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Nothing fancy. No high school superstars. Just play hard every down. Execute your plays better than the other guys. Run each play with incredible attention to detail at your position.
Indiana did just that in a season-opening win over Old Dominion on August 30. The methodical Hoosiers left some big tractor trailer tire imprints on one football opponent after another this season.
So it was eastbound and down, loaded up and truckin’ for the Indiana Hoosiers all the way to Miami, Florida for the 12-team College Football Playoffs season finale.
Indiana delivered once again in Game #16 against a very talented group of Miami Hurricanes in the national championship game on Monday night.
The unbeaten Indiana Hoosiers were matched against a physically larger and very resilient Miami Hurricanes team.
IU finally applied its patented sleeper hold with a late pass interception in the final minute to secure a 27-21 victory and the school’s first college football national title in 139 years.
Indiana finished with the first 16-0 record in FBS history. The Hoosiers subdued their three College Football Playoff match-ups by a cumulative score of 121-46.
IU returned to Bloomington, Indiana with a championship trophy in hand to show to the school’s jubilant fans who – like so many – still can’t believe this just happened.
If you liked exceptional defense, this game was definitely for you!
By early in the fourth quarter, Indiana and Miami (which finished 13-3) each had been able to muster only 220 yards in total offense. This often-times brutal defensive battle was anything but boring, though.
The final quarter would produce the same number of points by both teams (24) as the amount scored in all three of the previous quarters. Indiana led 17-7 as the final period began.
The Hoosiers and their Heisman Trophy quarterback Fernando Mendoza were pushed around all night by a burly NFL-quality Miami defensive front.
The Dolphins would be wise to sign a few of these college football warriors for their pro team this spring in the NFL draft.
The Hurricanes marching band kept their relentless defense fired-up all night by playing the Star Wars’ “Darth Vader March” over and over.
I almost expected to see a TV camera shot revealing Emperor Palpatine as Miami’s defensive coordinator. The Canes put up a tremendous defensive effort against Indiana.
But Indiana’s defense was up to the task in this championship game as well. They swarmed to every tackle and shut-out Miami for the entire first half as Indiana took a 10-0 halftime advantage.
The Hurricanes’ running game was nearly invisible for much of the night.
However, Miami’s Mark Fletcher, Jr. finally broke through the stubborn IU defensive line during the third quarter for a 57-yard score.
That put the Canes on the scoreboard and narrowed Indiana’s lead to 10-7.
The Hoosiers defense came to the rescue minutes later by blocking a Miami punt for a touchdown to restore a ten-point IU advantage at 17-7.
Both teams’ offenses finally came alive in the final quarter
Former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck finally located a few open receivers and quickly moved the Hurricanes down the field.
A second Mark Fletcher, Jr. touchdown run cut Indiana’s lead to 17-14 on the very first play of the fourth quarter.
The Hoosiers would answer that rally. Indiana made this game even more exciting during a tense fourth quarter as they successfully completed two gutty fourth down calls.
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza surprised the Canes’ defense with a fourth down quarterback draw play. He bounced off two different Miami tacklers en route to a 13-yard touchdown score.
That gave IU a 24-14 lead with nine minutes to play.
This game had become much like a very tense tennis match. Back and forth they went during the final period. Neither team gave up after the other team scored.
Miami’s passing game responded once again. Elusive running back Malachi Toney came alive with a couple of key pass receptions during the drive. He raced through and around several IU defenders for a 22-yard score to cut Indiana’s lead to 24-21 with a little more than six minutes left.
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza then connected on a couple of clutch third down pass completions to move the Hoosiers down the field one more time.
A well-conceived series of runs and passes for first downs helped IU eat-up precious minutes from the fourth quarter game clock.
The Hoosiers opted to kick a 35-yard field goal to extend their lead to 27-21 with less than two minutes to go in the game. Miami now had one final chance to win this game.
The Hurricanes’ last offensive possession quickly advanced the ball all the way to midfield with under a minute to play. A long pass downfield from quarterback Carson Beck was then intercepted by Indiana inside its ten yard line to seal the victory for the Hoosiers and sink Miami’s title hopes.
That last minute pass interception by Indiana was the only turnover committed by either team in this year’s championship game.
By the way, did someone steal the referees’ whistles at this football game?
Millions of fans (like me) watching on television yelled, “Pass Interference!” or “Late hit – throw a flag!” at various points of this football game.
Did the referees swallow their whistles during Monday’s game?
