'here To Stay': After Cfp Title, Indiana Football No Longer 'little Old Indiana'

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The smell of cigar fume filled nan air. The mediate of nan locker room became a creation floor. Then, a conglomerate of Indiana shot players, still riding nan precocious of nan top nighttime successful programme history, began belting lyrics.

“Walk successful your trap,” they shouted successful unison. “Take complete your trap.”

Again, and again, and again. Indiana’s locker room, buried beneath nan grandstands of Hard Rock Stadium, became Miami’s finest statement scene. The Hoosiers had ne'er thrown this party, nor ever had logic to scheme for it.

Once perennial bottom-feeders, No. 1 Indiana already burned assemblage football’s level to ashes pinch its 27–21 triumph complete Miami successful nan College Football Playoff National Championship connected Monday successful Miami Gardens — and nan Hoosiers tried burning down their locker room, too.

“I wouldn't opportunity I'm a cigar guy,” protect tackle Mario Landino, who’d ne'er smoked one, told Indiana Hoosiers On SI. “But it's a typical moment. I conscionable can't explicate it.”

None of nan Hoosiers’ humanities tally to prominence is explicable. Indiana, nan second-losingest programme ever, capped nan first 16–0 play since Yale successful 1894 pinch a will-testing, gut-checking, pulse-stopping triumph successful Miami’s location stadium.

When redshirt inferior backmost Fernando Mendoza slid to nan ground, erstwhile nan last seconds ticked disconnected nan clock, erstwhile celebratory madness ensued, respective Indiana violative linemen remained seated adjacent nan extremity line.

There was exhaustion. There was relief. There was a crimson-colored punctuation constituent connected a play afloat of highlights. Soon, location were tears, hugs and nan type of emotions players wish they could vessel up and transportation forever.

“It's really up location successful 1 of nan champion nights ever, man,” elder receiver Elijah Sarratt told Indiana Hoosiers On SI. “I dream I retrieve everything, but I'm judge it’s going to beryllium a small blur erstwhile I aftermath up tomorrow.

“But, man, I'm ne'er going to hide that emotion of erstwhile that timepiece deed zero and I'm moving retired location connected that field, man.”

That infinitesimal — erstwhile pick and crimson-colored confetti turned Hard Rock Stadium into a snowfall globe of insubstantial mache, erstwhile ample posters pinch “National Champions” inscriptions were passed amongst players, erstwhile eyes watered and hugs flew — will everlastingly unrecorded successful Hoosier infamy.

For nan self-proclaimed misfits and rejects, for those who endured nan acheronian days of Indiana football, for nan fans who, arsenic long-standing power announcer Don Fischer said postgame, “sat done immoderate of nan worst shot you could imaginable see” for decades, specified moments are a culmination of work, religion and an unrelenting desire to re-define Indiana.

“Man, this is apical 2 and not two,” Jones said astir wherever Monday ranks successful nan champion nights of his life. “This is it.”

Others agreed.

“This mightiness beryllium nan champion nighttime of my life, if I tin beryllium wholly honest,” fifth-year elder moving backmost Roman Hemby told Indiana Hoosiers On SI. “I'm going to retrieve nan full nighttime vividly. Everything that happens complete nan people of nan next, nevertheless agelong I'm up for nan night, I'm going to retrieve everything.”

The Hoosiers were erstwhile a laughing stock. Now, they’re kings — owners of assemblage football’s astir sought aft crown.

“What nan extracurricular nationalist thinks, we don't control,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said postgame. “It's a awesome story, tremendous story. Most group would show you that are successful nan know, it's astir apt 1 of nan top stories of each time.”

Cignetti was nan author, nan director, of a communicative truthful good, National Championship Game Defensive MVP Mikail Kamara said it warrants a book aliases movie made astir it.

The Hoosiers are 27–2 done Cignetti’s 2 seasons astatine nan helm, which followed a agelong wherever they went 9–27 nan erstwhile 3 years nether coach Tom Allen.

Indiana faced doubts astir its expertise to prolong occurrence aft going 11–2 and making nan College Football Playoff successful 2024, and Cignetti turned heads successful July astatine Big Ten Media Day erstwhile he said he didn’t want to sustain, but build upon, nan top twelvemonth successful schoolhouse history.

Mission accomplished.

Indiana vanished undefeated for nan first clip successful programme history. It hit assemblage football’s astir prestigious schools, astir powerful brands, successful Ohio State, Alabama, Oregon doubly and, of course, Miami connected nan sport’s biggest stage.

Sixth-year elder information Louis Moore said Indiana has earned nan correct to beryllium considered 1 of nan top teams successful assemblage shot history.

“I decidedly consciousness that way,” Moore told Indiana Hoosiers On SI. “We did it all. Ain't thing we didn't do.”

The Hoosiers heard questions astir their legitimacy during past year’s label-changing season, and Cignetti noted it fueled his players complete nan offseason.

Indiana shook its tag arsenic underdogs and ascended into favorites — nary longer nan hunters, but nan hunted. Still, redshirt inferior protect tackle Tyrique Tucker said, there’s restitution successful eliminating each questions astir nan program’s legitimacy.

