.
After Taft’s comment, “Indiana has never won here,” Cignetti gave a straight reply: “This team has never played here.” And he was right up to that point, Indiana had never played at Beaver Stadium. They did for the first time that day and won.
Taft smiled slightly after his response, realizing her small mistake, but Cignetti stayed completely serious and didn’t crack a smile. Moments before kickoff, he also said nothing worried him his only focus was on attacking from the start.
Fans react to Cignetti’s response
Fans loved Cignetti’s quick and confident reply, saying it showed the kind of personality that drives a winning team. “Poor Jenny. Curt is refreshing and old-school. He reminds me of Coach Bobby Knight with his responses. Love it,” wrote David Melton (@meltoncre) on X.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever liked a coach’s personality more than Cig. Straight dawg, man,” added another fan (@ptballknower) in response to the viral clip. Another viewer (@jacquesdoucet) defended the reporter, saying, “These sideline reporters are often put in no-win situations with these pregame and in-game interviews.”
How Indiana is performing under Cignetti
The Hoosiers are having a perfect season, 10–0 overall and 7–0 in conference play, in what has been a spectacular year. Heading into the Penn State matchup, Indiana was ranked No. 2 in the nation, and their outlook could get even better as they prepare to host Wisconsin next week.
Cignetti’s second season has already outshined his first, when Indiana finished 11–2 and 8–1 against Big Ten opponents in 2024. Although that year ended with a loss in the CFP First Round, expectations are high that the Hoosiers can make an even deeper run in 2025.