Fans Question Curt Cignetti’s Timid Coaching After Fiery ‘College GameDay’ Trash Talk

Curt Cignetti wasn’t lacking any confidence prior to Indiana’s first-round College Football Playoff showdown against Notre Dame on Friday evening. During the coach’s pregame appearance on ESPN’s College GameDay, Cignetti didn’t mince words when declaring his team was going to put on a show against the Fighting Irish.

When it came time to back up those words, that confidence seemed to disappear entirely. Indiana was routed 27–17 by Notre Dame, and Cignetti’s squad didn’t put up much of a fight. There were various points in which Cignetti made some rather timid coaching decisions. Most notably was when he opted to punt the ball while in plus-territory despite the team trailing by three scores in the fourth quarter.

Cignetti, who boasted about how Indiana dominates ranked opponents, despite the Hoosiers losing their only Top-25 matchup this season, came under fire from college football fans who questioned how he could do all that pregame yapping only to coach with his tail between his legs.

For someone who oozed confidence on television before kickoff, Cignetti certainly did not look like he had any faith in his offense to convert in big moments. College football fans couldn’t wait to remind him of his pregame comments as the Hoosiers bowed out in the first round of the playoff.