Heisman Trophy Favorite Fernando Mendoza Trying To Ignore Individual Hype

Indiana football has garnered more attention than ever the last two seasons, going 19-2 and rising to No. 2 in the nation.

But for quarterback Fernando Mendoza, staying level-headed despite all the outside praise is key to his success.

"Personally, I have deleted all my social media," Mendoza said after Saturday's 56-6 win over UCLA. "The only social media that's on my phone right now is LinkedIn and and YouTube to watch videos. I have [my brother] Alberto handle my Instagram and some marketing people handle my Instagram. But other than that I'm not on any social media, especially because I want to keep everything inside the building."

Indiana Football — Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Elijah Sarratt (left) and quarterback Fernando Mendoza (right) celebrate after defeating the Oregon Ducks 30-20 at Autzen Stadium. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Whether or not he's aware of it by now, Mendoza is the current Heisman Trophy favorite with +260 odds on the Draft Kings Sportsbook. Close behind is Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson at +360, followed by Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin at +380 and Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed at +600.

There's a lot of football left to be played, but a potential matchup between undefeated Indiana and No. 1 Ohio State in the Big Ten championship could go along way in determining the Heisman Trophy winner.

Elsewhere, No. 4 Alabama has rattled off seven straight wins –– four of which came against ranked opponents –– after losing at Florida State in the season opener. Reed and the third-ranked Aggies took down Notre Dame early in the season and most recently defeated No. 20 LSU to remain undefeated.

Player	Stats
Fernando Mendoza, Indiana	148-203 (72.9%), 1,923 passing yards, 24 TD, 3 INT, 196 rushing yards, 3 rushing TD
Ty Simpson, Alabama	177-261 (67.8%), 2,184 passing yards, 20 TD, 1 INT, 79 rushing yards, 2 rushing TD
Julian Sayin, Ohio State	156-195 (80%), 1,872 passing yards, 19 TD, 3 INT, 17 rushing yards, 0 rushing TD
Marcel Reed, Texas A&M	137-223 (61.4%), 1,972 passing yards, 17 TD, 6 INT, 349 rushing yards, 6 rushing TD

Despite putting up impressive stats for the 8-0 Hoosiers, Mendoza does not want to overlook his mistakes or ignore pathways to improvement. That might be easy for some to do after a 50-point win like Indiana achieved Saturday against UCLA, but Mendoza is doing his best to remain focused.

"Whether today [against UCLA], although it was a great win, I still started the game off a little sloppy, wasn't great on my technique. So there's a lot of things that –– I don't want to go to the outside noise and kind of get the, 'Oh, they're so great,' and kind of forget about those issues that I need to build on and vice versa. So I'm just really trying to keep it in the building, and we have such great coaches, so I'm just really trying to keep my focus on listening to their advice and their feedback."

Cignetti often speaks of the importance of avoiding complacency and treating every game with the utmost important. Through eight games, the Hoosiers have followed that guidance.

At the same time, that's led to a larger spotlight being placed on Mendoza than ever before. He transferred to Indiana from Cal, where back-to-back 6-7 seasons garnered little national hype.

Fernando Mendoza Indiana Football — Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) throws a pass against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

While this is new territory for Mendoza, Cignetti has not yet felt the need to have a conversation with his quarterback about handling the added pressure that comes with that.

"Up to this point we haven't had a one-on-one regarding that," Cignetti said Monday. "I know he's got a lot of support off the field. My messages to the team are always about staying focused on the here and now and things that affect preparation and positive performance and eliminating the noise and clutter. And he's always tuned into those messages as well."

"But as we move further down the road on a daily basis, the antenna is always up. But I think he's handled it great. He improves every week, makes plays. And I thought he made a lot of really nice plays Saturday."

Mendoza has already had a few Heisman-type moments this season, such as leading a late fourth-quarter touchdown drive that gave Indiana a 27-20 lead at No. 3 Oregon, or his 49-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Sarratt that put the Hoosiers ahead by seven with 1:28 remaining at Iowa.

And if he keep stacking great games on top of each other, he could very well become the first Indiana Hoosier to win the Heisman Trophy.

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