MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Fernando Mendoza returned home and delivered Indiana a championship it had waited more than a century to claim.
Mendoza, a Miami native and Christopher Columbus High School product, capped a Heisman Trophy season by leading the top-seeded Hoosiers to a 27-21 victory over No. 10 Miami on Monday night in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
The win gave Indiana its first national title and completed the first 16-0 season in major college football history.
Indiana (16-0), the nation’s lone unbeaten team entering the night and an 8.5 point favorite, became the first first-time national champion in 30 years. Florida was the last program to win its inaugural title, defeating Florida State in the 1997 Sugar Bowl.
For Miami (13-3), the championship game marked a historic first as well — the first time in the CFP era a team played for the national title in its own stadium. Despite the familiar setting, the Hurricanes were designated the road team because Indiana earned the No. 1 seed.
Mendoza finished the game with another efficient night by completing 16 of 27 passes for 186 yards after torching Alabama and Oregon in the playoff semifinals, where he threw eight touchdown passes with just five incompletions combined.
Indiana struck first after both defenses stood tall to being the game.
Nico Radicic drilled a 34-yard field goal late in the first quarter for a 3-0 lead, capping a drive extended by a big gain from Mendoza to Omar Cooper Jr. Miami’s defense stiffened on Indiana’s opening possession, but the Hurricanes offense found little room against the Hoosiers’ front.
Indiana’s defensive line dominated the first half, holding Miami to just 20 rushing yards and 69 total yards. Linebacker Aiden Fisher recorded Indiana’s first sack of the game, and the Hurricanes went 0-for-6 on third down before halftime.
The Hoosiers pushed the lead to 10-0 early in the second quarter when tight end/fullback Riley Nowakowski scored on a 1-yard run after Mendoza connected with wide receiver Charlie Becker to set up first-and-goal.
Miami threatened late in the first half but Carter Davis missed a 50-yard field goal, sending the Hurricanes to the locker room scoreless for the first time this season.
Miami’s offense finally finally broke through early in the third quarter.
After a short completion from Carson Beck to Malachi Toney, Mark Fletcher Jr. ripped off a 57-yard touchdown run up the right side to cut the deficit to 10-7.
Indiana answered in emphatic fashion but turned to their special teams to make a play.
Defensive end Mikail Kamara blocked a punt by Dylan Joyce, and linebacker Isaiah Jones recovered it in the end zone to give the Hoosiers a 17-7 lead.
Beck responded by engineering Miami’s best drive of the night, converting the Hurricanes’ first third down with a scramble-and-throw to CJ Daniels and later finding Toney for a 22-yard gain.
Fletcher capped the possession with his second rushing touchdown, a 3-yard plunge that made it 17-14.
The defining sequence came midway through the fourth quarter. Facing fourth-and-5 twice on the same drive, Indiana went for it both times.
Mendoza converted the first with a back-shoulder strike to Becker, then kept the ball on the second, lowering his shoulder and stretching into the end zone from 12 yards out to extend the Hoosiers’ lead to 24-14 with 9:18 remaining.
However, Miami wasn’t finished.
Beck hit Toney for 41 yards to move into Indiana territory, and Toney scored on a 22-yard outside stretch run to pull the Hurricanes within 24-21.
On Indiana’s next drive, Mendoza again showed poise, converting third downs with throws to Cooper and Becker before Miami forced a stop. Radicic’s field goal with 1:42 left pushed Indiana’s lead to 27-21.
On Miami’s final possession, Beck took a deep shot downfield, but Indiana defensive back Jamari Sharpe intercepted the pass intended for Keelan Marion, sealing the victory and sending the Hoosiers into celebration.
The title capped a stunning turnaround for a program that entered the season with the most losses in major college football history and hadn’t won a postseason game since 1991.
Indiana, who stands second all-time in losses behind Northwestern, rewrote its narrative in the most emphatic way possible — by standing atop college football for the first time in school history.
Beck finished the night going 19 of 32 for 232 yards 1 touchdown and 1 interception.
Fletcher had a game-high 112 yards on 17 carries and 2 rushing scores.
But with the game on the line, Indiana’s defense stood tall as Sharpe, a Miami native who played at Miami Northwestern High School, recorded the game-sealing interception.
Mendoza was named the offensive player of the game.
Miami became the fifth team since 1998 to lose the national title game in their home state.
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