Fernando Mendoza says God helped Indiana Hoosiers crush Oregon in emotional interview moments after reaching college football final
Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza delivered another brilliant post-game interview after leading his team to victory in Friday’s Peach Bowl.
The Hoosiers booked their place in the CHP National Championship Game in emphatic fashion after a 56-22 win over the Oregon Ducks in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Oregon Ducks had no answer to Indiana’s offense on the night, lead by Heisman Trophy winner Mendoza, who went 17-of-20 for 177 yards including five touchdowns.
Afterwards, in typical Mendoza fashion, the Hoosiers signal caller produced a rousing post-game speech, where he took a moment to thank God for the victory.
‘First of all, I want to give all glory to God. The man up above did so much for us today and it’s helped myself and our entire team play at such a high level’, he told ESPN.
After their victory at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the Hoosiers now turn their attention to the CHP National Championship Game on January 19th.
Fernando Mendoza lead the Indiana Hoosiers to victory in Friday night’s Peach Bowl
The Oregon Ducks had no answer to Mendoza and the Hoosiers at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Mendoza took a moment to thank God during his post-game interview on Friday night
They’ll take No. 10 Miami Hurricanes in the showpiece fixture, who booked their respective place after beating Ole Miss Rebels 31-27 on Thursday night.
Looking ahead to the game, Mendoza said: ‘It’s a homecoming for myself, going to Miami. The Hurricanes are a fantastic team, they have a great leadership and they’re extremely tough on defense – it’s going to be a great match up’.
It’ll be a familiar setting for Mendoza in the CFP National Championship Game, having attended Christopher Columbus High School in Miami.
He said: ‘I think playing in any national championship is fantastic and it means a little bit more to me. I used to be able to walk to the University of Miami and used to play rec basketball games there or beach volleyball on the sand courts.
‘It means a lot to myself. However, really excited for, you know, the city of Miami to get the opportunity as well. And just can’t wait to play in Hard Rock Stadium’.
In the game itself, the Hoosiers came bursting out the gates and scored a pick-six in the opening 11 seconds after a stunning catch, and run, from D’Angelo Ponds.
The Ducks levelled the score later in the first quarter after Jamari Johnson rushed for a two-yard touchdown but, shortly after, the Hoosiers began to run away with it.
They went into half-time with a 35-7 lead as Mendoza, time after time, continued to showcase his talents and found his teammates at almost every opportunity.
Mendoza and the Hoosiers will head to Miami for the CFP National Championship Game
Mendoza went 17-of-20 for 177 yards including five touchdowns in the win over the Ducks
After the interval, the Hoosiers onslaught continued. Kaelon Black, Elijah Sarratt and E.J Williams all made it into the endzone to compile misery on the Ducks.
In stark contrast to Mendoza, Oregon quarterback Dante Moore had a night to forget after he was ruthlessly ripped into by fans on social media for his performance.
Moore is widely expected to be picked by the struggling New York Jets when the NFL Draft comes around in late April, with Aaron Glenn’s team holding the second pick in the first round and in urgent need of a quarterback to lead the franchise.
But the millions of fans watching Oregon on Friday night felt that Moore proved that the Jets are destined for more misery with him at signal caller, as the 20-year-old fluffed his lines on the big stage in Atlanta.
For Mendoza, it marks the latest impressive achievement on his resume after winning the Heisman Trophy last month.
After an undefeated regular season, Mendoza became the first Indiana Hoosier to ever win the Heisman. He also became the first Cuban-American to win the award.
Mendoza, who transferred to Indiana from Cal, won three other ‘Player of the Year’ awards in 2025: the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Award and the AP College Football Player of the Year award.
He beat out Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love to the award.
Indiana quarterback Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy as player of the year last month
Shortly after that, Mendoza went viral again for the interview he gave after leading Indiana Hoosiers to a crushing 38-3 win over Alabama.
‘First of all, my team and I want to give all the glory to God,’ Mendoza said when asked about how special the Hoosiers are.
‘What a historic venue, the Rose Bowl. One of the best venues in all sports. It’s just a great conglomerate of individuals coming together and realy forming complimentary football.
‘Coach Cig (Curt Cignetti) has hit on us “no complacency” and esepcially when you have a bye it is tough to get into the rhythm of football but once we got our feet on the ground we knew we were going to stick together and get this W.’
