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

Since both Indiana and Oregon entered the day as undefeated top-10 teams, there is clearly an expectation that we will see both teams remain in the College Football Playoff hunt in the coming weeks. For Indiana, the win clearly gives the Hoosiers an edge in any kind of at-large discussions but also secures a key head-to-head victory that could give Curt Cignetti's squad an in-road to the Big Ten title game if this team can take care of business coming down the stretch. Neither Indiana nor Oregon play Ohio State in the regular season, so if making it to Indianapolis to face the Buckeyes comes down to these two teams it looks like Indiana now has the edge. 

And while Oregon is far from out of the College Football Playoff race, it should be noted that the profile is not as strong as it looked two weeks ago thanks to Penn State's ensuing collapse. The Nittany Lions followed that double-overtime defeat to the Ducks with back-to-back losses to UCLA and Northwestern, making it highly unlikely that Oregon's win will carry a ton of weight in the eyes of the College Football Playoff selection committee. The remaining schedule does include quality opponents like USC and Washington, but none of Oregon's remaining games are against teams that entered this weekend ranked inside the top 25. In a strange twist of fate, it's Oregon who now plays the role Indiana faced in 2024 needing to stack as many wins as possible to avoid getting shut out of an at-large spot in the CFP. 

Oregon entered the game with the longest active regular season win streak in all of FBS with 23 consecutive regular season wins, and the Ducks also had the longest active home winning streak in FBS with 18. Both of those streaks have come to a screeching halt in a game that did not at all represent what we have seen from Dan Lanning's Ducks for most of the last two seasons. 

What is unique and interesting to note is that Oregon's performance, at least offensively, is closer to the program's lone loss from 2024, in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal against Ohio State. Saturday's loss to Indiana marks the only other time, along with the CFP loss, that Oregon has been held under 300 yards of offense in the last two years. The Ducks often resemble a buzzsaw when they get rolling but never got into any kind of rhythm against an Indiana defense that was prepared and tuned up to hand Oregon a stunning loss on Saturday. 

We detailed earlier how this is the first-ever road win for Indiana against an AP top-5 team, but how about the fact that this is the first win against an AP top-5 team in any setting since taking down No. 3 Purdue in 1967. That 1967 team became a hot topic during last season's impressive debut for Curt Cignetti, as the Hoosiers broke through many of the records that were set by that team as one of the best seasons in Indiana history. 

But now that Indiana has started 6-0, and now has two wins against ranked teams after having zero in 2024, it's worth considering whether we could be barreling towards another year that will go down as one of the best in Indiana history. They still need to take care of business against the rest of their Big Ten schedule, but the Hoosiers have to be a heavy favorite to make it to the Big Ten title game now that the toughest opponent left on the schedule, Penn State, appears to be in free-fall after the season-ending injury to Drew Allar.

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. 

4Q: Indiana 30, Oregon 20 

The Hoosiers were able to do two good things with their free possession: burn nearly four minutes off of the clock and put more points on the scoreboard. While Fernando Mendoza and the Hoosiers were unable to punch it in for a touchdown they did set up a short field goal that gives Indiana a two-score lead to defend for final two minutes of the game. 

4Q: Indiana 27, Oregon 20 

A Dante Moore pass was tipped and Indiana's defense did a good job of rallying to ball to give the Hoosiers possession in Oregon territory here in the final minutes. Indiana has held Oregon's offense to 244 yards of offense so far, and it should be noted that Oregon was held under 300 yards of offense just once all last season. That would be in the Rose Bowl loss to Ohio State. 

4Q: Indiana 27, Oregon 20

Just after Oregon had seemingly landed a blow with its pick-six of Fernando Mendoza, the Indiana quarterback responds with a 12-play, 75-yard drive that ate up 6:19 of game clock and finished with a touchdown toss to Elijah Sarratt. It's been a stellar day for Sarratt, who is now up to 121 yards receiving on eight catches, and it marks a great sign of confidence from Indiana's coaching staff in their quarterback. Now Dante Moore and the Ducks offense have to do something they have not done since late in the first quarter, lead a touchdown drive. 

4Q: Oregon 20, Indiana 20 

A bad throw that Fernando Mendoza probably wants back results in a game-tying touchdown for Oregon, as Brandon Finney makes a great play on the ball to jump in for an interception and power through traffic into the end zone for a touchdown. Just as Indiana was attempting to extend its lead on the road, now the momentum is back in the hands of the home team. Two top-10 teams, a tie game and just 12:42 left to play. Hard to get any better than what's coming up over the next couple of possessions in Eugene. 

