FOR NEARLY 58 years, Indiana football has waited to be atop the Big Ten Conference mountain. Throughout that time, they’ve been mocked, ridiculed, and doubted at every turn. And after last year, when head coach Curt Cignetti burst onto the scene with an Indiana team that finished 13-2 overall alongside a first-round loss in the College Football Playoffs, skeptics still resided.
That was until their Big Ten Championship victory over The Ohio State University turned those same doubters into believers and solidified their spot as a program whose recent success isn’t just a flash in the pan, but a stepping stone for the future.
Linebacker Isaiah Jones said just as much in the post-game press conference of their 13-10 win over Ohio State on Saturday night, noting: “This win shows everyone–why not? Why would you not want come to Indiana? This was the final nail in the coffin for the Indiana doubters, the Curt Cignetti doubters.”
But while much of this season’s headlines have come by way of Indiana’s ability to score touchdowns in bunches, it was fitting that their most recent victory was a result of a defensive battle. This point was yet another reminder to the unconvinced that the Hoosiers are a team that deserves to be taken seriously.
Coming into Saturday night’s game, OSU sat at No. 1 overall in the rankings, had a Heisman hopeful in Julian Sayins, and—outside of their week-one win over Texas—hadn’t played a game that was decided by 7 points or less.
That was until IU’s defense pressured the opposition into nine tackles for loss and five sacks, and limited Ohio State to 104 yards beneath their average on the ground.
And while the game came down to the final plays of the fourth, Cignetti took solace in the fact that his team had been battle tested all season.
“As that clock started to tick down in the fourth quarter and the game was on the line, we thought about how we’ve been here before, and we’ve won,” he says. “When you’ve been through something one time, you’re a lot better the second time because it gives you a lot of belief and confidence.”
The win over OSU snapped a 30-game losing streak against the Buckeyes that dated back to October 8, 1988, and for fans of the Cream and Crimson, it couldn’t have come in a more dramatic fashion.
After a 17-yard connection between quarterback Fernando Mendoza and receiver Elijah Sarratt late in the third, IU took a 3-point advantage into the final period of play, where their defense answered the call.
In the fourth, Ohio State had its chance to retake the lead, going the length of the field before coming up short when they missed a game-tying 27-yard field goal.
On the ensuing drive, a 33-yard completion on a third-and-six from Mendoza to Charlie Becker sealed the game for IU as Cignetti reflected afterward on what went through his mind when deciding between gutsy or conservative play calling.
“I wasn’t going to play not to lose. We were playing to win. We had to give our guys an opportunity to make a play,” he says.
Not only did they come away with a win, but they also sealed a trip to the College Football Playoffs as the No. 1 overall seed, where they will wait to play the winner of Oklahoma vs. Alabama on January 1.
In the meantime, the Hoosiers have more potential awards to celebrate as quarterback Fernando Mendoza, named a finalist for the 91st edition of the Heisman Trophy, heads to New York City on December 13.
The Heisman Trophy is awarded each year to the most outstanding college football player, and Mendoza’s inclusion marks the second time in program history in which Indiana will send a finalist to NYC after running back Anthony Thompson finished as a runner-up in 1989.
Mendoza is leading the nation in passing touchdowns with 33, alongside 2,930 yards this season.
On Tuesday, Mendoza reflected on what it would mean to etch his name into Bloomington history as a Heisman winner.
“It’s a surreal feeling,” Mendoza says. “There was a lot of speculation throughout the season and thinking about how cool it would be, but I know going to this ceremony means so much for everyone here. … To have the opportunity to bring home the first Heisman in Indiana history, it would mean so much, and it would be a great pat on the back for so many here in Bloomington with all of the support they’ve given me.”
