There were so many memorable moments this season for Indiana, which knocked off Miami 27-21 on Monday to win its first national championship behind Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza and a cast of three-stars that coach Curt Cignetti turned into the best team in the sport.
But perhaps the most impressive part of the Hoosiers’ three-game College Football Playoff run? The way they never beat themselves.
Indiana was remarkable in a 38-3 win over Alabama in the Rose Bowl, a 56-22 win over Oregon in the Peach Bowl and against Miami at Hard Rock Stadium on Monday. The undisputed best team in the sport, the Hoosiers didn’t trail for a single minute the entire Playoff.
This was a group that didn’t make mistakes and for the most part, stayed out of its own way.
Here are the five most impressive stats from the Hoosiers’ Playoff run — one unlike anything we’ve ever seen before in college football.
Turnovers: 0
That’s right: Indiana didn’t turn the ball over a single time against the Crimson Tide, Ducks and Hurricanes. Not a single Mendoza interception, not a single fumble, not even a turnover on downs. Meanwhile, Oregon turned the ball over three times in the first half alone in the Peach Bowl.
The Hoosiers’ plus-22 turnover margin was best in the country. They lost only one fumble all season. It was fitting that it was the Hoosiers’ defense that came down with a game-sealing interception with 48 seconds to go when Miami native Jamari Sharpe picked off Carson Beck.
INDIANA PICKS IT, THE HOOSIERS ARE ON THE VERGE OF A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP‼️ pic.twitter.com/YFTgZUVC4x
— ESPN (@espn) January 20, 2026
Charlie Becker clutch moments: 2
Hoosiers sophomore wide receiver Charlie Becker entered Monday night with 30 catches for 614 yards, more than 500 of which came since the beginning of November. The Nashville native certainly saved his best football for the stretch run, and the two biggest catches of his career came against the Hurricanes.
In a catch that will be part of Indiana lore, Becker came down with a 19-yard reception on fourth-and-5 when Indiana attempted its first fourth down of the Playoff with about 11 minutes to play. His catch kept the drive alive, and moments later, the Hoosiers took a 10-point lead thanks to some Mendoza heroics. Later in the quarter, with about three minutes to play, he came down with another clutch catch on third-and-7, again for 19 yards, to help set Indiana up for a field goal and a 6-point lead with less than two minutes to play.
Becker was a three-star recruit in the Class of 2024 and checked in as just the nation’s No. 977 prospect and No. 130 wide receiver. He finished Monday with four catches for 65 yards on seven targets. Not too shabby.
Fernando Mendoza touchdowns: 9
The quarterback threw eight touchdown passes during the Playoff, but his rushing touchdown Monday will go down as one of the greatest plays in national championship history.
As noted, Mendoza didn’t turn the ball over in the CFP, and he finished the three-game run with 555 passing yards. He finished his final season of college football 273-of-379 passing for a 72 percent completion percentage to go with 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns against just six interceptions. He’s the favorite to go No. 1 to the Las Vegas Raiders in April’s NFL Draft.
“Tonight’s going to be an insane night to say the least,” he said during the Hoosiers’ podium celebration. “I also can’t wait to get back to Bloomington with the guys.”
Penalties: 11
The Hoosiers had two massive, out-of-character penalties late in the fourth quarter that looked like they might cost them the game. First, a false start from Carter Smith on a second-and-1 with less than two minutes to play led to Indiana ultimately settling for a field goal to end the drive moments later, meaning Miami would get the ball down just 27-21 with a chance to win. Then Indiana also had a roughing the passer penalty during the Hurricanes’ final drive that gave Miami 15 free yards.
But the Hoosiers hung on, extending their run of largely playing clean football throughout the Playoff . They had just 11 penalties in the three games for 71 yards. They were clean all year, too, finishied second in the country in penalty yards per game (behind only Army).
Charlie Becker helped come up with one of Indiana’s six third-down conversions Monday. (Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)
Third-down rate: 60.5 percent
No team in the country was better than Indiana on third down this year and the Playoff was no exception. The Hoosiers went 26-of-43 over three games, good for a 60.5 percent success rate. Indiana went 9-of-14 against Alabama, 11-of-14 against Oregon and 6-of-15 against Miami on a night when the Hurricanes finished just 3-of-11.
The Hoosiers’ offense was so efficient that it only attempted two fourth downs all Playoff, both of which came on Monday night and were successful.