By Nick Jenkinson/Excel H Sports
Photos by: Eric Thieszen, Excel H Sports/Theiszen Photo Creations
The #1 Indiana Hoosiers dominated the #5 Oregon Ducks 56-22 in the College Football Playoff Semifinals at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta, Georgia at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium Friday Night. Indiana is 15-0 and heads to Miami, Florida for the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on January 19, against the #10 Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium which is the Hurricanes home stadium. Indiana beat Oregon 30-20 in Eugene on October 11, and the Hoosiers proved they were not going to let the Ducks get revenge in this rematch and outscored them 86-42 in their two meetings.
Indiana set the tone from the outset as D’Angelo Ponds picked off Dante Moore on the first play from scrimmage and took it 25 yards to the end zone as the Hoosiers led 7-0 11 seconds into the game. Oregon tied the game with 7:38 left in the first quarter as the Ducks used a 14-play 75-yard drive that was capped off by a 19-yard touchdown pass from Dante Moore to Jamari Johnson. The Hoosiers responded with an 11-play 75-yard drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Fernando Mendoza to Omar Cooper Jr. as the Hoosiers led 14-7 with 40 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Hoosiers scored 21 second quarter points with a Kaelon Black 1 yard touchdown run along with two Mendoza touchdown passes to Charlie Becker and Eilijah Sarratt as the Hoosiers led 35-7 at halftime and the 75.604 that were in attendance saw Indiana put this game away in the first half and forced three Oregon turnovers. The Ducks were held to 9 rushing yards on 17 carries in the first half as the Hoosier defense stopped the run.
The second half Indiana outscored Oregon 21-15 but the result was already in hand for the Hoosiers. Mendoza found E.J. Williams Jr for a 13-yard touchdown pass to make it 42-7 Indiana with 8:52 left in the third quarter. Oregon responded a minute and two seconds later as Jay Harris scored a two-yard touchdown run and Ducks got the two-point conversion to make it 42-15. Indiana scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter as Kaleon Black scored his second rushing touchdown and Elijah Sarratt scored his second receiving touchdown as the Hoosiers led 56-15 with 5:13 left in the fourth quarter. Oregon scored with 22 seconds in the game, but it was all Indiana after the first quarter and now the Hoosiers have one more game to cap off what would be one of greatest turnarounds in sports history.
Fernando Mendoza completed 17 of his 20 passes with 170 yards and 5 touchdowns. Mendoza along with his younger brother Alberto will get to play for a National Championship in their hometown as the brothers grew up just down the street from the University of Miami Campus and their dad was a high school teammate of University of Miami Head Coach Mario Cristobal at Christopher Columbus High School in Miami. Kaelon Black ran the ball 12 times for 63 yards and 2 touchdowns. Elijah Sarratt had 7 catches for 75 yards and 2 touchdowns. Mendoza, who won the Heisman Trophy has thrown 8 touchdown passes, no interceptions and 5 incompletions in his two College Football Playoff Games.
Dante Moore was 24-39 for 285 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Deirre Hill Jr. had 5 carries for 86 yards as the Ducks were held to 93 yards rushing on 26 carries. Jamari Johnson caught 4 passes for 83 yards and a touchdown. Moore had two fumbles and was sacked three times as the Hoosiers defense got to Moore in both games as he was sacked a total of 9 times, threw 3 interceptions and two fumbles against the Hoosiers. Oregon finishes the season 13-2 but comes up one game short of heading back to Miami for the National Championship game after shutting out #4 Texas Tech in the Quarterfinals at the Orange Bowl.
Indiana has outscored Alabama and Oregon 94-25 as Curt Cignetti is 26-2 at Indiana and the Hoosiers have won 22 of their 26 games by double digits. Indiana has traveled well to Pasadena and Atlanta and now it is on to Miami where the Hoosiers will play for the National Championship in Football which most Hoosier Fans never thought to hear those words but now Indiana is 60 minutes away from a National Title but a the Hometown Hurricanes stand in the way.
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