01/09/26 10:16:00
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01/09 22:14 CST National championship game will be a homecoming for Indiana QB
Fernando Mendoza
National championship game will be a homecoming for Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza
By MAURA CAREY
AP Sports Writer
ATLANTA (AP) --- Indiana is headed to the national championship game for the
first time in program history. For Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza, that
means a chance to end a fairytale season in the place where his story first
began.
It's been a historic season for Indiana, and Mendoza is largely to credit.
Indiana won its first Big Ten title since 1967, beat Ohio State for the first
time since 1988, earned the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff, won its
first Rose Bowl, and in December, Mendoza became the program's first Heisman
Trophy winner.
After a five touchdown performance and 56-22 rout of Oregon in the Peach Bowl,
there's now just one item left on the check list for Mendoza and the Hoosiers
--- and that's beating Miami on its home turf in the championship game.
It will be a homecoming for the quarterback, who grew up in Miami and attended
Christopher Columbus High School, roughly 30 minutes south of Hard Rock Stadium.
Mendoza has performed well under bright lights, and the Peach Bowl was no
exception. He finished the game completing 17 of 20 passes for 177 yards and
five touchdowns. He added 28 rushing yards on six carries and had a passer
rating of 241.8.
Mendoza is familiar with the Hurricanes. He played for two years at California,
including the program's inaugural season in the ACC in 2024, before
transferring to Indiana in 2025. He faced his hometown team once, in October
2024, and threw for 285 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a 39-38
loss.
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