BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — It was the type of mistake that sent Indiana spiraling to defeat in previous years.
The Hoosiers led No. 3 Oregon by a touchdown early in the fourth quarter Saturday when quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw off his back foot to E.J. Williams Jr., who didn’t flatten out his crossing route. Oregon cornerback Brandon Finney Jr. undercut the throw and returned the interception 35 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 20.
Hoosier fans have seen this story too many times. Indiana was outplaying Oregon, but one big play swung the momentum and woke up Autzen Stadium. Over the years, plays like that have crushed Indiana’s confidence, which may be one reason why the Hoosiers were 1-72 all-time against top-five teams.
But this team is different. After Mendoza’s interception, Indiana linebacker and senior captain Aiden Fisher came up to Mendoza on the sideline. His message was clear.
Hey brother, I have your back. I believe in you.
During that same timeout, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti came up to Mendoza and asked if he was having fun. Even after a disastrous play that tied the game and threatened to flip the momentum, the Hoosiers did not fold.
Mendoza led Indiana on a 12-play, 75-yard drive that he capped with a beautifully-placed eight-yard pass to Elijah Sarratt on a back-shoulder route in the front left corner of the end zone. The touchdown, which came with 6:23 left, gave the Hoosiers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish in a 30-20 victory. The victory was the program’s first-ever road win against a top-five team.
“There was no panic,” Mendoza said after the game. “We knew that there was going to be resilience in this game. … And we knew that we had to overcome resilience and adversity at some point, and I think we showcased that perfectly.”
Past Indiana teams often flinched and faltered under these circumstances. But Cignetti has built belief within this team (and those watching from the outside) that the Hoosiers are true national championship contenders. And he’s got a quarterback good enough to get them there.
For the second straight game, Mendoza threw a fourth-quarter interception that looked like it could be costly. Mendoza — the Cal transfer — had not been picked off in his first four games with Indiana. But consecutive daunting road environments created adversity for the Hoosiers for the first time this season.
Against both Iowa and Oregon, Mendoza recovered from his late interceptions and threw go-ahead touchdowns to Sarratt on the ensuing drive.
“The quarterback is the key figure,” Cignetti said Monday. “He gets too much credit and too much blame. He overcame adversity. … And we talked about it a lot going into the game. You don't go on the road and win a game like this without being able to overcome adversity and never let doubt or frustration creep in. And that was a prime example of that, and his teammates rallied around him and supported him.”
Mendoza has earned the trust of his teammates and coaches. In his first season with Indiana, the Miami native leads the Big Ten with 17 passing touchdowns. His mobility and arm strength have brought a new element to this Indiana offense that was already efficient during its 11-2 2024 season.
Mendoza is now in the hunt to be Indiana’s first-ever Heisman trophy winner, and potentially the program’s first No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft since 1938. Everyone in the Indiana locker room has faith in Mendoza’s abilities, even after he makes mistakes. He put the work in upon arriving in Bloomington to earn that faith.
Having a short memory is a requirement for a quarterback. When you touch the ball every play, mistakes are bound to happen. But as Cignetti says, “Every play has a life and a history of its own.” Quarterbacks have to put bad plays behind them and not allow them to compile. In back-to-back games, Mendoza has done that.
The Hoosiers may go as far as Mendoza takes them. At the midway point of the regular season, he has aced every test to get this team to 6-0. Indiana will be favored in all six games left on its schedule, and it has a legitimate shot to win the Big Ten thanks to having arguably the best player in the country.