Fernando Mendoza has become a media darling over the past few months, and that continued on Thursday night as he made his first appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
Indiana’s quarterback crashed Fallon’s monologue and discussed winning the College Football Playoff national championship over Miami on Monday night. He told a joke about coach Curt Cignetti, then recounted his now-famous fourth-quarter touchdown run that resulted in one of the best sports photos in years.
Fallon then suggested Mendoza add to his record-breaking season by ... breaking more records. The Heisman Trophy winner was positioned at center stage with two bins of footballs, and the host threw records in the air like targets. Mendoza had 30 seconds to break as many as he could.
Video is below.
By my count, Mendoza hit eight of 10 targets, which is pretty great given he was in street clothes and Fallon was throwing them all over the place. By the end of the segment, the stage was awash with wasted vinyl.
It was a fun appearance for the newly minted national champ.
Mendoza and the Hoosiers are taking their collective victory lap after what was a remarkable season. Indiana went 16-0, becoming the first college football team to reach that number of wins since Yale in 1894. The championship was the first in the 139-year history of the program.
Along the way, Indiana scored wins over six AP top-10 teams, which matched the total the program had in its first 138 years. The Hoosiers also had five wins over teams that made the College Football Playoff, each of which came on the road or at a neutral site.
The Hoosiers led the nation by beating 10 teams with a record of .500 or better. Indiana had an average margin of victory of 29.9 points per game, while leading the nation in turnover margin. Oh, and they didn’t trail for a second in any of their three playoff games.
Mendoza went from a solid quarterback to a household name in the span of a few months. After transferring to Indiana from Cal, he took off. In 2025, he complted 72.0% of his passes for 3,535 yards and an FBS-leading 41 passing touchdowns. He only threw six interceptions, while also leading the country in passer rating (182.9) and QBR (90.3). He added 276 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. There’s a reason he won the Heisman Trophy in a runaway.
Along with his ascent, Mendoza solidified himself as the likely No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL draft thanks to his ideal size (6’5” and 225 pounds), arm strength, and accuracy. Adding to that, his toughness was on full display during the championship game.
It was truly an amazing year for the Hoosiers.
The last few months have been special for Mendoza and his teammates, expect that to continue for a few more months before the returners turn their attention to spring practice, and the rest eye the NFL draft.
More College Football on Sports Illustrated
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- Way-Too-Early 2026 College Football Playoff Brackets: Expert Picks, Imaginative Scenarios
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Fernando Mendoza Breaks Records During ‘Tonight Show’ Appearance.