End 3Q: Indiana 20, Oregon 13

Oregon is driving but as the third quarter comes to a close it's Indiana currently leading by a touchdown in Autzen Stadium. "Shout" will ring through the speakers, but the shouting hasn't bothered the Hoosiers' yet. The Ducks need to find an offensive spark as they have yet to cash in on scoring opportunities since the second quarter and are having trouble up front against an attacking Indiana defense. The explosiveness of Oregon means a touchdown is always just one play away, but the time to run those explosive plays is running out. 

3Q: Indiana 20, Oregon 13 

The Hoosiers were held to three-and-outs on each of their first two possessions in the second half but just strung together their best drive yet since halftime, marching 75 yards in nine plays and punching in the go-ahead score with Roman Hemby. It's Hemby's second touchdown of the game and he also contributed in the pass game with a key 22-yard reception on the drive prior to the score. These top-10 battles often involve some individually great performances, and perhaps Hemby is putting that together as Indiana tries to get its first-ever road win against an AP top-five team. 

3Q: Oregon 13, Indiana 13

The Ducks defense has been outstanding here in the second half, forcing a pair of three-and-outs and leveraging the field to set up their offense with a good opportunity that Atticus Sappington turned into a game-tying field goal. The hard-hitting nature of this game has not changed as the game continues to crawl into the second half, as the battles at the line of scrimmage continue to make life difficult for both offenses. 

3Q: Indiana 13, Oregon 10 

The Hoosiers gained a little bit of leverage with the end-of-quarter sequence that featured a missed Oregon field goal and Indiana booting through a 58-yarder as they went into the locker room. But the Ducks have taken it back by forcing Indiana into a three-and-out on the opening possession of the third quarter. Any opportunity to steal a possession has been taken away, and now Oregon can try to string together a game-tying or go-ahead answer to the Hoosier's late second quarter score. 

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. 

2Q: Oregon 10, Indiana 10 

This is a physical game with plenty of battling at both the line of scrimmage and on the perimeter, but Curt Cignetti thought there was just a little too much hands from Oregon's defense and decided to exhaust some frustration on the officiating crew, leading to a sideline warning. Just as fiery as he can be with his own team, Cignetti can certainly direct that towards the officials but this time went far enough to draw a penalty. 

2Q: Oregon 10, Indiana 10

Atticus Sappington boots in a 40-yard field goal to give Oregon some points at the end of a long 12-play drive that set the Ducks up in scoring position, but ultimately failed to reach the end zone. Jordan Davison broke the drive open with a 26-yard run down the middle of the field but Indiana's defense again stood tall on key downs late in the possession. Oregon is just 2-for-6 on third down so far today, which speaks to how the Hoosiers have been able to hold their own in the trenches against one of the more dangerous offenses in the country. 

End 1Q: No. 7 Indiana 10, No. 3 Oregon 7 

A strong first quarter has come to a close in Eugene, Indiana has announced its arrival to the contest already with some timely stops and quick scores to take a 10-7 lead. The road underdog Hoosiers set the tone early with their defense, coming up with a turnover on downs and several other late down stops. But Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, as all the great ones do, found some space eventually and put the Ducks on the board with a 44-yard touchdown pass to Malik Benson. His quarterback counterpart for Indiana, Fernando Mendoza, has had a strong start as well completing six of his first eight passes and delivering a huge scramble on a third down conversion that set up a touchdown. 

1Q: Indiana 10, Oregon 7 

We are almost through with one quarter and both of these offenses are scooting up and down the field. Indiana puts together one of the most impressive drives of the day, driving 75 yards after the long Oregon score to answer with a go-ahead touchdown run from Roman Hemby. Five of the nine plays on the touchdown drive went for 10+ yards, and a highlight included Fernando Mendoza scampering for a first down on 3rd and 4. 

1Q: Oregon 7, Indiana 3 

Oregon needed just 51 yards to score and got 44 of them on a deep pass from Dante Moore to Malik Benson, who broke loose down the middle of the field to pull in the long touchdown. Will Stein drew up a great set-up for Indiana's defense, which had been establishing an edge at the line of scrimmage. But one wrong look and Oregon can make you pay, as Moore improves to having 15 touchdowns to just one interception on the season. 

1Q: Indiana 3, Oregon 0 

After forcing a field goal with their backs against the wall, Oregon's defense has now provided some great field position for the Ducks offense. A'Mauri Washington's sack of Fernando Mendoza on third down is followed by a delay of game on fourth down and suddenly the Hoosiers were punting from their own end zone. Now Oregon gets the ball with its best field position of the day, taking over at their own 49-yard line. 

