Indiana won its first ever national title 27–21 over Miami at Hard Rock Stadium on Monday night.
Here are five takeaways from a wild championship affair:
1. Four seismic Miami mistakes were the difference in the game
Miami made four critical mistakes that you can’t make in a national championship and expect to win.
The first came in the second quarter. With Indiana leading 3–0, the Hoosiers were faced with a third-and-13 at their own 43-yard line. Miami star defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. jumped offsides on a play that would have otherwise resulted in a fourth down. Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza missed high over the middle on the play, but it was a free play due to the penalty. The Hoosiers would pick up a first down on the subsequent third down and later score a touchdown to make it 10–0.
On the next possession, Miami coach Mario Cristobal rolled the dice. Knowing that his defense was exhausted, the Hurricanes went for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 34-yard line with just under four minutes to go in the half. Miami picked the first down up, and drove the ball into Indiana territory. With 33 seconds to go and faced with a fourth-and-2, Cristobal didn’t have the same aggression. Instead, he sent out kicker Carter Davis to try a 50-yard field goal, which he missed off the right upright. The Hurricanes went into half trailing 10–0.
In the second half, two more key plays doomed Miami. The Canes offense went three-and-out with just over five minutes to go in the third quarter. Trailing 10–7, Miami was forced to punt, but a failed punt protection led to a blocked kick by Hoosiers star pass rusher Mikail Kamara, and was recovered by Isaiah Jones in the end zone to extend Indiana’s lead to 10 after the extra point.
BLOCKED PUNT.
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 20, 2026
HOOSIERS TD.
WOW!
(via @espn)pic.twitter.com/S7TmRBj24X
The final key play? Well, we’ll get to that in a moment...
2. But there was no quit in these Hurricanes
Even after all of the mistakes that Miami made, the Hurricanes still had a chance to drive down and win the national championship. Trailing 27–21 with just under two minutes to go, the Hurricanes offense took over with a chance to win the game.
But after driving the ball to the Indiana 41-yard-line with 51 seconds to play, Beck dropped back to throw and heaved a deep pass down the left sideline that was underthrown and intercepted by Hoosiers defensive back Jamari Sharpe to clinch the first national title in program history.
INDIANA PICKS OFF CARSON BECK TO WIN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP! OMG! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/omXn1gqVUs
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 20, 2026
3. Fernando Mendoza’s best Heisman moment came long after winning the award
Who would have thought Fernando Mendoza’s best Heisman moment would come five weeks after winning the prestigious award?
With Indiana leading 17–14 with just under 10 minutes to play in regulation, Curt Cignetti called a timeout to decide whether or not to go for it on a 4th and 5 in the red zone.
Not only did Cignetti send the offense back onto the field, but he put the ball in his Heisman trophy winner's hands.
Mendoza took a quarterback draw up the middle against an unsuspecting Hurricanes defense. Not only did Mendoza pick up the first down, but he powered his way into the end zone for a championship-defining moment.
FERNANDO MENDOZA!!!!!!
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 20, 2026
(via @PatMcAfeeShow)pic.twitter.com/SPJx2KFh8V
4. Charlie Becker made himself A LOT of money with his title game performance
Leading up to the Mendoza touchdown run, star Hoosiers receiver Charlie Becker made one of several big catches on the night. Mendoza fired a dart up the right sideline on Becker’s back shoulder to pick up 19 yards on a fourth-and-5, which should not be lost in the shuffle. Becker’s unbelievable catch gave Mendoza an opportunity to score and extend Indiana's lead later on that same possession.
As he has done all year, Becker made key reception after key reception to help the Hoosiers capture the national championship. He finished with four catches for 65 yards, and surely made himself a whole heck of a lot of money in front of pro scouts in the process.
5. Indiana’s meteoric rise to the top of the sport shows what’s possible in a parity-driven revenue-sharing era
Indiana completing the climb to the mountaintop of college football shows what is possible in the revenue-sharing era of college athletics.
The Hoosiers’ 713 losses entering the 2024 season were the most in college football history.
Since hiring Cignetti? Indiana is 27–2 and are now national champions.
If it can be done at Indiana, it can be done almost anywhere that there’s a significant investment in the football program with the right head coach to lead it.
The Hoosiers have both in spades, and should be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.
More College Football from Sports Illustrated
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Five Takeaways From Indiana’s Historic National Championship Victory.
