Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti watches during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Maryland, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

It’s a tale of two truth tellers on the sideline Saturday as Indiana visits Penn State — and the media seems to like both Curt Cignetti and Terry Smith.

Cignetti is IU’s confident head coach. His “I win, Google me” introduction, along with his initial shot at the traditional powers in the Big Ten Conference, seemed like a lot, and maybe too much, at the time they happened.

They’ve since proven to be correct, though, and it’s not bragging if you back it up.

Cignetti guided Indiana to the College Football Playoff last season, and the Hoosiers are on track for that again while playing even better with more dominant results this year.

Cignetti started his career as a graduate assistant at Pitt in 1983 and made stops as a quarterbacks coach at Davidson (1985), Rice (1986-1988) and Temple (1989-92).

He returned to Pitt (1993-99), coaching quarterbacks and tight ends while serving as recruiting coordinator. After that, he coached quarterbacks and led recruiting efforts at N.C. State (2000-06) before an important three-year stint at Alabama (2007-10) as receivers coach and, again, recruiting coordinator.

When Cignetti took his first job as a head coach — at IUP, in an effort to revitalize the program his father (Frank Cignetti Sr.) led to so much success — the bookshelf in his office was lined with binders of Alabama game plans.

He’s confident, but he’s a hard-working lifer in the coaching profession.

He led IUP to NCAA playoff appearances and finished 53-17 there before moving to Elon and getting that program to the playoffs. After that was a three-year stint at James Madison, where he went 52-9 with his teams reaching the Football Championship Subdivision national championship game. He led the program’s move to the Football Bowl Subdivision and a bowl game, too.

Loud-sounding things come out of Cignetti’s mouth, but he’s not really mean spirited or spouting just to spout. Because he respects the game and the work necessary to succeed, his interactions with the media are often more deadpan and matter of fact.

It works for him, and so far, it’s working for Indiana.

When Terry Smith was named Penn State’s interim head coach — a succession plan that made sense on many levels — he was framed as the program’s truth teller.

Thanks to his long association with the program, as a player, coach and stepfather of a standout player, his familiarity and pedigree are unquestioned.

Plus, because some outside the program felt James Franklin was disingenuous and inauthentic at times, Smith was an appealing opposite.

Smith’s interactions with the media have been direct and open. He has shared his thoughts, touting hard work, teamwork and the small gap between success and failure while fairly assessing what has worked and what has not.

The approach works for Smith, but so far, it’s not working or changing things for Penn State, which has lost five games in a row.

Allar’s appearance

He didn’t do a thing on the field in terms of competition, but the Ohio State game was a good look for injured Penn State quarterback Drew Allar.

Simply traveling with the team and being present provided an example of his commitment and leadership.

It’s not easy to quantify leadership, but that and maturity are two things that get questioned by some just watching him from afar — so being there when it’s not necessary and he’s recovering from a season-ending injury should count for something in the perception game.

Of course, Allar has been ever-present during televised games with his cameos in a couple high-profile commercial campaigns.

ESPN approach

While ESPN touts its motto to “Serve Sports Fans. Anytime. Anywhere,” it’s lost on the company’s website the lists start times for college football games each week. The list shows matchups, times and networks for every major game each week — every game except those on CBS or Fox. ESPN shows matchups and start times for games on those networks but then does not delineate specifically where the game is airing — something it does for every other game, including those that appear on NBC/Peacock. It’s just a shortsighted, silly approach. And not at all fan friendly.​

Notable …

– It’s not football, but it’s certainly a media-related story with Penn State connection. All the hubbub around FBI director Kash Patel using the bureau’s plane for personal flights most recently surrounds a trip to see his girlfriend, country music artist Alexis Wilkins, sing the national anthem before the Real American Freestyle event at the Bryce Jordan Center on Oct. 25.

– The NCAA’s tightened and updated rules related to targeting have not made the penalty any more obvious to viewers, and seem to do less to enhance player safety. Plays that would have been flagged a few seasons ago are not prompting penalties this season. And replays are not a help.

– Nearly a week after Fox’s Gus Johsnon said Brian Kelly would be a good fit for Penn State’s vacant coaching position during the Penn State-Ohio State game, it’s still unclear he even believed those words coming out of his mouth. Or if it mattered.

– If things hold and Indiana and Ohio State remain undefeated, CBS has to be happy about the prospect of those two programs in Big Ten championship game.

– Man, that Dr Pepper “Fansville” commercial campaign continues to age well and remains fresh and fun.

Sampsell covers the broadcast end of Penn State football for Gameday. He can be reached at stevesampsell@gmail.com