A Championship for the Hoosiers

Indiana University Wins the College Football National Championship

Photo from Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Last Monday, the Indiana Hoosiers played the Miami Hurricanes in the College Football National Championship. With Indiana being 15-0 going into the game and with Heisman Winner quarterback, Frenando Mendoza, they were favored over the Hurricanes with a spread of -7.5 or -8.5. On the other hand, Miami has one of the most expensive teams, with spending up to 4 million dollars on transfers, allowing them to stack a team full of successful players. 

Miami starts off with the ball and has a turn over on downs. Indiana does the same, and Miami gives that ball right back to them. During this possession, Mendoza took a hard hit, resulting in a bloody lip. This led to a short debate on whether this hit was a personal foul, and set the aggressive tone for the rest of the game. Indiana was the first to get on the board, with a field goal to end the first quarter. 

“Three personal fouls on the quarterback that weren't called on one drive," Cignetti said to USA Today. "I'm all for letting them play, but when you cross the line, you got to call it. And they weren't, they were black and white calls.”

In the start of the second quarter, Indiana took it down the field and scored the first touchdown of the game. The Hoosiers defense held Miami back, and after the Hurricanes field goal hit the uprights, Indiana was up 10-0 at the end of the half. Miami takes on the third quarter with a bang, with Mark Fletcher getting a huge 57-yard touch down. But Indiana retaliated, and blocked the Hurricanes punt and secured the ball in the endzone for another Hoosier touchdown.

Miami starts off the fourth quarter strong. With a touchdown for the hurricanes, Miami reduced the score to 17-14. The Hoosiers get the ball back, and Mendoza takes a diving leap into the endzone for an Indiana touchdown. With six minutes left, Miami needs to score to stay in the game. Freshman Malachi Toney does just that, with a 22-yard pass from Carson Beck, Toney runs it in the endzone with ease. 

“I had to go airborne.” Mendoza said. “I was diving. I would die for my team. Whatever they need me to do... I'm going to die for my team out there.”

With just under two minutes remaining, Indiana hits a field goal making the score 27-21. With the ball back in Beck's hands, he has a chance to throw a game-winning touchdown. However, the Hoosiers defense prepared for this moment, and his pass resulted in an interception to solidify an Indiana national championship.

“I think that overall Indiana deserved that win,” sophomore Johnny Papuchis said. “Miami had the home advantage, but Indiana fans traveled just like they did in Pasadena. I think Frenando 

Mendoza running the ball on fourth down, and extending for the goal line to score that touchdown really affected the end of the game, and led them to victory.”

Coming from no outright Big Ten titles since 1945, no appearances in the Big Ten championship game, no Heisman winners, no Rose Bowl wins and no national titles, Indiana football has come a long way. With NIL money, and the transfer portal changing football, this win has become legendary. We now exist in a college football era where the sport’s historically worst program has become one of its most unforgettable national champions.