Indiana able to silence Autzen's 'shout' in resilient victory

Inside Autzen Stadium, Oregon fans have been known to shout.

Following the conclusion of the third quarter, the crowd of 50,000-plus sings along to the song “Shout,” as seen in the movie Animal House. But the word shout has a deeper meaning, one that symbolizes how hard it is to win at Autzen.

It’s loud, deafening almost, inside Oregon’s home stadium. The noise from the crowd makes it almost impossible to defeat the Ducks in that building, but Indiana wasn’t fazed and was able to walk away with a 30-20 victory.

From the first to last snap, Indiana kept its composure and made Duck fans’ shout grow quieter as the clock neared zero. Autzen didn’t stay quiet for long though, as fans wearing cream and crimson replaced the noise that was once created by those wearing green and yellow.

Chants of “Hoo hoo hoo Hoosiers” and “I – U, I – U” broke out among the Indiana fans who made the trip out west, and the players rushed over to the corner of the field to join in. In a moment of jubilation, the Hoosiers knew they conquered a place that some considered unconquerable.

How it Happened: No. 7 Indiana secures signature win at No. 3 Oregon

“No one said it would be easy. We came in here, handled adversity fantastically and rose to the moment,” quarterback Fernando Mendoza said in his postgame interview with CBS’ Jenny Dell. “When the offense was on the field and we needed a game-winning drive, we did it. When the defense needed a stop, we did it.”

As the leader of the offense, Mendoza played a terrific game, but he wasn’t flawless. With 12:42 left in the fourth quarter, Mendoza underthrew E.J. Williams, and he paid the price.

Seconds later, Autzen Stadium was shaking. That’s because defensive back Brandon Finney intercepted Mendoza’s ill-advised pass and took it 35 yards for a pick-six. In an instant, Oregon tied the game at 20, and the Hoosiers were feeling the crowd’s roar.

Indiana wasn’t fazed, though. On the ensuing drive, Mendoza led his team 75 yards down the field and capped it off with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Sarratt.

He could’ve crumbled under the pressure. The Indiana team of a year ago would’ve crumbled under the pressure, but the Hoosiers didn’t this time around. Against a sellout crowd, Indiana overcame what many thought they couldn’t and proved that they belong.

“That’s resiliency right there,” head coach Curt Cignetti told reporters following his team’s win. He used an interesting metaphor to describe his team’s resilience, but it was fitting for how the Hoosiers responded.

“That’s like being a rubber ball, right? If you’re not resilient, you don’t want to be like the crystal chandelier. When you drop it, it breaks into a million pieces. You want to be like a rubber ball,” Cignetti added.

And well, Indiana ended up being a rubber ball. After Mendoza’s touchdown throw to Sarratt, the defense took the baton and stepped up. Louis Moore picked off Dante Moore and gave the offense the ball right back. After a Nico Radicic field goal and an Isaiah Jones field goal for the cherry on top, a 30-20 win was secured for the Hoosiers.

You could certainly consider it the biggest win in program history, and you’d probably be right in doing so. Winning at Autzen is difficult, and that’s proven by the fact that the Hoosiers were the first team to claim a victory there since 2022.

“It’s really, really loud because those are fantastic fans and a fantastic football atmosphere,” Mendoza mentioned, although he added that playing in a hostile environment may have just fed the fire for the Hoosiers.

“I think all that energy and noise actually helps us lock in and channel it in a positive way on the field,” he explained to reporters.

That was exactly the mentality that it takes to win at Oregon, and it’s the mentality that Indiana prides itself on. Cignetti has built something special around his program, and while the 2024 edition of the Hoosiers was fazed by tough crowds at Ohio State and Notre Dame, this year’s group was different.

Autzen rivals both Ohio Stadium and Notre Dame Stadium, with some holding the opinion that Oregon’s home field is the loudest in the country. That would’ve easily affected Indiana a year ago, yet it didn’t on Saturday.

“To go into an environment like that and communicate, whether it was through our different silent cadences, we never skipped a beat,” Mendoza said.

Players Q&A: Indiana players react to Indiana’s top-10 road win over Oregon

When it was all said and done, Indiana slayed a giant for the first time in the Cignetti era. Not only did they beat the No. 3 team in the nation, they did it over 2,000 miles away from home in a place where even the best teams go to die.

Even last year’s national champions lost at Autzen, but not the 2025 Indiana Hoosiers. They’ve proven that they’re a national championship contender, as with a win in Eugene, IU has cemented its place in the upper echelon of college football.

“I’m really proud of the team, proud of the coaches. I feel really great for our fans and supporters,” Cignetti told reporters after the contest.

For Indiana fans in the stands, they were the ones shouting after the clock hit triple zeros. Oregon fans had fallen silent, which is unusual for Autzen Stadium.

But after all, the unusual has become the usual for Indiana football under Curt Cignetti. No one thought this could be done at Indiana, but it has. The Hoosiers have taken the college football world by storm and have kept on silencing their doubters week after week.

This time, though, they silenced the famed crowd of Autzen with a win many thought was impossible. Indiana will travel home with an unblemished record, while Oregon fans had to walk to the exits while Hoosier fans did the shouting inside their beloved stadium.

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