Indiana Complete The Fairytale: History Made, Mendoza’s Future

On Monday night in Miami Gardens, the Hoosiers completed a perfect season by edging Miami 27–21 in a title game that stayed tense until the final minute. It was decided by small, brutal margins. A special-teams swing. A handful of third- and fourth-down moments. A defense that refused to blink when Miami made its late push. Jamari Sharpe’s interception sealed it with 44 seconds left, Indiana’s sideline finally exploded, the pressure released, and a season that started as a surprise ended as a program-defining first national crown and for the first time left a smile on Coach Cignetti’s face.

Game Review: Indiana 27, Miami 21

After a long wait, the night started like a championship should. It was a back-and-forth tussle early. Both defenses landed punches. Both sides felt out what would and wouldn’t work. The game started an early punt-fest and Miami having only 18 total yards in the first quarter, Indiana struck first with a Riley Nowakowski 1 yd rushing TD and jumped out to a 10–0 lead, setting the tone with control and patience rather than pure fireworks, but Miami steadied, answered, and turned the first half into a grinding arm-wrestle, getting themselves into field goal position to end the half, a miss from their kicker off the upright left them scoreless to end the first half.

Miami finally cracked it early in the second half thanks to its biggest explosive play of the night: Mark Fletcher Jr. burst for a 57-yard touchdown run to slash the deficit to 10–7 with 11:06 left in the third. It was a jolt, two plays, 47 seconds, and suddenly the championship felt wide open.

But the momentum didn’t last, because Indiana answered with the game’s most chaotic and decisive, turn: a blocked punt from Mikail Kamara returned for a touchdown, pushing the Hoosiers to a 17–7 lead and forcing Miami into catch-up mode again.

From there, Indiana’s offense strung together a legacy defining drive in the fourth: a 12-play, 75-yard march that ended with Fernando Mendoza’s 12-yard touchdown run on 4th-and-4 which will go down in history and will not be forgotten by Hoosier fans for a very long time, stretching the lead to 24–14 and delivering the game’s signature “championship QB” moment.

Miami refused to fold, ripping off an eight-play, 91-yard touchdown drive capped off by a 22-yard TD off a jet-sweep to star freshman Malachi Toney to make it 24–21 with 6:37 left and dragging everyone into a last-possession finish.

Indiana did just enough in the closing minutes to keep Miami from stealing it, and when the Hurricanes got one final shot, the Hoosiers ended it cleanly: Jamari Sharpe intercepted Carson Beck with 44 seconds left, sealing Indiana’s 27–21 win and the program’s first National Championship.

Players Who Defined The Match

Offensive MVP went to Fernando Mendoza, being physically beaten up early, taking multiple big hits early but didn’t shy away from the pressure and consistently made plays all day. He finished 16-of-27 for 186 yards, then delivered the defining play of the night: a 12-yard QB draw touchdown on fourth-and-4 that rebuilt Indiana’s cushion in the fourth quarter. Indiana fans will remember forever he didn’t need “video game numbers,” he just needed to make the one play that mattered most.

🗣️HOOOO HOOOO HOOSIERS #CFBPlayoff x #NeverDaunted pic.twitter.com/L6DCc8ZiOu

— College Football Playoff (@CFBPlayoff) January 20, 2026

Defensive MVP went to Mikail Kamara, and it’s hard to argue with a single snap that literally changed the championship. His punt block in the third quarter led directly to the touchdown that turned a 10–7 grinder into a 17–7 game Indiana could finally control. Star DB D’angelo Ponds was flying all over the fields the entire night and finished with 3 PBUsfrexf and 5 tackles.

Miami’s Mark Fletcher Jr. was the Hurricanes’ engine and ran for 112 yards and two rushing touchdowns, including the 57-yard burst that woke the game up after halftime. Hurricanes QB Carson Beck (19/32, 232 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) played a relatively clean game and made big plays when needed; however, then through the game ending int to lose the championship. Freshman Malachi Toney came up big all day and constantly threatened with the ball in hand, having 10 catches for 122 yards and a TD to put them back within 3 points late in the fourth quarter. Miami’s defensive star duo, Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, were also dominant on the edge all day, combining for 3 sacks and 4.5 TFLs; however, they couldn’t do enough to drag the Hurricanes over the line.

