The Indiana Hoosiers completely dominated the Oregon Ducks in their College Football Playoff semifinal matchup, with Fernando Mendoza leading his team to a 56-22 win in the Peach Bowl.
While the defense set the tone early with their pick six on the first play of the game, Mendoza continued to play nearly flawless football, throwing more touchdown passes than incompletions, again. The projected No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft completed 17 of the 20 passes he threw, finishing with 177 yards and five touchdowns.
Along with that, Mendoza, this year’s Heisman Trophy winner, had 28 rushing yards on six carries. That strong performance carried the No. 1 Hoosiers to the National Championship Game, where they’ll meet the Miami Hurricanes.
Despite the Indiana quarterback’s impressive outing, he didn’t hesitate to admit he’s got more work to do, which is a scary prospect for his upcoming opponents.
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While head coach Curt Cignetti praised Mendoza’s performance, his quarterback celebrated his teammates. He praised Charlie Becker, Omar Cooper Jr., E.J. Williams Jr., and Elijah Sarratt for making highlight plays and contested catches during the game.
“There are always things to improve, and especially with the national championship coming up, it’s important not to dwell on the past. This is the national championship…there’s no time to celebrate. This is what everybody dreams of, and I’m going to put every ounce of my body into preparing for this next game,” Mendoza told reporters at the postgame press conference.
Six Indiana receivers caught passes, but Sarratt was Mendoza’s top receiver, finishing with 75 yards and two touchdowns on seven receptions. However, Becker had 48 yards, including an impressive 36-yard touchdown from Mendoza’s pass.
In the Championship Game, Miami presents an impressive, imposing physical defense that some feel could disrupt the Hoosiers. The Indiana quarterback will need to adjust to any mistakes he made, though, based on how they took down Oregon in the Peach Bowl, it didn’t appear there were many.
Mendoza has already achieved the Heisman Trophy, and an undefeated season is still moving along. However, he realizes there’s more work to do if he wants to defeat the Hurricanes and add a National Championship to his resume.
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