Going into Monday’s championship between Indiana University and Miami, the anticipation in our state was immeasurable. On the cusp of a perfect season, IU entered in prime position to win its first college football championship in its history, a remarkable feat considering the downtrodden state the program has been in throughout its history. The Hoosiers began the season as the program with the worst record in college football history. No hyperbole needed: IU entered the season with an all-time record of 715 program losses.
The championship game came on the heels of a state’s sports culture traumatized by a lack of success. Most recently, the Colts started the season promisingly with an 8-2 record but ended with a subpar 8-9 record after quarterback Daniel Jones' Achilles injury. The Fever entered their season with championship aspirations, but injuries to Caitlin Clark and others led to a thrilling exit in the 2025 WNBA semifinals. The Pacers had the chance to secure their first NBA championship in franchise history, only for those hopes to be decimated by an Achilles injury to Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton in the first quarter. In a similar situation to the Pacers' in June, the Hoosiers had the chance to earn their first championship in program history.
IU entered the game with an undefeated record following massive wins over Oregon and Alabama in their previous two games, scoring over 90 points combined. Miami had the advantage of playing the National Championship in their home stadium, but entered the championship following tight wins over Texas A&M, Ohio State and Ole Miss, winning all of those games by an average of only seven points.
The Hoosiers' offense, led by star quarterback and Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza, scored an average of 41.6 points per game during the season. However, going into the second quarter of the National Championship against Miami, the Hoosiers were deadlocked in a physical battle, leading only 3-0 on a field goal. The field goal was set up by Junior Omar Cooper’s 25-yard catch before Nico Radicic knocked through the 35-yarder. The physical nature of the game was captured perfectly by Mendoza’s bloody lip after he took a hit in the head from a Miami defender.
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza’s bloody lip following hit from Miami defender in the 1st quarter.
(Photo courtesy of ESPN)
The Hoosiers scored their first touchdown of the day on a short run by senior Riley Nowakowski with around six minutes remaining in the quarter. Nowakowski had only one rushing attempt all season, which also resulted in a touchdown. Still, IU Head Coach Curt Cignetti and the coaching staff trusted him in the biggest game of the season, and he delivered. Nowakowski’s rushing stats for the whole season are two rushes for two yards and two touchdowns, one of which propelled IU to a 10-0 lead over Miami. As the 2nd quarter came to a close, the Miami offense was finally able to get going with a big 4th and 1 conversion. The drive stalled, forcing the Hurricanes to attempt a 50-yard field goal, which doinked off the right upright. The Hoosiers went into the half with all the momentum and a 10-0 advantage in line to receive the second half kickoff.
Although Indiana had a prime opportunity to extend their lead to 17-0, their first possession of the half stalled with the Miami defense sacking Mendoza twice on the drive. The Hoosiers were forced to punt, giving Miami the ball back. Following a short pass to 18-year-old star freshman Malachi Toney, Miami finally got the big play it needed with a 57-yard touchdown run by junior running back Mark Fletcher Jr., making the score 10-7.
The Hoosiers weren’t able to do much with their following two possessions and were forced to punt both times. Punter Mitch McCarthy had an excellent game, twice pinning the Hurricanes inside their own 20-yard line. Miami, backed up to its own 7-yard line, was forced to punt with five minutes left in the 3rd quarter. However, the punt was blocked by IU’s Mikail Kamara, resulting in Isaiah Jones recovering the ball in the endzone for an IU touchdown. In a game where the high-scoring IU offense had only managed 10 points, the special teams unit came up big with the blocked punt, putting the Hoosiers up 17-7 with five minutes left in the third quarter. Miami responded to the blocked punt with a long drive of their own, ending in a touchdown run by Fletcher Jr, his second of the game.
Indiana's Mikail Kamara blocking the punt attempt by Miami punter Dylan Joyce with 5 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.
