One Fernando Mendoza Throw May Have Clinched Heisman Trophy for Indiana QB

It certainly clinched the Hoosiers a Big Ten title.

Indiana beat Ohio State 13–10 on Saturday night to claim a Big Ten title. / Fox Sports

The Indiana Hoosiers are Big Ten champions.

Three years ago, that statement would’ve been foolish to write. Indiana posted two winning seasons from 2008 to ‘23—and one of those was the shortened ‘20 campaign. The Hoosiers actually entered the 2025 season as the losingest college football program in Division I history.

But Saturday night, that opening sentence rang true—the Hoosiers beat Ohio State 13–10 at Lucas Oil Stadium to improve to 13–0 and claim the Big Ten title and the likely No. 1 overall seed in the College Football Playoff.

Indiana wouldn’t have sealed the win without one game-changing throw from quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

With 2:40 to play and Indiana, leading 13–10, facing a third-and-6, Mendoza dropped back to pass and fired a laser 30 yards down the field to wide receiver Charlie Becker, who had a step on his defender. Becker reached up to haul it in for a momentum-shifting 33-yard gain.

WHAT A THROW by Fernando Mendoza 😮

(via @CFBONFOX) pic.twitter.com/BMrcLvsXUT

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 7, 2025

That play moved the chains and brought the game clock down to 2:00. By the time Ohio State’s dangerous offense had the ball again, there were just 13 seconds left, and all the Buckeyes could do was heave a couple prayers down the field to no avail.

Ball game.

“What an incredible—Charlie’s been ... every single day in summer, we would always throw before practice. At 7 a.m. on Sundays. Doing spots, doing routes, and now you see it come to fruition,” Mendoza said on the Fox broadcast after the game. “He’s my roommate—gotta be happy for such a young man as well, as well as our defense playing lights out.”

Mendoza’s throw secured the conference title for the Hoosiers. And it may have also clinched the Heisman Trophy for the 22-year-old quarterback.

Fernando Mendoza emerges as front-runner to win the Heisman Trophy

Mendoza has been in the Heisman conversation all season long. Entering Saturday night, the junior had completed 72% of his passes for 2,758 yards, 32 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He threw for another 222 yards with one score and one pick Saturday night against Ohio State—not a masterclass by any means, but he accomplished what no quarterback could all year and beat the defending national champs.

The Heisman Trophy being awarded to the star quarterback of the only undefeated team remaining in Division I college football sounds about right.

And Mendoza is not done yet.

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