While Tucker celebrated pinch teammates and strolled astir nan section successful nan aftermath of Monday night’s win, he kept repeating 1 word: Undisputed.

“I conscionable can't judge it, man, because they said we couldn't do it, and we had to spell beryllium them incorrect erstwhile again,” Tucker told Indiana Hoosiers On SI. “I mean, what tin they say? 
Undisputed champs, man. Undefeated. We met each situation they threw astatine us, man.”

Indiana, possibly quietly, group nan nationalist title arsenic its extremity entering nan season. But nan Hoosiers didn’t publically speak of it. They decided alternatively to spell play shot and fto nan chips autumn wherever they whitethorn — pinch a subtle assurance nan roadworthy would extremity pinch a ceremony for nan ages Monday nighttime successful Miami Gardens.

“We've known we were going to do it, and I consciousness for illustration we do it each week,” Moore said. “We earned our respect, and truthful they sewage to respect america now. We nan champions.”

Questions will ever situation Indiana, which is still astir 200 games beneath .500 and whitethorn ne'er genuinely shingle nan shackles of its past. There will beryllium questions astir longevity of success, questions astir erstwhile nan pixie particulate will tally dry.

But location should beryllium nary questions astir this Indiana, nan 1 that aced each trial thrown its measurement and survived each past punch — each nan measurement done cornerback Jamari Sharpe’s game-sealing interception pinch 44 seconds left.

“I mean, you really can't inquire america if we legit now,” inferior information Amare Ferrell told Indiana Hoosiers On SI. “I mean, we conscionable showed you we legit. 16–0, National Champions.”

Over 20 minutes aft nan Hoosiers clinched their first nationalist title, nan top squad successful schoolhouse history sang “Indiana, Our Indiana,” 1 last time.

Yet while his disciples — and nan thousands of crimson-clad onlookers astir them — sang their hearts out, Cignetti didn’t mutter a word. He stood astatine nan backmost of nan stage, hands connected hips, watching, smiling, absorbing nan segment earlier him.

Cignetti marveled astatine his creation. He marveled astatine nan squad that took his connection amended than immoderate different successful his 15 years arsenic a caput coach, astatine nan squad that grew “exceptionally close,” astatine nan squad that ne'er entered a warzone it didn’t like.

Perhaps astir of all, he marveled astatine nan mode his Hoosiers shook assemblage football’s equilibrium of power.

“I deliberation we sent a message, first of all, to society,” Cignetti said. “That if you support your chemoreceptor to nan grindstone and activity difficult and you've sewage nan correct people, anything's possible.”

But this ne'er seemed possible. Not for Indiana, historically a basketball-crazed schoolhouse successful a basketball-crazed state. And not for Cignetti, who needed 40 years successful nan manufacture to unafraid a Power Four caput coaching job.

Perhaps that’s what makes nan celebrations truthful genuine, truthful powerful, truthful unforgettable. Hemby said he had nary plans to slumber aft nan top nighttime of his life. Cignetti joked his first Hoosier brew was truthful good, he thought astir going backmost for another.

The only downside to Indiana’s occurrence is nan rampant clutter wrong players’ closets. Hemby was successful nan process of moving out, getting things consolidated and taking things home, but amid bowl-issued apparel and post-game celebratory merchandise, he’s received much cogwheel successful nan past period than nan full play beforehand.

But those collectibles matter.

As Miami players revenge retired of Hard Rock Stadium, galore carried their chairs — engraved pinch nan College Football Playoff National Championship logo — pinch them. It’s nan Hurricanes’ lone portion of memorabilia from a crushing conclusion successful their location stadium.

Indiana, meanwhile, capped its 4th consecutive crippled pinch a confetti ablution — which Jones said will ne'er get old.

And astir those cigars? He’ll everlastingly cherish them.

“After games for illustration this,” Jones said, “Hell yeah.”

Over 2 hours aft nan crippled ended, confetti still remained connected nan section astatine Hard Rock Stadium, and nan smell of cigar fume lingered done nan hallway extracurricular Indiana’s locker room. The large screens connected nan stadium’s corners still showed “National Champions” surrounding Indiana’s logo.

There’s nary much denying Indiana’s position arsenic a assemblage shot power, nary much wondering erstwhile Cignetti’s fever dream will end. The Hoosiers were connected nan brink of collapsing, but they ne'er wilted nether pressure. They made large plays successful cardinal moments and, arsenic they’ve done each season, avoided catastrophe past forced their force into it.

But Monday nighttime was much than an on-field statement. It was an announcement of presence atop nan nutrient chain. It was an assurance that Indiana, its squad and its fans, are fresh for nan rarified aerial of nan sport’s elite programs.

And it was nan last segment successful nan Cignetti-led, title-winning Hollywood movie that everlastingly changed nan perception, and nan history, of Indiana football.

“Indiana conscionable isn't small aged Indiana anymore, man,” Sarratt said. “Like, we're present to stay.”

And that, much than it’s ever been, is undeniable.