Fernando Mendoza rushed for a touchdown, Mikail Kamara had a key blocked punt and Indiana won its first football national championship with a 27-21 victory over Miami in the College Football Playoff title game on Monday night at Miami Gardens, Fla.
Miami native Jamari Sharpe intercepted the Hurricanes’ Carson Beck with 44 seconds left as the top-seeded Hoosiers (16-0) put an exclamation point on their rags-to-riches story.
Indiana went 9-27 over a three-season span earlier this decade, but the Hoosiers are 27-2 in two seasons under coach Curt Cignetti.
Riley Nowakowski rushed for an Indiana score, and Isaiah Jones fell on the blocked punt in the end zone. Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner, completed 16 of 27 passes for 186 yards for the Hoosiers, who were the designated home team despite the contest being in the Hurricanes’ stadium.
Mark Fletcher Jr. rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries for 10th-seeded Miami (13-3). Beck connected on 19 of 32 passes for 232 yards, one touchdown and the costly interception, while Malachi Toney made 10 catches for 122 yards and a TD.
Miami trailed 10-0 before Fletcher ran wide of right tackle and scurried 57 yards for a touchdown with 11:06 left in the third quarter. It was the longest run of Fletcher’s career.
Later in the quarter, the Hurricanes were in punt formation and Kamara got his left hand on the slow-moving boot from Dylan Joyce. Jones recovered the ball in the end zone to give Indiana a 17-7 lead with 5:04 left in the period.
The Hurricanes responded from that blow with a 10-play, 81-yard drive. Fletcher scored from the 3 on the first play of the fourth quarter to pull Miami within three.
Indiana then twice converted on fourth downs on the next drive to push its lead back to 10.
On fourth-and-5 at the Miami 37-yard line, Mendoza hit Charlie Becker for 19 yards and a first down.
Then on fourth-and-4 from the 12, Indiana called on Mendoza to keep the ball and he secured the first down, broke a tackle and then lunged into the air and across the goal line to make it 24-14 with 9:18 remaining in the game.
Miami answered with an eight-play, 91-yard march. Toney took a reverse 22 yards for the score to trim Indiana’s lead to three with 6:37 left.
Mendoza completed third-down throws to Omar Cooper Jr. for 14 yards and Becker for 19 yards on the ensuing drive, setting up Nico Radicic’s 35-yard field goal with 1:42 left.
The Hoosiers limited Miami to 69 yards and three first downs while taking a 10-0 halftime lead.
Indiana got on the board on Radicic’s 34-yard field goal with 2:42 left in the opening quarter.
The Hoosiers increased their lead to 10 with a 14-play, 85-yard drive. Nowakowski bulled in from the 1 with 6:13 left in the half.
