Indiana walked out of Ann Arbor on October 24 with a 13-6 overtime win, its first at Michigan Stadium since 1967. A crowd of 111,276 watched the Hoosiers move to 7-1. Days later, though, head coach Curt Cignetti was talking about the only game they had lost this season and the end of their 22-game winning streak.
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“I’m disappointed. We aren’t undefeated. We had a lot of opportunities to win that game, didn’t have to come down to those four inches…,” Cignetti said on his radio show, per Michael Niziolek of the Herald-Times on X. “I don’t think you can ever be satisfied in terms of progress.”
Cignetti made the comment on his Inside Indiana Football show with Don Fischer. His comment appears to refer to October 17 and the 19-15 loss to Ohio State, the only blemish on Indiana’s record. Trailing by four with just over a minute left, the Hoosiers faced fourth-and-4 from the Ohio State 27-yard line.
Quarterback Josh Hoover found a wide-open Nick Marsh, but Marsh could not get a foot in bounds. These were the ‘four inches’ Cignetti referred to, though the figure is his own estimate.
In the post-game presser, Cignetti said it was not all on Marsh and that three or four things broke down on the play. He pointed to the pressure in Hoover’s face and a pump fake that cost time, and he called it a “layup” the Hoosiers failed to make. Right after the game, he said it was a “tough one not to win.” That helps explain why a road win at Michigan did not satisfy him.
Indiana led 6-0 at halftime, but Michigan, with Tommy Carr starting in place of Bryce Underwood, tied it with field goals in the third and fourth quarters. The Wolverines reached the Indiana 3-yard line in the final minutes but took a sack and settled for a 26-yard kick. In overtime, Hoover hit Brock Schott for 21 yards and then scored on a four-yard run.
Hoover’s day was far from clean as he completed 8-of-18 passes for 81 yards and threw an interception, and he attempted only one pass in the second half before overtime. He also played through an injury to his right arm. Because of his limited passing, there were concerns when he was left off the availability report, but the coach explained the decision on the same radio show.
“There was never a doubt he was going to play,” Cignetti said. “He practiced; that’s why he wasn’t on the availability report.”
Cignetti did consider a change and said backup Grant Wilson had a good week of practice and came up in conversation during the second half. But he stayed with Hoover, saying it has been Hoover’s season and that he is not at full strength but should finish it.
“I had a sick feeling in my stomach the whole game because of the way that we had to play,” Cignetti said. “I didn’t like it, but I like the result at the end.”
The coach did not sound satisfied with the offense heading into Minnesota. He said everyone on the roster is beat up, and he admitted the passing game was not good in practice the week before. He expects it to look better this week.
During their first seven games, Minnesota’s defense had allowed an average of 165.1 passing yards per game, placing them 11th in the nation.
The Gophers play on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS, marking Indiana’s ninth straight game without a bye. Minnesota’s record is 5-2, and Cignetti drew a comparison to his own team, saying Minnesota won’t beat itself and will make Indiana earn every point.