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Fernando Mendoza called his shot in front of his friends and family in the biggest moment of his collegiate career as he helped the Indiana Hoosiers to a national championship.
Mendoza took the snap on 4th-and-5 and ran it up the gut. He bounced off a few Miami Hurricanes defenders, leaped from the 2-yard line and stretched out his hands to put the ball over the goal line while getting battered as he fell into the end zone.
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Fernando Mendoza #15 of the Indiana Hoosiers dives for a fourth quarter touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes in the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium on Jan. 19, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Indiana went up 24-14 with 6:32 left in the game and the Hoosiers won the game, 27-21.
“That’s one thing about our team,” Mendoza told ESPN’s Holly Rowe after the game. “We’re always going to put it all on the line. I want to give all the glory and thanks to God. My offensive linemen blocked perfectly and we were able to execute as a team toward a common goal. Have the Indiana Hoosier synergy to score and to give our team a chance to win the game.
Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) carries the ball for a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes in the fourth quarter during the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium on Jan. 19, 2026. (Kim Klement Neitzel/Imagn Images)
“I had to go airborne. I’d die for my team. Whatever they need me to do. They need me to take shots in the front or the back, whatever it is, I’m gonna die for my team out there and I know they’re going to do the same for me. That’s what makes us so close. That’s what makes the national championship so special.”
Mendoza, who was bloodied in the first quarter after a huge hit to his face, was 16-of-27 with 186 passing yards and the rushing score.
“He’s so tough,” Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti told ESPN’s Molly McGrath. “He got hit. He had no time. He keeps getting back up. Just a great competitor and there’s no way this gets done without that kind of performance at that position. I can’t say enough great things about him.”
Fernando Mendoza of the Indiana Hoosiers celebrates a fourth quarter touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes in the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium on Jan. 19, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
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Indiana is the first team in college football history to finish 16-0 since Yale did it in 1894.
Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
