Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza expressed surprise at the defensive coverage presented by Miami that led to his memorable fourth-down touchdown run during the national championship game. The Heisman Trophy winner propelled the Hoosiers to a 24-14 lead with under ten minutes remaining, ultimately securing a 27-21 victory.
Facing a crucial fourth-and-5 situation, Mendoza took off up the middle, breaking several tackles before leaping into the end zone, a moment that quickly became legendary. “The coverage before — they were in the coverage where that play would work,” said Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti in a post-game interview with ESPN. “We put it in for this game. It”s a quarterback draw but it was blocked differently. We rolled the dice, and they were in it again, and we blocked it well.”
However, Mendoza revealed that it was not as simple as it appeared. In an interview on ESPN”s “SportsCenter,” he explained that the play included an option component. If he had detected a different coverage from what the team anticipated, he could have chosen to pass instead. “We called the quarterback draw and were hoping they”d do a cover 2 Tampa drop eight, where they basically defend in front of the line,” Mendoza noted. “We were anticipating them to drop back, forcing me to throw in a tight window to one of my stud receivers, which is a good thought. However, they didn”t come out in that.”
Mendoza continued, “They came out in something that was a bit of both, and as the play clock was winding down, I thought, “Screw it, here we go.” I noticed half the field was going zone, and half was going man. If it was man, I was supposed to throw it; if it was zone, I was meant to run it. So I decided to run it myself, and we got in.”
This run-pass option was reminiscent of a previous play in the season when Mendoza had successfully thrown a touchdown pass. “Nearly a throw. Nearly a throw,” he remarked when asked if he truly had the option to pass. “It was a very similar play — basically the same exact play we used to win against Oregon.” Earlier in the season, Indiana defeated Oregon 30-20, with Mendoza connecting with receiver Elijah Sarratt for a pivotal touchdown.
After the game, Miami”s defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman acknowledged that they were aware of Mendoza”s potential to run the ball. However, the coaches were unable to convey this information to the players in time. Hetherman expressed regret, stating, “We knew what play it was. It wasn”t a secret. It was two-by-two, four open; they were going to draw.” He admitted that the call did not get communicated quickly enough.
Following Mendoza”s touchdown, Miami managed to narrow Indiana”s lead to three points at 24-21. However, their hopes for a comeback were dashed when Jamari Sharpe intercepted Carson Beck with less than a minute remaining, marking the first turnover of the game. With no timeouts left for Miami, Indiana simply needed to run out the clock, sealing their championship victory.
