Indiana University is a football school.
The Hoosiers, head football coach Curt Cignetti, and his staff are on their way to South Florida and a date with the Miami Hurricanes. The winner gets a national championship. The College Football National Championship Game will take place on Monday, January 19, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.
The Hoosiers dominated their College Football Playoff semifinal matchup with the Oregon Ducks in Atlanta on Friday night. Final score: 56-22.
“It’s a great win against a good football team,” Hoosiers head football coach Curt Cignetti said after the game.
The two Big Ten programs had played before. In fact, they played a couple of months ago in a game that Indiana won 30-20 in Eugene, Oregon, on October 11. In Atlanta, just like they did in the Pacific Northwest, the Hoosiers got off to a strong start. Defensive back D’Angelo Ponds intercepted Oregon quarterback Dante Moore’s first passing attempt of the game and returned it for the game’s first touchdown of the game. The roar from the pro-Indiana crowd in the stadium could be heard all the way on Peachtree Street. This game felt like an Indiana Hoosiers home game well before kickoff.
Oregon head football coach Dan Lanning credited the Hoosiers for playing a complete game. “They have a great chance of keeping it going and having great success,” Lanning said.
Moore only had nine interceptions to 28 passing touchdowns coming into the game. Now three of his 10 interceptions have come against Indiana. Moore had two in the loss to the Hoosiers earlier this season.
Oregon’s second offensive drive ended better than its first when a 14-play drive that included a fourth-down conversion deep in Indiana territory ended with a Moore to Jamari Johnson touchdown. The successful extra point tied the game with 7:11 remaining in the first quarter. Indiana’s defense had only allowed Oregon to score seven points during the first quarter of their first matchup, so the Ducks were already ahead of pace.
Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
The Hoosiers finally got a chance to touch the football midway through the first quarter and wasted no time going 75 yards on 11 plays to regain the lead, 14-7. Running back Roman Hemby had two long carries before Heisman trophy winner Fernando Mendoza found receiver Omar Cooper, Jr. in the left corner of the end zone for Indiana’s second touchdown of the first quarter.
The second quarter saw both defenses sure up a bit. The teams exchanged third-quarter sacks early on and forced each other to punt. Oregon outside linebacker Nasir Wyatt sacked Mendoza for a 19-yard loss. Following the sack and a punt, Indiana defensive lineman Mario Landino recovered a Moore self-inflicted fumble on his own three-yard line to shift the momentum back to Indiana. The Hoosiers would quickly lead by 14 points, 21-7, as Kaelon Black scored his first touchdown of the game.
Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
Mendoza to receiver Elijah Sarratt was a common theme during this game. Time after time, Mendoza, more than likely the first quarterback drafted in June, found Sarratt for first downs. With just under five minutes remaining in the first half, the two players hooked up again for another one. On the very next play, Mendoza found receiver Charlie Becker for a touchdown. The four-play, 61-yard drive made the score 28-7 with 3:13 remaining in the first half. Becker was the third Hoosier offensive player to score a touchdown.
Indiana is a complete football team. Hoosier defensive lineman Daniel Ndukwe or Landino could arguably be considered the MVP of the first half. Neither player scored a point, but both wreaked havoc in their own right. Ndukwe had two sacks, and Landino recovered two fumbles. Indiana’s defense held Oregon to nine rushing yards and 121 overall yards during the first half. Ndukwe would go on to block an Oregon punt in the fourth quarter as well.
The first half ended with Indiana scoring again. This time, Mendoza found Sarratt for a touchdown, his first of the game, and the Hoosiers’ fifth, 35-7.
Mendoza finally made a mistake. It came in the opening drive of the second half, when he fumbled at the end of a long quarterback-keeper. The problem for Oregon was that Pat Coogan, the decorated offensive lineman for Indiana, recovered it. Mendoza made up for the fumble with a touchdown pass to E.J. Williams, Jr. that put the Hoosiers ahead 42-7 at the nine-minute mark.
Oregon found its way back to the end zone to make the score 42-15. That Duck touchdown was the only scoring drive of the third quarter. Indiana would add another touchdown from the Ducks’ three-yard line to go ahead 49-15 following that blocked punt by Ndukwe. Mendoza found Sarratt again for his second touchdown catch of the game.
Brady joined Sarrett, scoring his second touchdown of the game with five minutes to play. Indiana was up 56-15 with 4:51 to play in the game.
Oregon tight end Roger Saleapaga scored the Ducks’ final touchdown of the game. He caught a short pass from Moore.
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