Photo Courtesy of AP/Lynne Sladky
Following Miami’s touchdown, IU got the ball back entering the 4th quarter with a 17-14 lead. A screen pass to Cooper for a gain of 20 put the Hoosiers on the Miami side of the field before the drive stalled with 11 minutes left in the game. Cignetti and the team were forced to go for it on 4th down and 5. After taking a timeout, he elected to go for it and was rewarded as Mendoza hit Charlie Becker for a big conversion in the red zone.
However, a few plays later, the Hoosiers were again faced with a big 4th and 5, 12 yards away from a touchdown with 9:27 left in the game. Once again, following a timeout, Cignetti opted to go for it again in one of the most significant moments in IU history. Mendonza ran the ball up the middle on a QB draw, cut back to avoid the initial defender, bounced off the hit of a Miami defender, and completed an airborne dive to the end zone to put IU up 24-14 with nine minutes left. As big as his touchdown was, it would not seal the game.
Indiana's quarterback Fernando Mendoza diving over the goal line on a big 4th and 5 play to put Indiana up 10.
(Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel/Imagn Images)
Miami, led by quarterback Carson Beck, went on a long drive from their own 8-yard line, resulting in a 20-yard touchdown catch by Toney to make it a 24-21 game for IU with 6:44 left in the game. The Hurricanes were helped on the drive by a big 3rd and 15 conversion from Beck to Alex Bauman for 22 yards. Their lead cut to 3, the Hoosiers went on a long drive with multiple runs from Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black, taking up nearly five minutes of crunching clock time. After the two-minute warning and a 9-yard run by Hemby, IU faced a 2nd and 1 at the Miami 14-yard line with the opportunity to run the clock out. Unfortunately, junior offensive lineman Carter Smith was called for a false start, both pushing the Hoosiers back 5 yards and stopping the clock
Two plays later, IU was forced to kick a 35-yard field goal, which was converted by kicker Radicic, to make it 27-21 with 1:47 left. Beck and Miami would get the chance to win the game with 1 minute and 40 seconds left from their own 25-yard line. The drive started poorly for the Hurricanes, with a delay-of-game penalty on 1st and 10. However, after a personal foul penalty called on IU on 2nd and 15, Beck completed short passes on the three plays after the penalty, positioning them at the IU 41-yard line with 58 seconds left.
Before a big 1st and 10 for Miami, Cignetti used his last timeout with 51 seconds remaining on the clock. Beck, on the next play, looking for a deep pass down the field, was intercepted by Indiana’s Jamari Sharp, all but sealing the first-ever championship for IU. Following a few kneel-downs by Mendoza to run out the clock, Indiana University had officially won its first-ever championship in football.
Indiana defensive back Jamari Sharpe intercepts Beck to seal the championship for the Hoosiers.
(Photo courtesy of Yahoo Sports)
Coach Cignetti inherited a team that finished 3-9 in the 2023 season and led them to an undefeated season culminating in a championship just two seasons later. In the postgame interview, he cited the guts and chances it took to win the game while praising Mendoza for his toughness. Mendoza talked about the special “IU Hoosiers’ Synergy” that the team had. For a program that went through a 36-year drought without winning a bowl game and endured countless losing seasons, a national championship is the perfect reward for such patience.
As the celebration of a historic season continues this week, many IU players will be recognized at the next level by the NFL. 14 players will automatically be placed into the NFL draft pool due to their college eligibility ending. This includes critical players such as running backs Black, Hemby, and linebacker Aiden Fisher. Others, such as Mendoza and cornerback D’Dangelo Ponds, are expected to declare for the NFL draft in the upcoming days. As of December, ESPN projects that 15 IU players will be selected in this year’s draft. At the top of the list is Mendoza, who is being projected by many to be drafted number one overall by the Las Vegas Raiders, who are in need of a quarterback.
With Mendoza inevitably shifting his focus from celebration to preparing for his potential arrival in Las Vegas, the IU program may look different next year with so many of its best players moving on. Despite this, Cignetti has given this football program great hope for the future, and we should expect more success from this team in the coming years as the state celebrates this week.
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