Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti is not one who typically gets caught up in the emotions of a game. A perfectionist who demands excellence from his team, Cignetti has a knack for focusing squarely on the moment and whatever it takes to win the next play. But even he had to take a moment to reflect on how his team came away with its latest victory with a last-minute touchdown drive spanning 80 yards with no timeouts at their disposal to extend Penn State’s agony this season, while preserving Indiana’s undefeated season for another week.
“We refused to lose in the bleakest, more dire moments when it looked impossible,” Cignetti said after Indiana handed Penn State its latest soul-crushing defeat, 27-24, on Saturday afternoon in Beaver Stadium.
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“The quarterback’s been taking a lot of shots all game,” Cignetti said, referring to Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who was on the receiving end of some good pressure and contact by Penn State’s defense all afternoon. “To all of the sudden start making plays like, we made incredible plays, and score at the end like that, it’s a game of inches. It truly is. And the team refused to lose.”
Penn State nearly pulled off the rare upset of a No. 2 team. But a top contender for catch of the year by Omar Cooper Jr. left Cignetti, a man of few words nearly speechless in his postgame comments.
But Cignetti did have some words of praise for Penn State’s quarterback, Ethan Grunkemeyer.
“I’m proud of this football team. Now, tape tomorrow will give me a lot of things we won’t be proud of, but Penn State’s a good football team, and maybe they found their quarterback too,” Cignetti said, referring to Grunkemeyer. “A guy that can lead them to more wins the rest of the season here.”
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Grunkemeyer completed 22 of 31 pass attempts for 219 yards with a touchdown and an interception in his third career start, and his first start at home in Beaver Stadium. Grunkemeyer and the entire Penn State offense got off to a slow start but found some things working in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter, once they decided to start attempting to stretch the field. As Cignetti seemed to imply, Penn State may have something beginning to develop with Grunkemeyer with just three games remaining.
Penn State will be back on the road next Saturday for a road game at Michigan State. Penn State must win that game and its two games after that in order to become bowl eligible for the 2025 season.
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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: What Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said about PSU QB Ethan Grunkemeyer
