Will Howard had plenty to say when Ohio State was winning. But apparently, trash talk has a funny way of coming back to bite you. The former Buckeyes quarterback mocked Curt Cignetti after Ohio State’s 38-15 win in November 2024. A year later, Indiana turned the tables, beating the Buckeyes for the Big Ten title. And Cignetti had a celebration of his own.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
After Indiana’s 13-10 victory in December 2025, Cignetti joked, “I can’t hear anything you said, but I think you said ‘Big Ten champs.’” Now, with Ohio State heading to Bloomington for an October 17 rematch, Howard’s old sideline antics are back in the spotlight.
“Will Howard had some words for Curt Cignetti and Indiana after Ohio State’s win in 2024… The No. 4 Buckeyes and No. 5 Hoosiers meet again this Saturday on FOX!” FOX College Football posted on X, sharing a clip of Howard pretending to smoke a cigarette, putting it out, and mocking Cignetti’s famous “I win. Google me” line.
The gesture wasn’t random. Cignetti had delivered that boast during his December 2023 introductory press conference, and Indiana fans had embraced the “Cigsnetti” nickname with cigarette-themed merchandise. Howard decided to have some fun with both after ending the Hoosiers’ 10-0 start in 2024.
Howard completed 22 of 26 passes for 201 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in that victory. With the game already decided, TreVeyon Henderson deliberately slid down at the one-yard line, allowing Howard to score on a quarterback sneak with just 35 seconds remaining.
“I was just having some fun with it. I got a lot of respect for those guys, man,” Howard told FOX’s Jenny Taft. “But the Buckeyes are here and the Buckeyes won, so you can Google that.” Cignetti refused to make an issue of the late touchdown, saying Ryan Day “has to do what he’s got to do for his team.”
And Howard wasn’t the only player turning a coach into a punchline. During the January 2025 Gator Bowl, Ole Miss receiver Juice Wells appeared to imitate his former coach, Shane Beamer, who still leads South Carolina, while celebrating a touchdown against Duke. Wells seemingly copied Beamer’s heated reaction to Illinois coach Bret Bielema, as On3 reported. More recently, Missouri fans mocked Florida’s iconic “Gator Chomp” during the Tigers’ 45-17 victory on October 3, according to ClutchPoints. Apparently, winning isn’t always enough when there’s an opportunity to rub it in.
Ohio State now enters Saturday’s showdown at 5-1, fresh off a 45-16 victory over Maryland. Indiana, meanwhile, is 6-0 and riding a 22-game winning streak after narrowly escaping Nebraska 20-17. The defending national champions aren’t exactly making life easy for the Buckeyes.
“Some good there, but we know what it’s going to take next week. We’ve got to keep working towards perfection,” Day said after the Maryland game. Cignetti was equally focused after Indiana’s close call, saying, “Good teams find a way to win a game like this at the end.”
Now, Ryan Day’s Buckeyes have a chance to settle the score in Bloomington. But another loss to Indiana would give Ohio State fans one more result they’d rather not Google.