Indiana holds off Oregon: No. 7 Hoosiers, Curt Cignetti pick up signature win in pivotal Big Ten battle

FINAL: Indiana 30, Oregon 20

After 46 attempts the Indiana Hoosiers just secured their first road win against an AP top-5 opponent in school history, knocking off No. 3 Oregon by a 30-20 score in Autzen Stadium on Saturday.

The top-10 title between 5-0 teams was the biggest stage of the day in college football, and it was Curt Cignetti's Hoosiers squad that delivered the most significant blows in a hard-hitting battle of the Big Ten's best. One year after being overwhelmed in the trenches against the likes of Ohio State and Notre Dame, Indiana came out and imposed its will early with an attacking defense that won on third downs and eventually forced turnovers from a quarterback in Dante Moore who had played clean for most of the season.

Oregon's offense as a unit did not find much of a rhythm at all against the Hoosiers, with the only offensive touchdown of the afternoon coming on a 44-yard pass play from Moore to Malik Benson late in the first quarter. Every other possession ended in either a field goal, punt or turnover on downs, and that lack of success began to wear on an Oregon offense that was used to scoring more than 40 points per game.

There was a lot that Indiana exposed from Oregon that wasn't previously seen from the Ducks in 2025. The team entered the game allowing just one sack total on the season, yet gave up six sacks to Indiana. Dante Moore had just one interception on the first five games of the season to go with 14 touchdowns, but against the Hoosiers he finished with one touchdown and two interceptions. An Oregon offense that prides itself on establishing the run was held to just 81 rushing yards, and 267 yards of total offense.

Of course, the other side of Oregon's shortcomings after losing as a touchdown favorite at home is the celebration of Indiana in what was the biggest "prove it" win of the Curt Cignetti era. The Hoosiers went 0-2 against ranked opponents in 2024 and are already 2-0 against ranked competition in 2025. The efforts to improve the lines of scrimmage were evident with how they stacked up against the Ducks and played a key role in those tone-setting drives in the second half that ultimately decided the game. No matter what happens for Indiana from here on out, their bona fides have now been established. This isn't just a team that can beat up on bad teams, it's a group that can go into the house of the reigning Big Ten champs and hand them their first loss since 2023.

HALFTIME: Indiana 13, Oregon 10

The half finishes with a pair of kicks in the final minutes -- first a miss by Oregon's Atticus Sappington and then a booming 58-yard field goal from Brendan Franke that gives Indiana the lead heading into halftime. The Hoosiers arrived in Eugene and made a statement early, starting the game with a fourth down stop and finishing the half with a go-ahead score heading into the locker room.

Indiana will get the ball to start the second half as well, adding to the good grades for Curt Cignetti's squad coming out of the first 30 minutes. The Hoosiers coach lost his cool a little bit during the second quarter and ended up catching a penalty, but despite those frustrations, his team leads and had absolutely looked the part of a top 10 team battling in a tough environment. Oregon has out-gained Indiana on the half and moved the ball effectively, but the offense is just 2 of 8 on third downs and too many opportunities have ended in kicks.

Indiana has not only held it's own in the trenches, but at the skill positions as well. They've mostly kept Oregon's speedy wide receivers in check and also delivered some highlight reel grabs, like this one from Omar Cooper Jr.

Oregon still has the home field advantage and plenty of experience getting it done in Autzen Stadium, but if the Ducks expected to dictate control of this game the first 30 minutes have certainly proven otherwise. Just as the score suggests, this game (and 1st place in the Big Ten standings) is hanging firmly in the balance as these top-10 teams go to the locker room.

Click here to read article