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.
Will Howard with a message for Indiana after the game pic.twitter.com/LAzIptzMKO
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 23, 2024
Ohio State then continued the trolling on the Ohio Stadium scoreboard with a newspaper graphic of Cignetti, including the phrase "Google it."
Ohio State with a message for Curt Cignetti and Indiana 👀
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) November 23, 2024
(via @CFBONFOX) pic.twitter.com/PsoqcAjUcC
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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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Will Howard Trolled Curt Cignetti, Indiana in Waning Moments of Ohio State's Victory.
