Atlanta, GA – No. 1 Indiana (15-0) decimated and dominated No. 5 Oregon at the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta Friday evening, 56-22. On January 19, we’ll see them play in the College Football Playoff (CFP) Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes. In the Peach Bowl, the Hoosiers took a 7-0 lead over the Ducks before their offense, led by Heisman-winning QB Fernando Mendoza, took a snap! Eleven seconds into the game, DB D’Angelo Pounds swiped Dante Moore’s’ out pass and raced 25 yards for the score. The estimated 66,000 red-clad Hoosier fans among 76,504 in attendance erupted in delight under the Mercedes Benz Dome.
To their credit, Oregon responded with a methodical 67-yard scoring drive of their own. Dante Moore connected with TE Jamari Johnson to even the score, 7-7. However, as documented in our previous review of the Orange Bowl we attended, we waited for our big question to be answered.
Oregon Advantages?
Having reported on questioning the “heralded” Duck defense who shutout Texas Tech, 23-0, was our assessment correct saying the result came more based on Tech’s poor display of offense as opposed to the tenacity of Oregon’s defense? Most media, following that game, gave credit to a staunch defense that turned the ball over on downs and with turnovers holding Texas Tech to 215 total yards.
The other advantage favoring the Ducks, some concluded, came in the rarity of one college team defeating another twice in one season. We would generally concur with that thought. However, the Hoosiers just seemed too strong on both sides of the football watching them hand Alabama its worst defeat in their vaunted history of bowl success. Also, we just see HC Curt Cignetti as “old school.” He was not going to let his very talented charges rest on their laurels.
Enter Indiana offense
Maybe our assessment was wrong, but our answer came quickly and often. With Fernando Mendoza under center, the Hoosiers drove 75 yards on their first possession with a six-yard scoring pass from Mendoza to Omar Cooper. Oregon wasn’t playing Texas Tech this evening. The teams exchanged punts on the next two possessions. The Indiana defense, however, stepped up to put IU in position to build on its lead.
Starting from the 13, on a drop back, Moore dropped an intended pass attempt as he drew back. DT Mario Landino recovered for Indiana at the three. Third time charmed as Kaelon Black ran it in from the one on his third consecutive one-yard run to put the Hoosiers up, 21-7. Two sacks set Oregon back on its next series. Indiana return man Jonathan Brady returned their ensuing punt to the start from the 39.
Kept an eye on this
Against Texas Tech, DB Brandon Finney came up with a fumble recovery and two INTs to gain notoriety in the win. Up until this point, we noted IU basically isolated him away from most of its passing attempts. Then, they eventually beat him on a sideline out pattern. Once again, they challenged him directly. WR Charlie Becker faked slightly and then put on a burst to beat him down the right side for a 36-yard scoring catch for a touchdown. The Hoosiers led, 28-0.
The defense went back to work again against Dante Moore. Daniel Ndukwe sacked him to jar the ball loose, and Landino came up with the recovery at the Oregon 21 this time. After the 2:00 time-out, Mendoza fired a low pass over the goal line to WR Elija Sarratt for a diving catch and a dominating 35-7 lead into intermission.
No let up by the Indiana Hoosiers
The IU momentum continued starting the third quarter. A 75-yard drive resulted in another Mendoza TD pass (17 for 20, 177 yards, 5 TDs) to wide-open EJ Williams over the middle from the 13. Oregon finally got its offense going again primarily on a 70-yard breakaway run by Dierre Hill, Jr who played in place of injured starter, Noah Wittingham. From this viewpoint and basically from all clad in red, the run came with the help of a blatant non-call of a push in the back as Hill got down to the IU 4. Jay Harris, also a sub for injured RB Jordon Davison, scored for the Ducks with a two-yard run. HC Dan Lanning’s team made good on a two-point conversion.
No let up even in the Fourth
Ahead in the final period, IU punted from its 35 and placed the Ducks back on their 15. The ensuing Duck punt from the 19 went straight up in the air on a block by Ndukwe and recovery by LB Kaiden Turner. Mendoza fired a three-yard pass to the back of the end zone to Sarratt for his second TD of the game to lead, 49-15.
Going back to Miami!
11:36 remained on the clock. Rather than fight my way out of Merecedes Benz Stadium celebration to follow and then fight traffic from a cherished and convenient $10 parking space found, a similar experience will take place again on January 19 at the Orange Bowl for the CFP champs, whoever it may be.
I told some nearby IU fans on the way out that I’d see them there. Back in my hotel about an hour later, I found the scoring did continue. Indiana scored a TD on a 65-yard drive, and Oregon capped the night with a 75-yard drive to finalize the score, 56-22. We expected a much better and more competitive game than what we witnessed at the Capital One Orange Bowl on New Year’s Day. In this one, however, the Hoos dominated on offense, defense and special teams
A G.O.A.T. has to go out and prove it
Indiana (15-0) played an awesome game to say the least. Pundits now say that this 2025 Hoosier team could be one of the best ever in college football. Certainly, no argument here, but we have to go back and reassess our 46 seasons over 739 games attended. Alabama, Penn State, Michigan, LSU, Ohio State and even a Miami team come to mind for evaluation. The Miami Hurricanes will offer a stiff challenge, but once IU gets rolling on offense, they are tough to stop. We will be able to say we witnessed this team in its heyday. After 700 losses to lead college football, this season came as a well-deserved surprise to long-time Hoosier fans.
Bloomington? Why?
When we relocated to the Nashville area five years ago, we started to put together plans on new opportunities regarding where to attend games in venues left to be visited. Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Madison, Wisconsin; Champagne, Illinois; Lafayette, Indiana; Louisville, Kentucky; Fayetteville, Arkansas; Provo, Utah; and even Albuquerque, New Mexico among now closer destinations than from New Jersey by car or plane fell on our list of desirables. Bloomington, Indiana? When was there ever a football game of any significance played there? Four years later, been there and done that. We watched them clobber then No. 9 Illinois this season, 63-10. Now we’ll not only see the Indiana Hoosiers win a semi-final playoff game but also play in a national championship game. This couldn’t even be imagined just two years ago.
Hurricane history
On the other side, we’ve seen the Miami Hurricanes (14-2) play in the New Jersey Meadowlands against Auburn and Ohio State, at Penn State, at Boston College, at Pitt, at Rutgers and at a few others. They stand 7-2 in the annals of our history. Indiana is a respectable 4-2. Been to the Hard Rock for six Orange Bowl games. So now we can say that our next Hard Rock stop will be a Miami Hurricanes’ home game as well. Of course, we will not see them hosting some homecoming patsy. We expect we will be seeing Miami take on one of the greatest and most unexpected juggernauts of all time at The Hard Rock.
We see the Hoosiers’ defense rattling experienced QB Carson Beck to some extent. Maybe not to begin with, but over the course of this game. Freshman WR Malachi Toney impresses. Both Cane lines are strong. HC Mario Cristobal may be the closest coach in toughness and discipline to Curt Cignetti. We give the edge to Indiana with Mendoza at quarterback distributing to a lot of talented, experienced and driven players around him. We don’t expect the Hoosiers to overwhelm the Hurricanes as they did the Ducks. Also, the stands will be more evenly filled with fans from both schools. This should be a good, competitive, hard-fought game! We expect to see the Hoosiers play as hard as ever with this unbelievable goal ahead of them and a tough team to beat in front to them.