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Photo: Ohio State Trolls Indiana’s Curt Cignetti after Howard and Buckeyes beat Hoosiers | News, scores, highlights, stats and rumors
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Photo: Ohio State Trolls Indiana’s Curt Cignetti after Howard and Buckeyes beat Hoosiers | News, scores, highlights, stats and rumors

BLOOMINGTON, IN - NOVEMBER 09: Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti looks on during a college football game against the Michigan Wolverines on November 9, 2024 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Following their 38-15 home win over the No. 5 Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday, the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes trolled Indiana and head coach Curt Cignetti.

In the waning seconds of the game, a fake headline was displayed on the Ohio Stadium big screen that read, “Buckeyes win??? Google it!”

That was an apparent reference to something Cignetti said in December, shortly after the Hoosiers hired him.

When asked at the time how he went about recruiting and convincing prospects to play for him, Cignetti said, “I win. Google me.”

With the Buckeyes up 31-15 and on the brink of victory, OSU running back TreVeyon Henderson broke off a 39-yard run, but instead of scoring, he slid down the field at the 1-yard line.

Cignetti seemed content to let Ohio State run out the clock without using its remaining timeouts, but instead of running out the clock, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day called two consecutive quarterback sneaks, and Will Howard scored on the second .

That extended the lead to 38-15 with 35 seconds left, and a raucous celebration ensued on the OSU sideline.

Amid the chaos, Howard was shown on air shouting, “Google me,” as he pretended to throw a cigarette on the ground before kicking it out with his foot:

It might be fair to assume that Howard’s “cigarette celebration” was a shot in the arm for Cignetti and some of the brash comments he made during Indiana’s ascent.

Despite this, Howard gave Cignetti credit during his postgame interview, saying Cignetti has done a “great job” with the Hoosiers:

FOX College Football @CFBONFOX

“I just had some fun with it. I have a lot of respect for those guys, man. I think what coach Cignetti did there, he did a great job.”@JennyTaft asked @OhioStateFB QB Will Howard on the ‘Google me’ response 😅 pic.twitter.com/1G8VxL36fF

Before getting the Indiana job, Cignetti enjoyed success at Division II IUP and FCS Elon before serving as head coach at James Madison for five seasons.

James Madison shot an impressive 52-9 under Cignetti, including an 11-1 mark last season.

Cignetti’s winning ways prompted Indiana to draft him, and despite Saturday’s loss, he hasn’t disappointed. Entering the game against Ohio State, the Hoosiers were a perfect 10-0, marking their first season with double-digit wins in program history.

Due to the one-sided nature of the loss to OSU, Indiana isn’t guaranteed to make the College Football Playoff, but with a convincing win next week against Purdue, the Hoosiers still have a legitimate shot.

As for the Buckeyes, they have cemented their status as a national title contender, and if they beat rival Michigan next week as expected, they will have a rematch with No. 1 Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game, with the winner earning a first-round berth. See you in the GVB.