Indiana's Fernando Mendoza reflects on incredible diving TD: 'I'd die for my team'

Fernando Mendoza called his changeable successful beforehand of his friends and household successful the biggest infinitesimal of his collegiate vocation arsenic helium helped the Indiana Hoosiers to a nationalist championship.

Mendoza took the drawback connected 4th-and-5 and ran it up the gut. He bounced disconnected a fewer Miami Hurricanes defenders, leaped from the 2-yard enactment and stretched retired his hands to enactment the shot implicit the extremity enactment portion getting battered arsenic helium fell into the extremity zone.

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Fernando Mendoza #15 of the Indiana Hoosiers dives for a 4th fourth touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes successful the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship astatine Hard Rock Stadium connected Jan. 19, 2026 successful Miami Gardens, Florida. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

Indiana went up 24-14 with 6:32 near successful the crippled and the Hoosiers won the game, 27-21.

"That’s 1 happening astir our team," Mendoza told ESPN’s Holly Rowe aft the game. "We’re ever going to enactment it each connected the line. I privation to springiness each the glory and acknowledgment to God. My violative linemen blocked perfectly and we were capable to execute arsenic a squad toward a communal goal. Have the Indiana Hoosier synergy to people and to springiness our squad a accidental to triumph the game.

INDIANA'S CURT CIGNETTI COMPLAINS ABOUT LACK OF CALLS AGAINST MIAMI DURING HALFTIME OF NATIONAL TITLE GAME

Indiana Hoosiers backmost Fernando Mendoza (15) carries the shot for a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes successful the 4th fourth during the College Football Playoff National Championship crippled astatine Hard Rock Stadium connected Jan. 19, 2026. (Kim Klement Neitzel/Imagn Images)

"I had to spell airborne. I’d dice for my team. Whatever they request maine to do. They request maine to instrumentality shots successful the beforehand oregon the back, immoderate it is, I’m gonna dice for my squad retired determination and I cognize they’re going to bash the aforesaid for me. That’s what makes america truthful close. That’s what makes the nationalist title truthful special."

Mendoza, who was bloodied successful the archetypal 4th aft a immense deed to his face, was 16-of-27 with 186 passing yards and the rushing score.

"He’s truthful tough," Indiana caput manager Curt Cignetti told ESPN’s Molly McGrath. "He got hit. He had nary time. He keeps getting backmost up. Just a large rival and there’s nary mode this gets done without that benignant of show astatine that position. I can’t accidental capable large things astir him."

Fernando Mendoza of the Indiana Hoosiers celebrates a 4th fourth touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes successful the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship astatine Hard Rock Stadium connected Jan. 19, 2026 successful Miami Gardens, Florida.  (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

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Indiana is the archetypal squad successful assemblage shot past to decorativeness 16-0 since Yale did it successful 1894.