Miami Gardens, Florida – Fernando Mendoza powered his way into the end zone and Indiana made its way into the history books on Monday night, knocking off Miami 27-21 to put the finishing touch on a rags-to-riches story, an undefeated season and a national title.
The Heisman Trophy winner finished with 186 yards passing, but it was his 12-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-4 with 9:18 remaining that defined this game — and the Hoosiers’ season.
Indiana will not be denied.
“I had to get up in the air,” said Mendoza, whose lip and arm were bloodied by Miami’s ferocious defense, which sacked him three times and injured him many more. “I would die for my team.”
Mendoza’s TD gave artist Curt Cignetti’s team a 24-14 lead — barely enough breathing room to hold off a frenzied attack by the powerful Hurricanes, who came alive in the second half behind 112 yards and two scores from Mark Fletcher but never took the lead.
The College Football Playoff Trophy is now headed to a most unexpected of places: Bloomington, Indiana — a campus that had suffered 713 losses nationwide over more than 130 years of football before Cignity arrived two years ago to embark on a revival for the ages.
“We took some chances, and we found a way. Let me tell you: We won the national championship at Indiana University. It can be done,” Cignetti said.
Indiana finished 16-0 – using the extra games provided by the expanded 12-team playoffs to match the perfect season win total compiled by Yale in 1894.
And in a fitting amount of symmetry, this undefeated title comes 50 years after Bob Knight’s basketball team went 32-0 to win it all in that state’s favorite sport.
That hasn’t happened since, and there’s already a belief that college football — in its sophisticated, money-laden era — may never see a team like this again either.
President Donald Trump, who was in attendance, said: “Congratulations to the state of Indiana.” “It was a great game. Two great teams, two great teams with a lot of talent.”
To be sure, players like Mendoza — a transfer from Cal who grew up just a few miles from Miami’s “The U” campus — don’t come around often.
Two fourth-down punts by Cignetti in the fourth quarter, after Fletcher’s second touchdown cut the Hurricanes’ deficit to three, put Mendoza in a position to shine.
The first was a 19-yard completion to Charlie Baker on a back shoulder fade that these guys have been perfecting all season. Four plays later came a championship-winning decision and play.
Cignetti sent his kick on fourth-and-4 from the 12, but quickly called his second timeout. The team gathered on the field and the coach drew a lottery for the quarterback, hoping the Hurricanes would be on the defense they had shown before.
“We rolled the dice and said, ‘They’ll be in it again,’ and they did,” Cignetti said. “We tackled it well. He broke a tackle or two and got into the end zone.”
Not known as a guy who runs first, Mendoza slid into one tackle, then took a hit and spun around. He kept his feet, then let go, going horizontal and extending the ball outward — a poster-ready image for a title straight out of the movies.
Maybe they’ll call it “Hoosiers.” This program was so bad that one coach stopped the game early to take a picture of the scoreboard when it said “Indiana 7, Ohio State 6.” The Hoosiers lost 47-7.
However, this year they beat Ohio State in the Big Ten title game en route to a No. 1 seed in the playoff.
They won their first two games by a combined score of 94-25 and Mendoza threw more touchdown passes (eight) than incomplete passes (five).
This was not easy at all.
Fletcher was an individual force, reaching triple figures for the third time in four playoff appearances and turning a moribund offense into something much more.
His first touchdown run was a 57-yard blast from the right sideline that pulled Miami within 10-7 early in the third quarter.
But after forcing an Indiana kick deep into Miami territory, Hoosiers’ Mikael Kamara slid past the ‘Canes’ guards and blocked the kick. Isaiah Jones recovered to make it 17-7 and Miami was in comeback mode the rest of the way.
The game ended at one score, and the ‘Canes, the visiting team playing at home, moved into Indiana territory before Miami native Jamari Sharp pulled off the only miracle of the season. The season will be a miracle for Indiana.
“Did you think something like this was possible? Probably not,” Cignetti said. “But if you keep your nose down and keep working, anything is possible.”
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