Fernando Mendoza Was Nothing but Clutch in National Championship Win

Fernando Mendoza delivered a clutch performance with the national championship on the line.

Fernando Mendoza led Indiana football to their first national championship in program history. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated.

Fernando Mendoza has done what no quarterback has done before—he’s led Indiana to a national championship.

With a 27-21 win over Miami in the College Football Playoff national championship game, the Cinderella story is complete. Mendoza led the Hoosiers to a perfect 16-0 record while becoming the fifth quarterback to win the Heisman and a national title in the same season.

This was a different kind of win for Mendoza and the Hoosiers after their blowout postseason wins over Alabama and Oregon to reach the national championship game. Mendoza threw eight touchdowns to five incompletions in those games, cruising to victory as the Hoosiers ran over their opposition.

While Indiana got off to a 10-0 lead by halftime in the title game, this was a much tougher battle. From the get-go, Miami had a clear plan of attack on defense—pressure and hit Mendoza. It was also clear early on that the officials did not want to interfere too much with the game.

The game began as a defensive battle, and Mendoza started out as his usual efficient self. He once again did well completing short passes to his receivers and executing RPOs to get the ball into his playmakers hands quickly. It was far from a flashy start for Mendoza, but with Indiana’s defense shutting down Miami’s offense in the first half, he played smart football. Most importantly, he maintained his standard poise even when the Hurricanes controversially hit him late and were not flagged.

The second half did not start out so smoothly. After going 12-of-17 for 116 yards in the first half, Mendoza did not complete a pass in the third quarter, and was sacked multiple times. As the offense lagged, the Hoosiers’ only points in the third quarter came off a blocked punt returned for a touchdown.

But as he has done all season, Mendoza came through in the fourth quarter, when it mattered most. The Hurricanes responded to their touchdown off the blocked punt with a touchdown of their own to cut the Hoosiers’ lead to 17-14.

On the ensuing drive, Mendoza and Indiana found themselves in fourth-and-5 after Miami was not flagged for what appeared to be a clear hold. With the pressure on, Mendoza completed a back shoulder pass to trusty receiver Charlie Becker for the first down. A few plays later, they faced fourth-and-5 again, this time in the red zone. The Hoosiers appeared ready to settle for the field goal before Curt Cignetti called timeout and decided to go for it. Mendoza took the football himself, and ran through a wall of defenders for a touchdown to give them a two-possession lead once again.

FERNANDO. MENDOZA.

THE PLAY OF A LIFETIME ‼️ pic.twitter.com/g3o5nNNslr

— ESPN (@espn) January 20, 2026

The Hurricanes responded again with a touchdown of their own, and Mendoza once again came through with multiple third-down conversions to help Indiana notch another field goal and extend their lead to 27-21.

FERNANDO MENDOZA TO CHARLIE BECKER 🔥 #NationalChampionship pic.twitter.com/HwrJDMiUOp

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 20, 2026

The defense closed out the game by intercepting Carson Beck, sealing the Hoosiers’ first national title.

Mendoza finishes the game 16-of-27 for 186 yards along with one rushing touchdown. It might have not been his most outstanding performance on the stat sheet, but in the clutch moments, Mendoza executed with the play to ensure the Hoosiers needed to win the national title. It’s a trait that’s made him the Heisman trophy winner, a national champion and likely the No. 1 pick next April.

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