Indiana pulled off a wild overtime win Saturday against Minnesota, a game that included two massive 60-yard field goals, Charlie Becker’s game-winning touchdown catch, and Tobi Osunsanmi’s game-sealing sack. It was absolute chaos, the second straight week needing an extra period! But even after all that craziness, it is head coach Curt Cignetti’s postgame explanations about his clock and game management choices that are still rattling around in fans’ heads Monday morning, especially as No. 3 Indiana heads into its open week.
The 4th-and-1 Call That Had Everyone Groaning
Picture this: fourth-and-1 at Minnesota’s 16-yard line, just 3:09 left in the fourth quarter. Cignetti decided to kick a field goal. And let me tell you, that decision got audible groans from the stands. Why? Because Nico Radicic, the kicker, had already missed one attempt and had another blocked. A third attempt even got scuttled by a poor snap and hold! The sideline was debating going for it, keeping the touchdown dream alive, but Cignetti said he overrode everyone.
“That was some back and forth, then I overrode everybody to kick it, because that’s the play,” he said. “The play right there is kick the field goal. We’ve outgained them. We’re at home. Let’s get it tied up. I know we’ve had some field goal problems, and that was the concern of some people. (Radicic) made a lot of field goals for us.”
Here’s the kicker, though (pun intended): Cignetti flat out admitted he didn’t trust his offense to get into the end zone, even with a first down. “Glad we did it, because even if we make that fourth-and-1, we got to get the ball in the end zone still. We haven’t proven we can do that yet.” Whoa. That’s a huge admission, right? Especially when you consider his offensive line might be dinged up, he was leaning on a backup quarterback, and one of his top running backs, Turbo Richard, didn’t log a single carry after the first snap of the third quarter due to an apparent issue. For a coach to say his team “haven’t proven” they can turn a short field into a touchdown, that’s telling.
Cignetti’s Analytical Line in the Sand for 60-Yard Field Goals
Then there was the final sequence in regulation. Minnesota was attempting a 60-yard field goal with only 24 seconds remaining. Indiana still had two timeouts after Minnesota gained just 4 yards on a third-and-12 play, moving the ball to the IU 42 with 61 seconds on the clock. Cignetti elected to hold both timeouts, letting the clock tick down until Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck finally called one of his own, setting up Luke Drzewiecki’s monster try.
Why let the clock run? Cignetti broke it down like a scientist. His “magic number” was 58 yards. Anything 58 yards or closer, he’d have burned a timeout to preserve clock, respecting Drzewiecki’s big arm. But at 60 yards? Cignetti said he preferred to go the other way. This isn’t just a gut call for him, it’s how Cignetti operates. He always seems to have a clear line of demarcation, whether it’s time or yardage, some trigger point that dictates the move. He even said, “I have my hand in a little bit of everything.” You gotta respect the analytical approach, even if it gives you heart palpitations watching it play out live!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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