The college football season concluded on January 19th, a Monday night in Miami. The Hoosiers vs. the Hurricanes. Who takes all the marbles? Let’s find out. The game was exciting, with unique plays left and right, which gave fans either watching on TV or going to the game in person a fun experience. Jamal Roberts sang the national anthem before kickoff, followed by the coin toss, signaling the start of the game.
The Miami Hurricanes get the ball first with their star quarterback, Carson Bec,k looking to strike first in the highly anticipated game. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to do anything with it, so they punted it to Indiana’s star quarterback, Fernando Mendoza, a transfer from California. Both coaches, Mario Cristobal and Kurt Cignetti, eyed each other from across the field. Mendoza takes his team into field goal range to settle for 3 points. The score is now 3-0, Indiana.
The Hurricanes struggled the entire first half. They combined for a whopping 69 total offensive yards, with Beck throwing 49 of those. The first touchdown of the game was scored by Indiana’s tight end Riley Nowakowski, which set the tone for the rest of the game. The score is now 10-0, and Miami still hasn’t found any offense and won’t for the rest of the first half. Early in the third quarter, Mark Fletcher Jr. scored on a 51-yard rush to cut the lead by 3. Indiana barely did anything in the third quarter, only having 11 yards of offense in the third quarter. Late in the third quarter, Indiana blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown for a 17-7 lead. Going into the 4th quarter.
This is where the game gets intense; Miami scores 17-14, but Indiana answers 24-14 with an amazing run by Fernando Mendoza. Miami faced defeat with less than 7 minutes left in the game and scored a touchdown with a 22-yard rush by Malachi Toney. The score is now 24-21, with the defense needing a stop for Miami. Miami held Indiana to a field goal to keep a one-score lead. Miami has one final drive to win the national championship. It starts off with simple completions by Carson Beck, which put them at midfield. 50 seconds left; there was a timeout called by Indiana. First, play out the timeout. Carson Beck makes a crucial mistake, throwing a game-losing interception, which clinches Indiana’s win. Emotions flared, confetti flew, and players stormed the field. They get the stage set for Indiana and prepare to give the trophy to Indiana, but before that, they allow speeches by players and coaches.
Fernando Mendoza was interviewed by Holly Rowe, and he stated that “I was declined to walk on at the University of Miami,” which means he could have some type of feeling towards them. Curt Cignetti was also interviewed, and he stated that “words can’t describe it,” meaning he has no words after winning the national championship, letting fans know how big this is for him. Now, for Miami, players were emotional, walking off the field or even staying on the field just watching. Beck was interviewed after the game, in which fans were upset due to his classless act in not shaking hands with players. Beck did give credit to Indiana, saying, “A lot of credit to them and their defense,” Beck said. “They played really, really well tonight.”
In the end, Mendoza, Cignetti, and all the other Indiana players celebrated their season, lifting up the national championship trophy in glee, giving hope for the upcoming season for Indiana football.
