INDIANAPOLIS — On Indiana‘s first offensive play, with palpable enthusiasm emanating from the 1000’s of Hoosiers followers in attendance, Fernando Mendoza rolled out, launched the ball after which … took a large hit.
Mendoza, the face of the undefeated Hoosiers’ high-powered offense, landed arduous and laid crumpled on the bottom after taking a shot from Ohio State defender Caden Curry. Because the seconds ticked off, the Indiana trustworthy turned eerily quiet as their star quarterback did not rise up.
“I used to be, like, ‘Oh boy,'” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti stated.
“Apparent concern for his well being,” his father, Fernando Mendoza Sr., informed CBS Sports activities afterwards.
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Mendoza was helped off the sphere, his youthful brother, Alberto, got here in for a play and right away it felt like Indiana’s dream season might have simply gone up in smoke. What felt like a fever dream — Indiana in Indianapolis taking part in for a Massive Ten Championship in soccer — was instantly a nightmare.
After which, one play later, Fernando Mendoza Jr. ran again out to an enormous cheer. He had the wind knocked out of him and was able to do no matter he may to get again on the market. It wasn’t as dangerous because it initially seemed.
“I used to be by no means going to remain down,” Mendoza stated. “And that is one factor I do know — one factor, I say it and I do know it may very well be a little bit interpreted as a little bit criticism generally, however I’ll die for my brothers on that subject. So, regardless of the place it is a intestine punch, whether or not it is a head punch, no matter it’s I am all the time going to get again up.”
That appeared to be the mentality for the complete Indiana soccer staff Saturday evening inside Lucas Oil Stadium. And that emphasis of resiliency is why the unbelievable turned actuality. It is how No. 2 Indiana beat No. 1 Ohio State, 13-10, to win a Massive Ten championship (its first Massive Ten title since 1945) and safe a No. 1 general seed within the School Soccer Playoff. It is how Mendoza might have received the Heisman Trophy via clutch play and some throws that may play on Indiana soccer spotlight reels for many years.
Indiana is one of the best staff in school soccer. Severely.
“Lots of people in all probability thought that wasn’t attainable,” Cignetti stated. “However while you get the proper folks and you’ve got a plan and so they love each other and play for each other and so they commit, something’s attainable.”
There could also be no higher instance of the ability of transformational management in school soccer historical past than what Cignetti has executed in simply two seasons in Bloomington. Inheriting a program with the all-time lowest profitable share in school soccer historical past, Cignetti is an unbelievable 24-2 in two seasons. He now has wins over Ohio State and Oregon. He has, nearly miraculously, delivered back-to-back playoff appearances.
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A yr in the past, critics believed Cignetti and Indiana have been simply one-hit wonders. A loss to Notre Dame within the first-round of the playoff gave these folks all of the ammo they wanted of their beliefs the Hoosiers simply weren’t elite.
However contained in the Indiana program, they believed they actually weren’t that far off from one of the best of one of the best. And after including Mendoza, a coveted switch quarterback from Cal, they believed the offense may very well be even higher than final yr’s group that averaged 41.3 factors per sport.
Towards the nation’s No. 1 protection, Mendoza might not have had his finest sport. The stats aren’t gaudy — 15 of 23 for 222 yards and a landing — and he made a throw he’d like to have again within the second quarter that was intercepted. He is so regular, although, and would not shrink from the second. There have been a number of occasions it felt like Ohio State would possibly draw back on this sport, however the Hoosiers protection by no means backed down. It saved Indiana within the sport lengthy sufficient for Mendoza, a possible top-10 choose in subsequent spring’s 2026 NFL Draft, to do what he does finest and assault the Buckeyes’ proficient protection.
There was the third-quarter deep go to Charlie Becker that became a 51-yard acquire. Three performs later, Mendoza made a terrific throw to Elijah Sarratt, who made a fantastic catch, for a 17-yard landing to offer the Hoosiers a 13-10 lead they’d by no means relinquish. Ohio State by no means gave in, twice getting contained in the redzone and coming away with zero factors. Mendoza lastly delivered the dagger on one other large go to Becker — this one for 33 yards — on a daring third-and-six name from the Hoosiers’ personal 24-yard line.
“The second was by no means going to be too large for him,” a proud Mendoza Sr. informed CBS Sports activities after the sport.
After it was throughout, dozens of members of the family in Mendoza jerseys and shirts gathered outdoors the Indiana locker room ready to rejoice with the 2 Indiana quarterbacks. You can see the pure pleasure and satisfaction on all of the faces of the Mendozas celebrating within the bowels of the Lucas Oil Stadium. It was particularly significant for Fernando Jr. to see his mom Elsa, who seemed to be on the verge of tears at occasions, there in Indianapolis celebrating him. Elsa Mendoza is battling a number of sclerosis.
“It means a ton to see all my members of the family journey out from Miami not figuring out what the end result’s going to be, particularly in an opposed scenario,” the star Indiana QB stated. “My mother, coming from Miami, making the robust journey over right here to Indianapolis, all the time battling, struggling to go see my video games. And my love for her is unconditional.”
There have been Heisman chants after the sport, although each the elder Mendoza and his son gave close to an identical solutions — his father to CBS Sports activities, the youthful Fernando on the press convention dais — about it being a staff award and the way it would not be attainable with out everybody else performing the best way they’ve.
“He is a servant participant who performs for his teammates and for his coaches,” Mendoza Sr. stated of his son. “If he wins — no matter he wins — he all the time places the reward again on his teammates.”
His teammates have been all too blissful to place the reward again on him.
“I really feel prefer it’s one hundred pc sure that he ought to be the Heisman,” operating again Roman Hemby informed CBS Sports activities. “Simply the resiliency, the poise that he has, and the best way that he instructions us as an offense, as a staff, actually. I really feel like he is greater than deserving of that and he’ll he is as humble as they arrive. He by no means actually needs the highlight to be on himself. And I really feel like that is much more of a cause so that you can desire a man like that to be your Heisman, or be your finest participant in school soccer, as a result of he really is, and that is simply the person that he’s.”
Mendoza, a lock to be a Heisman finalist, will discover out quickly sufficient whether or not Hemby was proper. His prime challengers for the award have been Ohio State QB Julian Sayin, who might have been knocked out with a loss, and Vanderbilt dynamo Diego Pavia, whose staff didn’t play on championship weekend.
On this evening, although, it doesn’t matter what occurs transferring ahead, Mendoza and his teammates produced a magical second that may have felt incomprehensible simply two years in the past.
As confetti fell from the ceiling, 1000’s and 1000’s of Indiana followers stayed lengthy after the sport ended to cheer on their Massive Ten champion Hoosiers. And if Cignetti can maintain this staff performing prefer it did, it will not be the final championship they’re going to get to rejoice.