Miami’s defensive backs were grabbing the uniforms, shoulder pads, arms, and hands of Indiana’s receivers all night long with only a few of the most obvious infractions penalized. IU’s defense responded in kind by grabbing a few Miami receivers on some pass plays, too.
At least two different Miami players should have been whistled for delivering late hits out-of-bounds in this game. Another quite obvious targeting head shot was delivered by a Miami defensive player to Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
Nary a tweet was heard.
Miami (one of the most penalized teams in college football this season) was whistled for only seven penalties and 60 yards. Indiana chalked-up just five penalties for 38 yards.
Perhaps the title game’s referees may have carpooled to a local “Vision for Less” optometrist to be fitted for new glasses and forgot that this game was underway.
Let’s give the officials credit for being consistent, though. They allowed both teams get away with far too much in the title game. Thankfully, no one appeared to be seriously injured during any of those plays.
Regardless of the sport, games should be officiated in the same way as contests are called during the regular season. This officiating crew stunk it up on Monday night.
“Hoosiers II – The Football Edition” is likely going to be filmed soon
That fantastic 1986 sports movie about a small Indiana high school basketball team winning the state championship may have been topped by the 16-0 national champion University of Indiana Hoosiers’ football team.
Long-time assistant coach Curt Cignetti finally received his first head coaching job in 2011 at a Division II college in western Pennsylvania.
He was age 50 at the time. He quickly transformed that football team into a winner. A move to North Carolina produced similar results for FCS member Elon University outside of Greensboro.
Curt Cignetti then took over at James Madison University in northwestern Virginia. He led the Dukes to a 52-9 record over his five seasons as the team’s head coach.
Perennial football wallflower Indiana then picked this late-blooming coach-turned-miracle-worker in 2024.
In two seasons, IU has grown into a college football monster.
Coach Curt Cignetti’s two seasons in Bloomington have produced a record of 27-2 with two College Football Playoff appearances.
This was topped-off by Monday night’s well-deserved national championship earned by Indiana’s 16-0 team.
What is 64-year old Curt Cignetti’s secret formula?
Indiana had only eight players who were considered 4-star or 5-star athletes in high school. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza was labeled as a “2-star” prospect coming out of a high school just a few miles from the University of Miami campus. He wasn’t offered a scholarship by “The U” so he headed west to accept his only big-time offer to play at Cal.
Mendoza would transfer to Indiana this season to team-up with his younger brother Alberto (also a quarterback). The rest is now history.
Coach Curt Cignetti assembled a group of talented underdogs who were willing to work harder and longer than players on most other teams.
More importantly, the Hoosiers followed the directions of the Indiana coaching staff and became a model of precision execution on offense, defense, and special teams.
This year’s Indiana squad performed together in unison like a championship basketball team. Every player knew his role and executed flawlessly during most games. The coaches smartly exploited the weaknesses seen in each week’s opponents. The preparation and execution of the players and coaches helped this team to operate like a finely-tuned machine from week to week.
Indiana’s offense played keep-away from the opposing defenses. The Hoosiers dominated time of possession (including 36 minutes to 24 for Miami on Monday night).
This team’s devastating blocking, power running game, and pinpoint short-to-intermediate passing game wore down opponents every week. Winning the time of possession without committing turnovers helped lead Indiana to a national championship.
Indiana won 16 straight games by repeating the same formula over and over again
There was nothing fancy about Indiana’s football game plan. They won every game by executing their plays better than the opposing team did.
Coach Nick Saban won seven college football national championships (six at Alabama and his first at LSU). Curt Cignetti had been a very successful assistant coach at Alabama under Coach Saban from 2007 through 2010. Cignetti’s recruiting class of 2008 at Alabama would result in six NFL first round draft choices.
Now that Indiana and its head coach have climbed to the top of the college football mountain, will the Hoosiers be able to remain there?
Coach Saban (now a commentator for ESPN) said Monday before the title game that it will now become harder for Coach Cignetti to find new players with the same hunger to win as this year’s team.
“Now everybody wants to come because of what your program can do for them (the top players),” said Saban. “That dynamic changes everything dramatically – in terms of how you’ve got to motivate your players and how you put together your team.”
Another factor in Indiana’s championship season was the character of the players.
Some of today’s NIL transfer “stars” may not fit-in with the selfless, team-oriented demands being made by Coach Curt Cignetti and his impressive coaching staff.
Indiana’s precision style of football execution should keep the Hoosiers near the top for years to come.
The team’s now-champion head football coach has often said, “If you keep your nose down and keep working, anything is possible!”
Congratulations, Indiana! The best team won.