BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Curt Cignetti didn’t tip his hand regarding IU football’s starting quarterback during the week leading up to Saturday’s game against USC.
But in reality, he knew back on Halloween, when IU pulled out a low-scoring, overtime victory over Minnesota: he was rolling with Grant Wilson.
TCU transfer Josh Hoover started against the Golden Gophers, despite shoulder problems that have plagued him throughout the season. The Hoosiers trailed at halftime, 10-7, when they turned to Wilson. The seventh-year was far from perfect that day, but he provided a clear jolt to the offense. Wilson played six drives for IU that day, and came away with points on four of them.
Cignetti slept on the decision that night after the Minnesota game and felt good about it.
The big call paid dividends, as Wilson helped lead the ninth-ranked Hoosiers to a 27-13 win over the 18th-ranked Trojans Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
“He goes in every week preparing if he’s gonna start, or he’s doing whatever it takes to help the team out — which I think is something so great about Grant, is that he’s so consistent in what he does, in his preparation. He prepares for every game like he’s going in and gonna play,” wide receiver Charlie Becker said after the game. “And (he) goes out there and just balls out like he does.”
Wilson’s start — and Cignetti’s plan — endured a hiccup during IU’s bye week. Wilson came down with the flu and missed a few days of practice.
The seventh-year ultimately recovered in time to prepare for this game, but that only added to the challenges he had to overcome to make this start.
“It was tough. I was down really bad with the flu. But our training room does such a good job. They got me right. … I didn’t know when it was going to end. But I’m glad it ended,” Wilson said. “I started feeling better after I got a shot in my bottom. That made me feel a lot better.”
That shot in the bottom gave way to a shot in the arm for Indiana’s offense.
Wilson endured some bumps in his first start in more than two years, with an interception and several other passes that USC nearly also picked off. Nick Marsh had to turn into a defensive back and execute a pass breakup on a Trojan defender with an interception in his hands. The one interception Wilson did throw was a backbreaker late in the first half, flipping a potential 13-3 or 17-3 Indiana lead at halftime into a 10-10 tie after USC turned the takeaway into a touchdown.
But overall, Wilson delivered. He completed 17 of his 27 pass attempts for 305 yards — more than Hoover has had in any game this season — and two touchdowns. He displayed good touch on deep passes, with four completions of at least 20 yards. And, above all, he distributed the ball to Indiana’s playmakers and set them up for success.
“He’s done a great job, obviously, stepping in and just doing his job and giving the ball to players on offense and letting them do the work,” safety Preston Zachman said. “That’s (stepping in for Hoover is) a very tough position to be in, but I think he’s done a great job of just always being ready, always preparing like he’s gonna be the guy.”
Wilson joined the Hoosiers ahead of the 2025 season after transferring in from Old Dominion. He spent the year behind Fernando and Alberto Mendoza on the depth chart as IU made a historic run to a national championship. The Arlington, Va. native returned to Bloomington for this season to be Indiana’s backup quarterback, after Alberto Mendoza transferred to Georgia Tech following the national title game in January.
But Wilson got plenty of starting experience with Old Dominion. He started 11 games for the Monarchs in 2023 — even throwing for 277 yards and two touchdowns against Cignetti’s James Madison team. And he made three starts for ODU in 2024 before suffering a season-ending injury.
He became a national champion at Indiana, but he didn’t know if he’d ever get an opportunity to start again.
He made it count on Saturday.
“I’m so proud of him. I don’t think there’s anybody more deserving than Grant, just cause of what a selfless teammate he is,” Becker said. “Ever since he got here, it’s always been about the team and everybody. And for him to have this opportunity, I’m so happy. There’s no one more deserving than Grant.”
For complete coverage of IU football, GO HERE.
The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”
- You can follow us on X: @daily_hoosier and find us on Facebook and Instagram
- Seven ways to support completely free IU coverage at no cost to you
