Curt Cignetti criticizes officials, doubles down on ripping Indiana player over injury

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti was still a bit fired up for his halftime interview during Saturday’s contest against Oregon. The Hoosiers coach had a couple of heated moments in the first half, including after a no-call pass interference in the second quarter.

Cignetti received a sideline warning after getting into the face of officials and pleading his case when Ducks defensive back Brandon Finney appeared to grab the right arm of receiver Elijah Sarratt, preventing him from making the coach. He spoke with Jenny Dell, who asked him whether his reaction was intentional.

“What do you think?” he quipped back.

Dell pushed back and Cignetti seemed to admit he might have been trying to inspire something out of his team. He also wanted to make sure officials knew that they had messed up

“Yeah, you can’t let that go,” he said.

"We've seen your emotions come out on the sideline. Is that intentional?"

"What do you think?" 😏

– @IndianaFootball's Curt Cignetti to @jennydell_ pic.twitter.com/24p9UFVCwV

— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) October 11, 2025

That wasn’t the only fiery moment out of Cignetti in the first half, though. The coach also seemed to take a shot at one of his own players, defensive back Jamari Sharpe, who briefly left the game with injury.

Sharpe returned the next play, prompting Cignetti to tell him to “toughen up.” He stood by those words again when addressing what his team needed to do in the second half.

“We’ve got to quit jumping offsides,” he said. “We gotta do a better job of stopping the run. We’ve got to quit laying on the ground on defense and coming back the next play. And we’ve got to play better.”

Indiana was clinging to a 13-10 lead at halftime and will hope to hang on to knock off the No. 3 Ducks. It’s clear Cignetti will use whatever tactics he can to keep them motivated heading into this pivotal second half.

Oregon was able to tie things up to start the third quarter with a field goal. However, Indiana answered with a touchdown on the very next drive, marching 75 yards downfield in nine plays. They currently lead 20-13 heading into the fourth quarter as of this writing.

Curt Cignetti is in his second season with the Hoosiers after guding them to an 11-2 record and trip to the College Football Playoff in his inaugural year. So far he has them off to another hot start with a 5-0 record and if they can hang on to win here, they’ll add a top five win to their resume.