Indiana football has done the unthinkable. The Hoosiers captured the program's first-ever national championship with a 27-21 victory over Miami at Hard Rock Stadium on Monday night, completing a perfect 16-0 season that will go down as one of the greatest turnarounds in sports history.

Just two years ago, Indiana was the losingest major program in college football history with 713 all-time losses. Now, they're the only team standing at the end of the 2025-26 season and the first team in modern college football to finish 16-0.

"Let me tell ya: We won the national championship at Indiana University. It can be done," head coach Curt Cignetti said after the game.

From Doormat to Dynasty: How IU Got Here

When Curt Cignetti arrived in Bloomington, he told skeptical fans confidently, "I win, Google me." The 64-year-old coaching lifer had turned programs around before, most recently at James Madison, but transforming Indiana, a school that had been a punchline in college football for over a century, seemed like an impossible task.

Cignetti assembled a roster of under-recruited transfers and overlooked players who bought into his vision. There were no five-star recruits, just a collection of athletes hungry to prove doubters wrong.

"Don't put no limitations on us," receiver Elijah Sarratt said after the win. "Indiana just isn't little ol' Indiana anymore."

Before Cignetti's arrival, the athletic department had increased their spending in football every year since 2021 when it was just under $24 million. Then Cignetti's official hiring came on Nov. 30, 2023, and football operating expenses skyrocketed to more than $61 million. That investment paid off in the most dramatic fashion possible.

The Game: Mendoza's Moment

Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza delivered when it mattered most. Playing just 30 minutes from his high school in South Florida and facing a Miami program that didn't recruit him, Mendoza took a beating from the Hurricanes' ferocious pass rush but never wavered.

The defining play came with 9:27 left in the fourth quarter. Facing fourth-and-4 from the Miami 12-yard line with a 17-14 lead, Cignetti called timeout and drew up a quarterback draw. With his left foot on the 18-yard line, Mendoza took the shotgun snap, planted his right foot on the 20, and took off. He weaved through Miami's front four and evaded would-be tacklers at the 10 and 6. Then he lowered his left shoulder into Wesley Bissainthe Jr. at the 5, was spun around, and miraculously kept his balance by putting his right hand on the Hard Rock Stadium grass before launching himself horizontally toward the goal line.

He crossed the plane with a defender's shoulder driving into his back, scoring the touchdown that put Indiana up 24-14.

"I had to go airborne," Mendoza said, his lip split and arm bloodied. "I would die for my team."

Mendoza finished the night 16 of 27 for 186 yards with no turnovers, adding that crucial 12-yard rushing touchdown. He converted two fourth downs on Indiana's game-clinching drive, the first being a 19-yard back-shoulder fade to Charlie Becker on a fourth-and-5 from the Miami 37 that kept the Hoosiers' drive alive.

Photo by Kim Klement Neitzel

Defensive Stand Seals the Win

Indiana's defense bent but never broke against a Miami offense that came alive in the second half. Mark Fletcher Jr. gashed the Hoosiers for 112 yards and two touchdowns, including a 57-yard burst that pulled Miami within 10-7 in the third quarter.

But the turning point came on special teams. Defensive end Mikail Kamara burst through Miami's punt protection and blocked Dylan Joyce's kick. Isaiah Jones recovered the loose ball in the end zone, giving Indiana a 17-7 lead and all the momentum.

Miami fought back, with Fletcher Jr. finding the end zone from three yards out to cap an 81-yard drive that made it 17-14. After Mendoza's touchdown run pushed IU's lead back to 10, the Hurricanes responded again with a 91-yard scoring drive that took just 2:34 off the clock. Freshman wide receiver Malachi Toney took center stage on the drive, hauling in catches of 8, 41, and 22 yards to cut the lead to 24-21 with 6:37 remaining. But Indiana's defense had one more stop in them.

With Miami trailing by six and no timeouts remaining, the Hurricanes drove to the Hoosiers' 41-yard line with 51 seconds left on the game clock. Indiana called timeout to give its defense a breather, and on the ensuing play, Jamari Sharpe, a Miami native, intercepted Carson Beck's deep pass intended for Keelan Marion streaking down the left sideline to seal the championship. The turnover sparked an eruption from the thousands of Indiana fans who had packed Hard Rock Stadium, many paying $4,000 or more for tickets.

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By the Numbers

Indiana's balanced attack controlled the game despite Miami's pass rush pressure.

Offense: The Hoosiers totaled 317 yards, with Kaelon Black leading the ground game with 79 yards on 17 carries. Omar Cooper Jr. paced the receivers with 5 catches for 71 yards, and Charlie Becker made a pair of sensational catches in key moments while finishing with 4 receptions for 65 yards.

Defense: Safety Louis Moore led the team with 7 total tackles. Jamari Sharpe added 6 tackles and the game-sealing interception. D'Angelo Ponds contributed 5 tackles and 3 pass deflections at cornerback. Linebacker Aiden Fisher recorded 4 tackles and a sack.

Special Teams: Kamara's blocked punt and Jones' recovery for a touchdown proved to be the difference in a six-point game. Miami kicker Carter Davis also missed a 50-yard field goal in the final seconds of the first half, hitting the right upright.

A Title 128 Years in the Making

This championship comes 50 years after Bob Knight's basketball team went 32-0 to win the 1976 national title, the last time any Indiana program finished a season undefeated as national champions. For a state known as basketball-mad, this football title feels equally historic.

Indiana becomes the third consecutive Big Ten team to win a national championship, following Michigan and Ohio State. But the Hoosiers might be the most unlikely champion the sport has ever seen.

"I know nobody thought it was possible," Cignetti said. "It probably is one of the greatest sports stories of all time."

What's Next for Indiana Football

Inside the smoke-filled locker room after the game, linebacker Aiden Fisher summed up what Cignetti means to this program: "I owe a lot to him. He's an unbelievable coach, but he's an unbelievable person."

Safety Louis Moore, whose playing days are now complete, sees this as just the beginning.

"I feel like that's the starting point for the dynasty," Moore said. "Indiana's only gonna get better. We're a team full of under-recruited, undervalued players, and with the coaches we've got, they're putting together game plans. Just imagine when the so-called 'Top Players' start coming here and what they'll do then."

Cignetti isn't taking any time off to bask in the glory.

"We're going to enjoy this moment, take a day off tomorrow, get back at it Wednesday," he said.

For 128 years, Indiana football served as the bridge to basketball season. Fans showed up for tailgates but not for hope. That's permanently changed now.

The Hoosiers aren't college football's afterthought anymore. They're national champions, and they're just getting started.