Indiana QB Dives Into History With National Title Win

Fernando Mendoza launched himself through the air on fourth down, stretched the ball across the goal line, and wrote himself into college football history.

The Indiana quarterback's gutsy 2-yard touchdown dive with 9:18 left in the game gave the Hoosiers a 24-14 lead over Miami in the national championship. Indiana held on to win 27-21, finishing with a perfect 16-0 record.

"I'd die for my team," Mendoza told ESPN's Holly Rowe after the game, his jersey still stained from an earlier hit that bloodied his face in the first quarter. "Whatever they need me to do, I'm gonna die for my team out there and I know they're going to do the same for me."

The touchdown came on 4th-and-5, when Mendoza took the snap and ran straight up the middle. He bounced off several Miami defenders before leaping from the 2-yard line and absorbing a crushing hit as he crossed into the end zone.

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti couldn't stop praising his quarterback's toughness. "He got hit. He had no time. He keeps getting back up," Cignetti said. "There's no way this gets done without that kind of performance."

Mendoza finished the game 16-of-27 with 186 passing yards and the crucial rushing score. But the numbers don't capture what his performance meant to a team that refused to quit.

Why This Inspires

This wasn't just about one play or one player. Mendoza's willingness to put his body on the line represented everything Indiana had built all season.

The Hoosiers became the first college football team to finish 16-0 since Yale accomplished the feat in 1894. That's 132 years of waiting for perfection.

After the game, Mendoza made sure to credit his teammates and his faith. "I want to give all the glory and thanks to God," he said. "My offensive linemen blocked perfectly and we were able to execute as a team toward a common goal."

The image of Mendoza airborne, arms stretched, getting hammered but refusing to be denied, will live forever in Indiana sports history. It's the picture of someone who believed so deeply in his team that nothing else mattered in that moment.

Sometimes greatness requires sacrifice, and Mendoza showed he was ready to give everything for his brothers.