INDIANAPOLIS — On. Indianathe team's first offensive play, with palpable enthusiasm emanating from the thousands of Hoosiers fans in attendance, Fernando Mendoza rolled out, released the ball, and then… received a powerful blow.
Mendoza, the face of the undefeated Hoosiers' powerful offense, landed hard and collapsed after being hit with a Ohio defender Kayden Curry. As the seconds ticked by, the Indiana fans grew eerily silent as their star quarterback did not stand up.
“I thought, 'Oh my God!' Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said.
“Obviously a concern for his health,” his father, Fernando Mendoza Sr., told CBS Sports afterward.
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Mendoza was helped off the field, his younger brother Alberto entered the game, and in an instant, it looked like Indiana's dream season may have just gone up in smoke. What seemed like a fever dream—Indiana in Indianapolis playing for the Big Ten football championship—suddenly turned into a nightmare.
And then, one play later, Fernando Mendoza Jr. ran back out to loud applause. It knocked the wind out of him and he was willing to do whatever it took to get back there. Everything was not as bad as it seemed at first.
“I never intended to stay down,” Mendoza said. “And that’s one thing I know — one thing, I say this, and I know sometimes it can be a little bit construed as a little criticism, but I will die for my brothers on this field. So no matter where it’s a punch to the gut, whether it’s a punch to the head, whatever it is, I’m always going to get up.”
That seemed to be the mentality of the entire Indiana football team Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium. It is through this focus on sustainability that the improbable becomes reality. Here's how No. 2 Indiana beat No. 1 Ohio State 13-10.to win the Big Ten Championship (the first Big Ten title since 1945) and finish first overall. College football Playoffs. That's how Mendoza may have won the Heisman Trophy with clutch play and some throws that will play on Indiana football highlight reels for decades to come.
Indiana is the best team in college football. Seriously.
“A lot of people probably thought it was impossible,” Cignetti said. “But when you have the right people and you have a plan and they love each other and play for each other and commit to each other, anything is possible.”
There is perhaps no better example of the power of transformational leadership in the history of college football than what Cignetti did in just two seasons in Bloomington. Inheriting a program with the lowest winning percentage in college football history, Cignetti is an incredible 24-2 in two seasons. Now he has victories over Ohio State and Oregon. He almost miraculously managed to make back-to-back playoff appearances.
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A year ago, critics thought that “Signetti” and “Indiana” were just one-hit wonders. Loss for Our Lady in the first round of the playoffs gave these people all the ammunition they needed as they believed the Hoosiers simply weren't elite.
But inside the Indiana program, they believed they weren't actually that far off from the best of the best. And after adding Mendoza, coveted transfer guard from CalThey believed the offense could be even better than last year's group, which averaged 41.3 points per game.
Against the number one defenseman in the country, Mendoza may not have had his best game. The stat line isn't particularly glamorous – 15 of 23 for 222 yards and a touchdown – and in the second quarter he made a throw he would have loved to repeat, but it was intercepted. However, he is so resilient and does not back down from this point on. Several times it looked like Ohio State might pull away in this game, but the Hoosiers' defense never backed down. This kept Indiana in the game long enough for Mendoza. a likely top-10 pick in next spring's 2026 NFL Draft.to do what he does best and attack a talented Buckeyes defense.
In the third quarter there was a deep pass to Charlie Becker it turned into a 51-yard gain. Three plays later, Mendoza made a stunning shot into the net. Elijah Surrattwho made a beautiful catch for a 17-yard touchdown, giving the Hoosiers a 13–10 lead they would never relinquish. Ohio State never gave up, getting into the red zone twice and coming away scoreless. Mendoza finally threw another big pass to Becker – this time 33 yards – on a bold third-and-6 call from the Hoosiers' own 24-yard line.
“That moment was never too big for him,” a proud Mendoza senior told CBS Sports after the game.
After it was over, dozens of family members wearing Mendoza jerseys and T-shirts gathered outside Indiana's locker room, waiting to celebrate with Indiana's two defensive backs. You could see the pure joy and pride on the faces of all the Mendozas celebrating in the bowels of Lucas Oil Stadium. It was especially special for Fernando Jr. to see his mother Elsa, who was on the verge of tears at times, in Indianapolis celebrating him. Elsa Mendoza is battling multiple sclerosis.
“It means a lot to me to see all my family members leaving Miami I don’t know what the outcome will be, especially in a bad situation,” the Indiana star QB said. “My mom came from Miami, made a tough trip here to Indianapolis, always fought, tried her best to go see my games. And my love for her is unconditional.”
There was a Heisman chant after the game, although both the elder Mendoza and his son gave almost identical answers – his father CBS Sports, the younger Fernando at the press conference podium – about how it was a team award and how it wouldn't have been possible if everyone else hadn't acted the way they did.
“He's a servant player who plays for his teammates and for his coaches,” Mendoza Sr. said of his son. “If he wins—no matter what he wins—he always praises his teammates.”
His teammates were all too happy to praise him back.
“I feel like I'm 100 percent sure he should be a Heisman,” the running back. Roman Hemby told CBS Sports. “Just his toughness, his poise and the way he commands us as a striker, as a team. I feel like he's more than deserving of it and he'll be as humble as they come. the person he is.”
Mendoza, who could be a Heisman finalist, will find out soon enough whether Hemby was right. His top contenders for the award were Ohio State QBs. Julian Sayinwho may have been knocked out in defeat, and Vanderbilt dynamo Diego Paviawhose team did not play on championship weekend.
But on this night, no matter what happened next, Mendoza and his teammates created a moment of magic that would have seemed unfathomable just two years ago.
As confetti fell from the ceiling, thousands upon thousands of Indiana fans stayed long after the game ended to cheer on their Big Ten champion Hoosiers. And if Cignetti can keep this team together, this won't be the last championship they can celebrate.
