Curt Cignetti Puts Indiana Locker Room on Strong Notice After Fernando Mendoza Faces the Heat

Flashback to December 2023, Curt Cignetti had just taken the reins at Indiana and delivered a bold message that echoed across college football: “Google me. I win.” Fast forward to now, and he’s made good on every word. The Hoosiers, once buried in mediocrity, have roared back to life under his leadership, one of the most dramatic turnarounds in recent memory. In the 2025 season opener, the Hoosiers crushed Old Dominion. But Cignetti wasn’t satisfied.

A laid-back attitude is completely unacceptable for Cignetti. After all, he was the one who gifted the Hoosiers an 11-2 win record, and authored an eight-win turnaround that captivated the nation at a school with the most losses in Football Bowl Subdivision history. He had high hopes for his quarterback, Fernando Mendoza, but things went awry. As fans did not wait to drag Fendoza through the mud, Cignetti had put his locker room on high alert.   

On August 30, Mike Schumann of the The Daily Hoosier, wrote on X, “Curt Cignetti on the radio:  “A pedestrian win at best.” “Understatement of the year, we weren’t very good in the red area.” “I sure was looking for a cleaner performance.””  So, even though his boys secured their first win of the season, to Cignetti, the victory was not remarkable or dominant. Just a basic, uninspiring victory.

There are reasons for this. The red zone area was a clear mess. After all, last year, it was near perfect with a 92.8% scoring percentage (64 of 69) and 55 touchdowns. Fast forward to their opening game of the 2025 season, and they only scored touchdowns on two of their six trips inside the 10-yard line against ODU.

Talking about turnovers? Cignetti’s boys didn’t have a turnover until Week 5 last season and only had nine overall in 2024. However, this season, the Hoosiers turned the ball over on their next possession with UAB transfer Lee Beebe Jr. fumbling on his first IU carry. Even though the head coach refrained from taking names, he was truly upset as he expected a more polished game with fewer mistakes. But more than others, when it comes to fans putting players on the hot seat, the main target is Mendoza.

Fans call out red zone woes and Fernando Mendoza

During the opening game, Cignetti’s quarterback showed occasional flashes of brilliance. But at the same time, Mendoza also didn’t capitalize as a polished QB. He got close to scoring but failed to put points on the board. A fan came up with a sarcastic take stating, “Fernando Mendoza and not scoring while in the red zone, name a more iconic duo.” He completed 18 of 31 yards, hinting at his red zone woes.

Mendoza’s struggles inside the 20-yard line was a major cause for frustration. A fan commented, “Somebody actually mock-drafted Fernando Mendoza to be the number one pick in the draft.” That someone is CBS Sports draft writer Mike Renner, who had the Cleveland Browns selecting Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft.

Scouts counted high on Cignetti’s quarterback to be the best fit for Kevin Stefanski’s offense. But here came an update from the fan,  “Fernando Mendoza has been #NotGood.” Even though Mendoza is known as having an NFL arm paired with quick decision-making and tight-window accuracy, the opener game exposed his loopholes. 

Cignetti’s $200k quarterback stole Arch Manning’s spot after Yahoo Sports tweeted, “Nate Ice has Fernando Mendoza as his QB1 in the 2026 NFL Draft over Arch Manning.” Maybe they counted on Mendoza too high, too early. As a fan wrote, “Aaaand Fernando Mendoza s–ks.” Mendoza eventually scrambled for a five-yard rushing touchdown, meaning it was a short run into the end zone. Not at all a highlight moment.

Besides the NFL, Mendoza, had picked up Heisman buzz as well. But someone is now snatching away the spotlight. That’s none other than Purdue Boilermakers quarterback, Ryan Browne. A fan noted, “Ryan Browne looked much better than “top 5 pick” Fernando Mendoza today, btw.” Browne threw for 311 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another TD to lead Purdue to a 31-0 rout of Ball State during their season opener on August 30. Curt Cignetti had better sharpen his quarterback, or the price will come due later.