1Q: Indiana 3, Oregon 0

Oregon's defense might have just scored a win there holding Indiana to a field goal after the turnover on downs set up the Hoosiers at the 46-yard line. Fernando Mendoza hit an explosive play with a 24-yard pass to Elijah Sarratt down the sideline on Indiana's first play of the drive but the Ducks' stood strong in scoring position. Indiana had to settle for a 42-yard field goal after netting just 22 yards on the drive (a false start on the attempt didn't help), but the team did put points on the board to take advantage of the good field position. 

1Q: Oregon 0, Indiana 0 

The Hoosiers defense started the game by sacking Dante Moore and then finished the drive by making tough stops in short yardage situations, taking the ball away with a fourth down stop. The Ducks failed to convert on short runs on both third and fourth down after moving the ball close to midfield with a couple of nice Noah Whittington runs and a 13-yard pass to Gary Bryant. But now Indiana has a bit of momentum on their side as they start their first offensive possession at the Oregon 46 yard line. 

Just now College Football Today, which you can watch on CBS or stream on Parmaount+, they had a feature on Dan Lanning's ability to motivate the team with some reaction from the players. Lanning's messaging and weekly motivations have become a recognizable piece of Oregon's dominance over the last two seasons, and the crew took you behind the scenes for what it's like inside that locker room. 

According to The Oregonian's James Crepea, there are 11 different NFL teams and 16 total scouts represented among the credentialed media for today's game. There is certainly the aspect of getting to see two of the potential top quarterbacks selected, but both the Hoosiers and the Ducks are also filled with future pros on both sides of the ball. Last year Oregon had a program record 10 players taken in the NFL Draft while Indiana had multiple players picked for the first time since 2018. Any top coaches, a category that Dan Lanning and Curt Cignetti certainly qualify for, will point to talent acquisition as a key to success and currently both of these programs have become regular stops for NFL scouts. 

Indiana is 0-46 all-time on the road against AP top-five teams, which is the most losses without a win. The Hoosiers do have six wins against top-10 opponents all-time, but haven't even had a top-10 road win since 1987 at No. 9 Ohio State.

This is just the fourth meeting in series history between Oregon and Indiana and the first since 2004. That 2004 game saw Indiana go into Eugene and come out with a 30-24 win, a victory that was powered in part by Hoosiers star running back Benjarvus Green-Ellis. The previous two games between the two came during a home-and-home series in 1963 and 1964, with the Ducks claiming a win in both meetings. 

Oregon and Indiana are two of just three teams in all FBS to rank in the top 10 nationally in both scoring offense and scoring defense. Indiana enters the day ranked 4th nationally with an average of 47.8 points per game while Oregon is 6th scoring 46.6 points per game. And defensively the Hoosiers are 3rd in the country, giving up just 9.6 points per game while the Ducks, thanks in part to some overtime action in Happy Valley last time out, have a scoring defense average of 12.2 points per game. 

Indiana was aggressive in addressing the offensive line this offseason, a response that came from how the Hoosiers looked against the likes of Ohio State and Notre Dame. That, plus the addition of Mendoza at a time when he's playing great football, has really given Indiana's offense a boost that will be needed to score against a quality Oregon defense. Getting stops against Dante Moore at home will be another concern, for sure, but getting the offense going is the part that seems the most important for hanging around in Eugene.  Pick: Indiana +7.5 

Here's the picks from rest of the CBS Sports crew: 

The Autzen Stadium home field advantage has been spotlighted as one of the nation's best in the Dan Lanning era, in part because of Oregon's success. The Ducks have won 18 consecutive home games, a run that dates back to the start of 2023 and is the longest active streak in the country. Navigating those challenges will be a key for Indiana, which suffered its only defeats of the year in 2024 when it was on the road at Ohio State Buckeyes in the regular season and at Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first round of the College Football Playoff. 

From 2000-2024, the only Big Ten quarterback to start a season with a 5-0 record, 70% completion percentage, 225+ passing yards and one or fewer interception was Russell Wilson, at Wisconsin Badgers in 2011. Now three Big Ten quarterbacks can boast that feat because both Oregon's Dante Moore and Indiana's Fernando Mendoza meet the criteria through five games of the season. Moore and Mendoza are both top contenders for the Heisman Trophy and have garnered attention from the NFL Draft community, and on Saturday they will each play a significant role in flipping the season for one of these Big Ten title contenders.