Fernando Mendoza: The Miami Kid Who Turned around Indiana’s Program

Fernando Mendoza’s season is a generational run that no one will forget any time soon: a quarterback overlooked in his own backyard, turning into the symbol of a program’s first title. The Miami native ended up doing it against Miami, too. He steered Indiana through a 16–0 run and capped it with a 27–21 championship win in Miami Gardens. He scored a crucial rushing touchdown and was named offensive MVP.

On the field, Mendoza’s 2025 campaign was built on calm control and relentless efficiency. He finished the season with 3,349 passing yards, 41 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, and a nation-leading 90.3 QBR, production that led him to winning the Heisman Trophy. Even in the title game, when the passing stats weren’t explosive, he still delivered the defining “championship quarterback” moments, the kind that show up when everything tightens, and every snap feels like it decides history.

That persona makes even more sense when you zoom out. Mendoza’s leadership reads as grounded, being composed in interviews, unbothered by noise, and tough enough to lean into contact when the game asks for it. He didn’t just quarterback Indiana to a title; he gave the entire season its character, and his poise became the shortcut explanation for how Indiana’s rise went from “fun story” to “this is actually happening.”

Now the story shifts to the next level. While the draft declaration window is still open, Mendoza is already being treated like the headliner of the class: Most initial 2026 boards have him as the clear-cut favourite to go first overall. In other words, Indiana’s title run didn’t just crown a champion; it likely introduced the NFL’s next top quarterback prospect.

Mendoza’s Future

Mendoza will most likely declare for the 2026 draft, where he is highly touted as the number one prospect and is set to become the franchise QB for a lucky Franchise. The Las Vegas Raiders, who recently fired head coach Pete Carroll, have the first selection in this draft and are expected to pick Mendoza.

The Raiders’ roster situation screams “reset at QB.” Vegas are also after a Quarterback, after Geno Smith had a very poor season and didn’t stabilise things, pointing to turnover issues. With a new head coach as well as young star offensive players such as last year’s first-round pick, RB Ashton Jeanty, and Star TE Brock Bowers, this looks to be a great destination for Mendoza, where he will look to turn around another football team.

Although he will most likely end up at the Las Vegas Raiders, there are still minor talks about franchises looking to trade up to the number 1 pick for Mendoza. So here are some potential teams that may look into a trade:

New York Jets

If any team makes the “we can’t risk it” call, it’s the Jets. They pick 2nd, are widely labelled as a QB-needy roster, and they have enough draft capital to trade up to No. 1 with 4 picks inside the first 2 rounds. After the Justin Fields experiment failed miserably, the Jets will look to move on to a new QB for the 2026 season. The Jets’ most likely prospect was Oregon QB Dante Moore, who was highly ranked as the second-best QB in the class; however, he recently announced that he will return to Oregon for another season. This may leave the Jets desperate in looking for their franchise guy, with their fans being extremely disgusted by their lack of success in recent years.

Cleveland Browns

Cleveland is the “swing big” team because their quarterback room is still unresolved even after taking two bites at the apple last year, Dillon Gabriel in Round 3 and Shedeur Sanders in Round 5. Sanders did get a real look late in the season, but his long-term grip on the job is far from settled, which is exactly how a team talks itself into a blockbuster move for a true QB1 like Mendoza.

Shedeur was looked at by Las Vegas last year, dropping hints pre-draft that he’d love to play for the Raiders and even being seen around the program and now it could be the Browns might consider Mendoza as a potential franchise guy for them, with ammunition to offer a deal as they have two young QBs with big potential as well as 2 first round picks to offer if they consider Mendoza their guy.

Arizona Cardinals

Arizona is the team that could talk itself into a quarterback reset because Kyler Murray’s long-term future has been openly questioned this offseason. There have been reports/rumours suggesting the Cardinals could move on due to his lack of production over the past couple of seasons as well as being very injury prone.

If the Cardinals decide they do want a fresh start, they’re already sitting at Pick No. 3, close enough to the top that trading to No. 1 is realistic compared to teams further down the board. With lots of young talent and draft capital, the Cardinals may look to bite the bullet, take a risk and bring in a new QB under centre, and Mendoza could be that guy.