BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Coach Curt Cignetti still sees the traits of a champion in his Indiana Hoosiers — the toughness to overcome any obstacle, the willingness to adapt to any situation and, yes, the uncanny ability to win any way necessary.
It's clear his players believe it, too.
After a series of miscues led to another sluggish offensive start Saturday, backup quarterback Grant Wilson threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns and two late interceptions helped the injury-depleted, sixth-ranked Hoosiers beat No. 15 USC 27-13 for their first win over a ranked opponent all season.
“I think it’s the mark of a team that’s got a lot of grit, competitive excellence, and can play when the game is on the line,” Cignetti said Saturday. “That’s what this team has, competitive character. We had a lot of blowout wins around here in ’24 and ’25. We've had a lot of close games this year, but we always find a way (to win).”
In some ways, that makes what the Hoosiers have done even more impressive — even if the playoff selection committee seemingly disagrees. It dropped Indiana (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten, No. 9 CFP) five spots in last week's playoff rankings despite the Hoosiers having a bye.
But even without the glitzy, glamorous routs, Indiana's resume still looks pretty strong. The defending Big Ten and national champions have won 26 of their last 27 games, and the defense has limited eight of nine opponents to fewer than 20 points.
Then there's the way they've won.
— The Hoosiers scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns at then-unbeaten Nebraska to rally for a 20-17 victory in front of a raucous crowd.
— At Michigan, injured quarterback Josh Hoover completed a 21-yard pass on the first play of overtime and scored on a 4-yard run to give Indiana its first win in Ann Arbor since 1967.
— Against Minnesota, Wilson relieved Hoover at halftime and delivered a perfect 33-yard pass to Becker to set up a game-tying 60-yard field goal at the end of regulation then found Becker for a 25-yard TD strike on the first play of overtime for another win.
— On Saturday, Khobie Martin had his best game since breaking his arm early this season and rebounded from a replay reversal that erased his 38-yard TD run by plunging in from 1-yard out for the tiebreaking score late in the third quarter. It gave the Hoosiers their first win over USC in five tries.
The truth is, Indiana is literally a half foot away — Nick Marsh’s shoe on the potential winning TD catch against then-No. 4 Ohio State — from being 10-0 for the third straight year. He was ruled out of bounds on the play, dealing Indiana a 19-15 loss.
Nothing seems to phase these Hoosiers, though.
“We know we’ve got to step up to the plate, and we’ve got to keep battling,” Martin said. “We can never let the moment get too big for us, so we’re just going to keep pushing and fighting. If we do what we’re supposed to do on the field, we’re going to play in the playoffs.”
And Indiana could get better yet.
Hoover's struggles since injuring his right shoulder in the second half of the Ohio State game prompted Cignetti to go with Wilson, now in his seventh college season, at halftime of the Minnesota and again Saturday. If Hoover's health continues to improve, he could reclaim the starting job.
Injuries also forced the Hoosiers to play without No. 1 running back Turbo Richard and starting linebacker Rolijah Hardy on Saturday. They still managed to overcame those absences and may have found a way to make selection committee members take a deeper dive into Indiana.
But the outside noise doesn't resonate inside this locker room.
“I don’t know what to say about us getting moved to 9," Martin said. “But (Saturday) we proved whatever the committee says doesn’t matter to us. We’re just going to go out on the field and dominate.”
Cignetti expects nothing less, and he's seen it before. He remembers former team Elon winning eight straight games that he said went down to the final play, sending them to the playoffs for a second straight year.
And he believes these Hoosiers are built the same way.
“Our guys believe in crunch time that we’ll play well,” Cignetti said. “I think this really strengthens your belief. When it’s a back-and-forth game and every play becomes so important and has a history and life of its own, so to speak, and you consistently find ways to get it done, it brings you together as a team, which fosters great leadership, guys with a voice and tremendous belief in the organization.”
___
Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here
