No. 2 Indiana turns the page to Purdue as Cignetti insists: ‘We are 100% focused on Purdue and nothing else’

Written from transcript

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — November 24, 2025

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti made one message clear Monday afternoon: whatever awaits his team in Indianapolis or beyond, it won’t matter if the Hoosiers don’t take care of business Friday night at Purdue.

“We are 100% focused on Purdue and nothing else,” Cignetti said at his weekly media availability. “We’re going on the road to play a Big Ten football team, in-state rival. That’s all we’re thinking about.”

The Hoosiers head into the Old Oaken Bucket matchup off a late-season bye and with a chance to clinch a trip to the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis if they beat the Boilermakers — a scenario referenced in a question Cignetti quickly pushed aside.

“If you don’t respect your opponent, then you’re starting in a bad spot,” he said. “I respect what I see on tape. They’re playing hard. They’re making plays. They’re in games. They’re doing a good job up there coaching, and we have to go up there prepared, and we got to play well.”

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Respect for Purdue and Barry Odom

Purdue enters the rivalry with a lopsided record on paper, but Cignetti repeatedly emphasized how competitive Barry Odom’s first Boilermaker squad has been.

“Coach Odom has got them playing hard. They’ve been very competitive at home,” Cignetti said. “You look at Purdue. They go to Michigan; they lose by five. They got Rutgers; they’re ahead with four minutes to go in the game at home. Minnesota, they led the whole game and lost at the end. Ohio State was a competitive game for most of the first half. Then they went to Washington, and the game got away from them. That’s a hard place to play.”

Offensively, Cignetti described Purdue as “wide open,” with balance and tempo that will stress his defense.

“They spread the output conflict, balance run and pass,” he said. “Defensively [they] really mix it up. Every play something different. They attack. They’ve got an aggressive style on offense and defense and special teams, and I’m sure that’s the personality of the head coach, who played linebacker in college. They attack. They’re a physical football team.”

Friday’s game is expected to be the 100th Old Oaken Bucket game and another chapter in one of the Big Ten’s longest-running rivalries. But Cignetti, now in his second season in Bloomington, downplayed any suggestion that Indiana has fully absorbed the weight of the series on his watch.

“I probably haven’t been here long enough,” he said. “We’ve played them one time. They probably weren’t in a real good spot last year when we played them. The goal is to be successful. Maybe in five, six years I can answer that question better.”

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Injury updates: Sarratt and Kamara expected to start

The Hoosiers received a boost on the injury front. Cignetti said star wide receiver Elijah Sarratt and edge rusher Mikail Kamara are both on track to return to the starting lineup against Purdue.

“We expect Kamara will start. Sarratt will start,” Cignetti said. “Drew Evans, we’ll know more today, and him and the rest of them are working hard to get back on the field.”

Sarratt’s return creates an intriguing dynamic at receiver after backup Charlie Becker excelled in his absence. Asked how he’ll balance Sarratt’s reintegration with Becker’s recent production, Cignetti kept any details close to the vest.

“I guess you’ll see Friday night,” he said.

Cignetti acknowledged that some players returning from injury may need to shake off rust, but he rejected the idea of managing their snaps with a potential conference title game looming.

With a smile, he circled back to his original point: “Look, we are 100% focused on Purdue and nothing else.”

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Bye week arrives ‘at a really good time’

The Hoosiers were coming off six straight games when they hit last week’s bye, a stretch Cignetti admitted had taken a toll.

“It was a much-needed off week, playing six games in a row late in the year,” he said. “I think everybody that’s playing is banged up, and I think the entire organization was a little tired. I could feel it, sense it, Penn State week and Wisconsin week, so I think it came at a really good time.”

The reset appears to have worked.

“Everybody seems to be refreshed,” Cignetti said. “There was a lot of spirit at practice yesterday, and I can tell in the office everybody is rested up, so it’s a good thing.”

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No interest in ‘style points’

With Indiana in the thick of the postseason conversation, Cignetti was asked about the College Football Playoff committee and the notion that teams need “style points” — big margins of victory — to impress the selection panel.

He didn’t hesitate.

“It’s not something I’m really thinking about, quite honestly,” he said. “We’ve had some wins where we’ve won by a lot of points, and we’ve had some wins that are close. I think the most important thing is that you win.”

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Special teams edge and ‘money in the bank’ Nico

Cignetti also praised Indiana’s special teams, headlined by the steady leg of kicker Nico Radicic.

“Nico has been money in the bank for two years,” Cignetti said. “We’ve been pretty fortunate. About the last five of our field goal kickers have been that way. We have a certain thing we do with them that has worked up to this point. It’s really all credit to the kickers and their ability to put the ball between the uprights.”

Indiana has gotten game-changing plays in the punting game as well.

“I think our special teams have done a good job, you know, with blocked punts,” Cignetti said. “We’ve had no catastrophic mistakes, so to speak. We’ve kicked some really key field goals. There’s no doubt about that. Had some good punt returns. Not many opportunities in the kickoff return game.

“So we count those blocked punts as basically turnovers. I mean, we’re No. 1 in the country in turnover ratio, plus 15. You add a few of those blocked punts, you’re around plus 18. Those are winning edges.”

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Mendoza’s preparation and the cold

Quarterback Fernando Mendoza, in his first season as Indiana’s starter, drew more praise from Cignetti — especially for his work before Saturdays.

Asked why Mendoza prepares more than any quarterback he’s coached, Cignetti pointed to the junior’s mindset.

“I think it’s because he wants to be great,” Cignetti said. “He’s willing to make the sacrifices and put the work in and has the discipline to do it day in and day out, and I think Chandler Whitmer has done a great job too of developing him and showing him the way, so to speak.”

Friday’s forecast calls for cold conditions in West Lafayette, and it may be the chilliest game Mendoza has played in. Cignetti shrugged off any concern that the weather will change the Hoosiers’ approach.

“We still have to throw the ball,” he said with a smile. “It probably is [his coldest game]. I haven’t asked him. It’s going to be cold for everybody.”

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With a rivalry trophy on the line, a league title shot within reach, and national implications hanging over every snap, Cignetti repeated his theme one more time: Purdue first, everything else later.

“We’re certainly expecting their best shot,” he said. “We’ve got 100% focus, all eyes on Purdue, and are in the process of preparation to put ourselves in the best position to be successful.”

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