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Fernando Mendoza and the Indiana Hoosiers are headed to the National Championship game.
On Friday, Mendoza led the Hoosiers to a blowout win against the Oregon Ducks at the Peach Bowl.
During the game, the Heisman-winning QB threw for 177 yards and 5 touchdowns vs the Ducks’ defense.
FERNANDO MENDOZA WITH AN ABSOLUTE DART FOR THE TD 🎯 pic.twitter.com/ij31Jes1YU
— ESPN (@espn) January 10, 2026
After the game, Mendoza’s postgame interview went viral on social media.
“Yeah, first of all, I want to give all the glory to God. Well, I mean, the defense played fantastic—28 points off of turnovers. The hoggies [offensive linemen] always spectacular. And the man up above did so much for us today. It has helped myself and our entire team play at such a high level”
“I couldn’t have done it without God, and such an opportunity for my entire team. Like Pat Coogan said, we’re a bunc of misfits we are 0-5 stars on our team. We’re just a bunch of gritty guys who are glued together, which is why we win every single time. And you can accomplish anything. We have a strong culture in the locker room, among the coaching staff, and across the entire support staff and administration. So those three things—it’s great synergy in our program. That’s why we’re headed to the national championship.”
Mendoza, who grew up in Miami, is excited to play against the Hurricanes at home for the National Championship.
“It’s a homecoming for myself going to Miami. What a better story. However, Mario Cristobal on the Hurricanes—fantastic team. They have great leadership and they’re extremely tough on defense. It’s gonna be a great matchup.”