Alabama Raves About Indiana Football QB Fernando Mendoza: 'A Reason He Won Heisman'

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — When Indiana football quarterback Fernando Mendoza takes the field Thursday during the Rose Bowl, Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb will have the luxury of watching, not scheming against, the Heisman Trophy-winning passer.

"Just really fired up to go against the No. 1 team in the country, see Mendoza in person," Grubb said Saturday in his press conference. "A Heisman Trophy winner and heck of a quarterback."

Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack, who's tasked with slowing down the nation's leader in touchdown passes, may not share the same excitement.

"There's a reason he won the Heisman Trophy," Wommack said Sunday. "He's a fantastic player. The offense goes with him, right? He's the leader of that offense and he's the reason why they're able to do the things they're able to do and be efficient."

Mendoza leads No. 1 Indiana (13-0) into its College Football Playoff opener against No. 9 Alabama at 4 p.m. Jan. 1 in Pasadena, Calif., marking the Hoosiers' first Rose Bowl appearance since 1968.

The redshirt junior grew accustomed to playing with the tag and pressure of a Heisman hopeful. Now, with his name etched into the trophy's history, Mendoza will carry the weight of the expectations that accompany winning the sport's most prestigious award.

Yet his mind, Indiana center Pat Coogan said Saturday, is clearer than ever. Mendoza has games to win, not awards to cloud his thoughts.

"I know he's been happy to kind of close that chapter and get back to ball and get back to game planning for an opponent," Coogan said. "It's a memory we all made for a lifetime. But I know, and we all know, he's happy to kind of move forward and get ready for battle."

Alabama poses the first obstacle in the Hoosiers' path to the College Football Playoff title. The Crimson Tide boast one of the nation's best defenses, ranking No. 13 in yards allowed per game, No. 10 in passing yards allowed and No. 13 in scoring.

Indiana's offense, however, enters the Rose Bowl with more pristine. The Hoosiers are No. 4 nationally in scoring, averaging 41.9 points per game, and No. 8 in total offense, collecting 472.8 yards per game.

Wommack, who spent 2018-20 as an assistant at Indiana under coach Tom Allen, said the Hoosiers' offense is efficient and explosive — and it all starts with Mendoza.

"He knows where to go with the ball," Wommack said. "He's very decisive. He makes great decisions, can make all the throws and make the explosive plays when it matters most."

Alabama is 3-5 in its last eight games against Heisman Trophy winners, according to 247Sports. Wommack said the Crimson Tide naturally want to stop quarterbacks no matter if they've won the Heisman, though he acknowledged Mendoza's accolade may add motivation for Alabama's defense.

"Certainly, if they've won the Heisman, it's a tremendous challenge for us," Wommack said. "He's operating at a really high level. He's executing at a really high level. And so, the rally cry for our guys is you're going to have to operate at a really consistent level and you're going to have to take away those windows that he wants to get the ball to.

"That means it's not just the coverage. We have to be able to rush. We have to be able to affect the quarterback some."

The Crimson Tide are tied for sixth in the SEC in both sacks (30) and interceptions (11) through 14 games. They're tied for the conference lead with three pick-sixes.

Mendoza has thrown one interception in five of Indiana's six games away from Memorial Stadium, though he's responded by leading go-ahead and/or game-winning drives during the second half in four of them.

Wommack said the turnover margin will be a "huge indicator to who wins that game." Indiana is the nation's best team in turnover margin at plus-1.4, in large part, Wommack acknowledged, due to its discipline and detail. Mendoza embodies it, but so does the offense around him.

"They're probably as disciplined and detailed as an offense as we have faced," Wommack said. "I think their physicality shows up on tape. They play the game physical from an offensive line standpoint, their tight ends in blocking. Their run game, I think they do a great job. If you give them four yards and a cloud of dust, they'll take it all day long.

"They've got great RPO answers matched off their run game as well. But I think the thing that stands out probably as much as anything is they make plays when it matters most. And they have made the plays to put them in position to be undefeated to this point in the season."

Indiana boasts one of the nation's best receiving duos in senior Elijah Sarratt, who led the Big Ten with 12 touchdown catches this season, and redshirt junior Omar Cooper Jr., who caught a team-high 58 passes for 804 yards and ranked tied for seventh nationally with 11 receiving scores.

The Hoosiers' receivers impressed Wommack with their ability to finish at the catch point, compete at the top of routes and step up in key moments. They also drew praise for their willingness to block, which has sprung big runs from seniors Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black.

Indiana rushes for 221.2 yards per game, which ranks 10th in Division I. The Hoosiers' offense is centered around run-pass options, putting the ball in Mendoza's hands, and mind, with high frequency.

Be it with Mendoza's arm or the legs of Hemby and Black, Indiana's offense puts defenses into conflict — and Wommack acknowledged the Hoosiers pose a difficult challenge.

"They have a very good, detailed, RPO scheme and answers in their run game," Wommack said. "So, they do a great job. They can bleed you down the field if you allow them to do that. We have to do a great job of playing with vision and rallying to the ball and driving on those short throws so we don't allow them to create more things down the field.

"They have a very trusted run game that has showed up for them in just about every single game. They haven't blown the doors off in every single game rushing the ball, but they're very efficient in what they do and stay on schedule."

Alabama limited Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who finished second in Heisman voting behind Mendoza, to 21-for-35 passing for 198 yards, one touchdown and an interception in the Crimson Tide's 30-14 victory Oct. 4 in Tuscaloosa.

But Mendoza presents a different challenge. He spearheaded Indiana to the first undefeated season in program history and first Big Ten title since 1967 — and he has aspirations of leading the Hoosiers to their first national championship.

Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer's team has a chance to play spoiler. But DeBoer, the offensive coordinator at Indiana in 2019, knows the Crimson Tide face an uphill battle to slow Mendoza.

"With Mendoza winning the Heisman, that doesn't happen by accident," DeBoer said. "You put a whole season of film together, of games and stringing them each and every week and you end up undefeated because a trigger man can make some plays and do his things at an extremely high level."