2025 In Review

 

The storybook season for Indiana's 2025 season had several firsts in program history. These include: 

First top 10 road win at Oregon in week seven

First ever No, 1 ranking (AP, Coaches, and CFP polls)

First Big Ten title in 58 years

First undefeated season in 80 years

First 16-0 college football team in FBS since Yale in 1894 - most wins in program history

First Hoosier QB to win the Heisman

First team in the 12-team playoff era to win a quarterfinal game after getting a bye through the first round. Such teams were 0-7 

The Rose Bowl win was IU's first bowl victory in seven tries since winning the 1991 Copper Bowl

First blocked punt touchdown in CFP history

First national championship

In two playoff games Mendoza threw eight touchdown passes against only five incompletions. He had more TDs than incompletions in five games for the season. The first player this century to do it more than twice in a campaign.  

Hoosier Coach Curt Cignetti became the first coach since the turn of the 20th century to win 27 games in his first two seasons at a school

In three playoff games, the Hoosiers did not trail for a single second

Statistical Highlights:

Overall Record: 16-0

Points Per Game: 41.6 (3rd nationally)

Their plus 479-point differential, only second best since 1936

Points Allowed Per Game: 11.7 (2nd nationally)

Individual Honors & Records:

Fernando Mendoza (QB): Became the first Hoosier to win the Heisman Trophy. He threw 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns, adding the decisive rushing touchdown in the National Championship game.

Curt Cignetti: Named Big Ten Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season and won the Dodd Trophy and the Bear Bryant College Football Coach of the Year. 

Nico Radicic (K): Set Big Ten records for extra points (76/76) and total points scored by a kicker (124) while winning Kicker of the Year.

All-Conference Honors: A program-record 17 players earned All-Big Ten honors (1st, 2nd, or 3rd team), led by Mendoza and unanimous All-American offensive lineman Carter Smith.

Image © USA Today Sports

Big Ten Championship

 

12-0 Ohio State ranked #1 in the country would face off against the 12-0 Indiana Hoosiers ranked #2 for the outright Big Ten Title at Lucus Oil Stadium. The winner would almost certainly earn the No. 1 seed in the College Football Championship with seedings to be announced the next day. 

This would be only the third time with a #1 v #2 national matchup in Big Ten History. 

1985 would pit #1 Iowa v #2 Michigan 

2006 would pit #1 Ohio State v #2 Michigan

The Hoosiers would enter the contest a seven-point underdog. 

Fernando Mendoza made all the big plays. Then his Hoosiers teammates and their fans celebrated like it was 1967and 1945.

Mendoza’s neatly tucked 17-yard pass to Elijah Sarratt gave the No. 2 Hoosiers the lead they needed and the defense shut down No. 1 Ohio State the rest of the way in a 13-10 win for their first Big Ten title in nearly half a century while likely locking up the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.

 Mendoza was injured on the first offensive play of the game but returned after missing one play and went 15 of 23 for 222 yards and the one TD and one interception. Sayin had his ankle retaped in the second quarter and was 21 of 29 for 258 yards, one TD and one interception.

Indiana took a 3-0 lead after Sayin was picked off in the first quarter, but the Buckeyes turned Mendoza’s miscue into a 17-yard TD pass to Carnell Tate for a 7-3 lead late in the quarter.

The teams traded field goals in the second quarter as the Buckeyes took a 10-6 lead, but Mendoza neatly tucked a TD pass into Sarratt near the sideline on Indiana’s first possession of the third quarter and that was all they needed.

The Hoosiers showed everyone why they’re no longer taking a backseat to the Buckeyes or anyone else in college football. Defensively, they were as stingy as ever. Offensively, they moved the ball and played keep away — and did just enough for an historic victory.

Sources:

The Helmet Project found here: http://nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/index.htm

Photo © The B1G Network http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1145292-power-ranking-all-124-college-football-stadiums

Game summary © ESPN

Illinois

 

The Illini would enter the game in the UP-Coach’s poll ranked #9 while the Hoosiers entered at #19.

Fernando Mendoza threw five touchdown passes and D'Angelo Ponds scooped up the punt he blocked and returned it 11 yards for a score, leading  Indiana past Illinois 63-10 for its first win over a top 10 foe in five years — and easily the most lopsided.

Indiana's previous best was a 31-10 victory at then No. 9 Ohio State in 1987. It marked the first time since 1950 the Hoosiers and Fighting Illini squared off with each ranked. 

The Fighting Illini offense struggled as quarterback Luke Altmeyer was under pressure all night. Illinois allowed five sacks and rushed for only 3 yards in the first half, falling into an insurmountable 35-10 deficit. Indiana sealed the win with TD drives on each of its first two second-half possessions.

It was the worst loss of coach Bret Bielema's tenure at Illinois and the worst for the Illini since a 63-0 rout at home against Iowa in 2018.

Sources:

The Helmet Project found here:

http://nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/index.htm

Photo © The B1G Network

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1145292-power-ranking-all-124-college-football-stadiums

Game summary © ESPN