Indiana Wins First National Title on Gutsy 4th Down Call

Indiana was playing it safe until their coach decided championships aren't won by kicking field goals.

With a three-point lead and less than 10 minutes left in the College Football Playoff National Championship, the Hoosiers sent their kicking team onto the field for what seemed like an easy decision. But Coach Curt Cignetti had other plans.

"He goes, 'Get off the field! We're going for it!'" offensive tackle Carter Smith recalled. The team burned a timeout in the chaotic moment, but what happened next defined a historic season.

Quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner playing in his hometown of Miami Gardens, took the snap on fourth and four. He ran a draw play, fought through tackles from linebacker Wesley Bissainthe, and dove into the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown.

The gutsy call worked perfectly. Indiana extended their lead to 10 points and never looked back, winning 27-21 to claim the program's first national championship.

What makes this even more remarkable is that Indiana had struggled on fourth downs all season, converting just 50% of attempts. The team had won its first 15 games without needing to take those risks in the playoffs.

But Cignetti, who transformed Indiana from a losing program into champions in just his first year, wasn't about to play scared on the biggest stage. His players had prepared for this exact moment all week.

"We love to go for it on fourth down, and this is the game to do it," Smith said. "What do we have to lose?"

Center Pat Coogan summed up the team's trust in their coach simply: "He's always had our back."

Why This Inspires

This wasn't just about one play. It was about believing in people when everything says you shouldn't.

Carter Smith almost transferred out of Indiana after two losing seasons in 2022. He stayed because Cignetti arrived and changed the culture completely. Coogan had been in this same locker room a year earlier with Notre Dame, falling short of a championship. This time, with teammates who believed in each other, the ending was different.

Cignetti's message from day one was simple: winning is possible, championships are possible, anything is possible. When fourth down came in the biggest game of their lives, he backed up those words with action.

"Fernando has the heart of a lion when it comes to competition," Cignetti said after the game. That heart, combined with a coach who trusted his players in the biggest moment, turned a struggling program into national champions in a single season.

Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is believe in someone when nobody else does.