SI

Will Howard Trolled Curt Cignetti, Indiana in Waning Moments of Ohio State's Victory

This was petty.

Tim Capurso

Ohio State quarterback Will Howard gestures on the sidelines during the fourth quarter of the Buckeyes' 38-15 win over the Indiana Hoosiers at Ohio Stadium on November 23, 2024.
Ohio State quarterback Will Howard gestures on the sidelines during the fourth quarter of the Buckeyes' 38-15 win over the Indiana Hoosiers at Ohio Stadium on November 23, 2024. / Screengrab Twitter @CFBONFOX
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Moments after punching in a rushing touchdown from one yard out to extend Ohio State's lead with under a minute remaining in the game, Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard was spotted trolling Indiana coach Curt Cignetti on the sidelines in the waning moments of the 38-15 win over the Hoosiers on Saturday.

Howard, clearly playing on Cignetti's tobacco-themed Hoosiers merchandise, pretended to take a drag of a cigarette before stamping out the pretend cigarette butt on the sideline. He also yelled, "Google that s--t" in Cignetti's direction, a nod to one of the Hoosiers coach's viral quotes.

Fox's cameras also caught Cignetti's reaction to Howard's trolling.

Ohio State then continued the trolling on the Ohio Stadium scoreboard with a newspaper graphic of Cignetti, including the phrase "Google it."

The outspoken Cignetti, during a National Signing Day press conference in December of 2023, was asked what his message would be to incoming recruits. He responded simply, "I win. Google me."

And, amid Indiana's best start in program history, Cignetti-mania has gripped Bloomington, as "CIGNETTI" T-shirts and sweatshirts with the Marlboro cigarette logo and font have been all the rage among Hoosiers fans.

So, clearly, this was a calculated trolling job by Howard.

"I just try to say we don't listen to that stuff on social media, but we hear it, man," Howard told Fox Sports's Jenny Taft after the game. "I was just having some fun with it. I got a lot of respect for those guys, man. I think what coach Cignetti’s done over there, he’s done a heck of a job.

"But the Buckeyes are here and the Buckeyes won, so you can Google that."

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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