MIAMI GARDENS, FL — A gutsy 4th-down call and a herculean effort by Heisman trophy winner Fernando Mendoza lifted Indiana over Miami to the Hoosiers' first-ever national title, 27-21.
Faced with a 4th and four with 9:18 left in the game, Mendoza broke several tackles and dove into the end zone for a 12-yard score that ultimately put the game away.
"I had to go airborne," Mendoza said after the game. "I would die for my team."
The Heisman Trophy winner finished with 186 yards on 16/27 passing to go along with a touchdown run.
"I'll tell you what it took to come out ahead in this game: a lot of guts," Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti said to ESPN on the field. "We took some chances and found a way. Let me tell you, we won the national championship at Indiana University. It can be done."
The game did not start fast, with both teams' defenses forcing several punts in the 1st quarter. Indiana built a 10-0 lead midway through the second quarter after TE Riley Nowakowski punched the ball into the end zone from a yard out. Miami would miss a pivotal field goal as time expired in the first half to trail at the break, 10-0.
In the second half, the Hurricanes finally came alive. Miami's Mark Fletcher Jr. burst through through the line to score a 57-yard touchdown to pull the Hurricanes within three points. Indiana answered. The Hoosiers' defense blocked a punt at Miami's 16-yard line and returned it for a score. Indiana led 17-7 headed to the 4th quarter.
Indiana Wins First-Ever National Championship 2026
Miami proved they deserved to be in the title game by responding again in the 4th quarter. Fletcher Jr. scored his second touchdown of the night on a 3-yard run to pull the Hurricanes back within three points. However, Indiana would not be denied. Following the touchdown, Mendoza led the Hoosiers down the field on a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, capped off by Mendoza's game-sealing touchdown run. Some would see the decision by Cignetti to go for it instead of kicking a field goal in that situation as crazy, but as Cignetti said in the post-game interview, it took guts to win this game.
The Hurricanes would respond again, scoring a touchdown, but a clutch field goal from the Hoosiers put Indiana up six points with less than two minutes to play. Miami drove into Hoosier territory, but an errant throw from Carson Beck down the sideline effectively ended the game. Indiana's Jamari Sharpe picked off the deep pass, and the offense ran out the final 42 seconds to claim victory, 27-21.
Carson Beck finished the game with 232 passing yards, a touchdown and an interception. Mark Fletcher Jr. had an excellent night for the Hurricanes, carrying the rock 17 times for 112 yards and two touchdowns.
Indiana becomes the first Division I college football team to finish a season 16-0 in the modern era. The last team to do it was the 1894 Yale Bulldogs, who also finished 16-0. At the FCS level, North Dakota State finished 16-0 back in 2019.
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