Fernando Mendoza, IU Eyed for CFP Bracket Bid After Upset of Dante Moore, No. 3 Oregon

No. 7 Indiana football authored an impressive 30-20 road victory over No. 3 Oregon in a battle of undefeated Big Ten teams on Saturday afternoon.

Hoosiers wide receiver Elijah Sarratt caught eight passes for 121 yards and a touchdown to lead the offense. Indiana running back Roman Hemby added 70 rushing yards and two touchdowns as well.

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza completed 20-of-31 passes for 215 yards and one touchdown. He also threw an interception returned 35 yards for a score by Brandon Finney Jr.

Oregon tied the game following the PAT with 12:42 left in regulation. However, Mendoza responded in dramatic fashion, leading the Hoosiers on a 12-play, 75-yard drive capped by an eight-yard touchdown toss to Sarratt on 3rd-and-goal.

The defense then stepped up, with Louis Moore intercepting Oregon quarterback Dante Moore just two plays from scrimmage later to set Indiana up at the Ducks’ 32-yard line.

Indiana capped a nine-play drive with Brendan Franke’s 22-yard field goal for a 30-20 lead.

Moore then threw another pick on Oregon’s first drive. This time, Isaiah Jones grabbed the interception, all but sealing the win.

The door is now wide open for 6-0 Indiana to find itself playing for the Big Ten title in December. The Hoosiers don’t play a ranked team for the remainder of their regular season schedule.

Simply put, the Hoosiers are writing an amazing story led by head coach Curt Cignetti, who has flipped the script in Indiana in just two short years.

Indiana went just 3-9 in 2023 before the ex-James Madison coach arrived in town. However, the Hoosiers then won 11 games and made the College Football Playoff last year, losing to Notre Dame in the first round.

This year’s team looks like a real national championship contender, which is remarkable considering preseason expectations.

ESPN Analytics only gave Indiana an 11 percent chance to make the College Football Playoff before this season. Indiana also was 20th in the Associated Press’ preseason poll, so it’s fair to say many pundits didn’t anticipate this start.

However, Indiana has been exceptional, and its start also includes an impressive 63-10 win over Illinois, which was ranked ninth in the AP poll at the time.

Ultimately, the Hoosiers have a very strong resume and could coast to the College Football Playoff from here. Fans and analysts are also certainly impressed with the work of Cignetti and his Hoosiers.

Indiana will return home to host Michigan State on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Source link