Indiana’s win over the Hawkeyes might not leap off the stat sheet, but it was a statement all the same. The victory not only pushed the Hoosiers to 5-0, it snapped a four-game skid at Kinnick Stadium that stretched back to 2009. Against one of the loudest crowds in the Big Ten, IU stood tall behind the steady command of quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
“It takes a lot to sit there, be the quarterback,” wide receiver Elijah Sarratt said after the win. “Everybody congratulates him on the wins, but on the losses, everybody tries to put everything on him. So, to play that position, you got to be a dog. He’s the example of a quarterback and no other quarterback I would want to be throwing me the ball.”
Mendoza’s stat line may not have appeared flashy — 233 yards on 13-of-23 passing (56.5%) with two touchdowns and one interception — but the numbers tell only part of the story. In the postgame Q&A, Mendoza admitted he still needs to improve at finding his receivers. Yet what stood out most wasn’t the miscues; it was the way he laid his body on the line when it mattered most.
With the score tied 10-10 late in the third quarter, facing 3rd & 15, Mendoza scanned the field and saw no options. Instead of forcing a throw, he tucked it and barreled ahead, fighting for 14 hard yards before being knocked out of bounds in what many thought should’ve been flagged for unnecessary roughness. Mendoza bounced right back up, brushing off the hit like it was nothing.
“We checked in on Fernando,” Sarratt said of the moment. “He’s a dog. Not many people get hit like that and get back up. He got back up, did his thing, and it was just staying locked in. We know we can win this and just keep on doing what we’re doing.”
Mendoza showed his grit in that play. His determination to win by whatever means showcased to the nation that he can lead the Hoosiers to victory. And that was exactly what they did. Mendoza would later lead Indiana into field goal range early in the forth quarter to tie the game again at 13-13.
The momentum seemed to shift when Iowa backup quarterback Hank Brown tossed an interception, giving Indiana a golden chance to seize the lead for the first time since the second quarter. But football is never perfect, and Mendoza made his own costly mistake — sailing a throw just high enough to fall into Iowa’s hands. What could’ve been a backbreaking turnover was instead erased by fortune, as the Hawkeyes missed a field goal on the ensuing possession.
Mendoza didn’t waste his second chance. Head held high, he orchestrated a relentless five-play, 76-yard drive that silenced the Iowa crowd. It culminated in the biggest throw of the night: a perfectly placed 49-yard strike to Elijah Sarratt for the game-winning touchdown.
“He’s a tough S.O.B. I’ll tell you that much,” offensive lineman Pat Coogan said of his quarterback. “The kid just shows up. He’s someone that, as an offensive lineman you’re like, that’s my guy, because he’ll just do whatever it takes to win. So proud of him and just the way he continues to battle, and we got to protect him better. There’s no doubt about it. The kid is uber-talented, and we got to let him shine. For him to just battle and show the balls that he’s got and the guts that he’s got, it’s huge for this football team and it’s awesome.”
It was a performance to remember. Mendoza himself admitted there were plays he left on the field, but as head coach Curt Cignetti summed it up in his postgame remarks: “At the end of the day, he passed the test because he made the key play.” That’s what leaders do — and Mendoza has quickly grown into both a leader and a role model for this Hoosier team.
Yes, there were mistakes in Iowa City, but they came in one of the most hostile environments in college football. Now, an even bigger stage awaits. After the bye week, Indiana heads to Autzen Stadium — home of the No. 2 Oregon Ducks and the longest active home winning streak in the nation at 18 games. The environment will be louder, the pressure heavier, and the stakes higher. Mendoza has work to do, and coaches Cignetti and Shanahan will need to sharpen the offensive game plan to match the moment.
The challenge is daunting, but that’s what makes it compelling. If Mendoza can channel the same resilience and composure he showed in Iowa City, the matchup in Eugene won’t just test him — it could define him.