Fernando Mendoza grew up just a couple miles away from the University of Miami campus and dreamed of becoming the quarterback of the Hurricanes.
But while he was playing at Columbus High, the staff of then-Miami coach Manny Diaz wasn't high on the local kid, so Mendoza was set to attend Yale. However, Cal came into the picture and he redshirted his first season with the Golden Bears, then started the next two before transferring to Indiana following the 2024 season.
Mendoza delivered the biggest form of payback possible on Monday night as he guided Indiana to its first football national championship with a 27-21 victory over his hometown Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff title game at Miami Gardens, Fla.
Mendoza, the Offensive Player of the Game, rushed for a pivotal touchdown in the fourth quarter with the type of individual effort that will go down in Hoosiers lore.
"This is the most special moment of my life," Mendoza said after the victory. "It's super sweet for myself. I was a two-star recruit coming out of high school. I got declined for a walk-on offer from the University of Miami. Full circle moment. Played in Miami (tonight) in front of friends and family."
Defensive Player of the Game Mikail Kamara had a key blocked punt and Miami native Jamari Sharpe intercepted the Hurricanes' Carson Beck with 44 seconds left as the top-seeded Hoosiers (16-0) put an exclamation point on their rags-to-riches story.
Indiana went 9-27 over a three-season span earlier this decade, but the Hoosiers are 27-2 in two seasons under coach Curt Cignetti.
"We won the national championship at Indiana University," Cignetti said. "It can be done. I'm so happy for our fans. Words can't describe it."
Riley Nowakowski rushed for an Indiana score, and Isaiah Jones fell on the blocked punt in the end zone. Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner, completed 16 of 27 passes for 186 yards for the Hoosiers, who were the designated home team despite the contest being in the Hurricanes' stadium.
Cignetti said there wouldn't be a national championship without Mendoza, who led the nation with 41 touchdown passes despite not throwing one on Monday for the second time this season.
"He's so tough. He got his head beat in," Cignetti said. "He had no time. He keeps getting back up. Just a great competitor. There's no way this gets done without this kind of performance at that position. I can't say enough great things about him."
Mark Fletcher Jr. rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries for 10th-seeded Miami (13-3). Beck connected on 19 of 32 passes for 232 yards, one touchdown and the costly interception, while Malachi Toney made 10 catches for 122 yards and a TD.
The Hurricanes have won five national titles, the most recent coming in the 2001 season. Miami coach Mario Cristobal had high praise for the current players after the setback.
"That's a really resilient, tough, really special group of human beings," Cristobal said. "They are all elite competitors and they are the best thing to happen to the University of Miami and the community in 25 years."
Miami trailed 10-0 before Fletcher ran wide of right tackle and scurried 57 yards for a touchdown with 11:06 left in the third quarter. It was the longest run of Fletcher's career.
Later in the quarter, the Hurricanes were in punt formation and Kamara got his left hand on the slow-moving boot from Dylan Joyce. Jones recovered the ball in the end zone to give Indiana a 17-7 lead with 5:04 left in the period.
"I just saw the blood in the water," Kamara said. "I shot my shot and I heard that double thud and it was over."
The Hurricanes responded from that blow with a 10-play, 81-yard drive. Fletcher scored from the 3 on the first play of the fourth quarter to pull Miami within three.
Indiana then twice converted on fourth downs on the next drive to push its lead back to 10.
On fourth-and-5 at the Miami 37-yard line, Mendoza hit Charlie Becker for 19 yards and a first down.
Then on fourth-and-4 from the 12, Indiana called on Mendoza to keep the ball and he secured the first down, broke a tackle and then lunged into the air and across the goal line to make it 24-14 with 9:18 remaining in the game.
"I had to go airborne," Mendoza said. "I would die for my team."
Miami answered with an eight-play, 91-yard march. Toney took a reverse 22 yards for the score to trim Indiana's lead to three with 6:37 left.
Mendoza completed third-down throws to Omar Cooper Jr. for 14 yards and Becker for 19 yards on the ensuing drive, setting up Nico Radicic's 35-yard field goal with 1:42 left to leave the Hurricanes in need of a touchdown.
"Credit to Indiana. Great football team, but our guys never stopped," Cristobal said. "At the end, we had a turnover. We had a chance to win all the way to the end, but we didn't get it done."
The Hoosiers limited Miami to 69 yards and three first downs while taking a 10-0 halftime lead.
Indiana got on the board on Radicic's 34-yard field goal with 2:42 left in the opening quarter.
The Hoosiers increased their lead to 10 with a 14-play, 85-yard drive. Nowakowski bulled in from the 1 with 6:13 left in the half.
--Field Level Media
