Fernando Mendoza aced Indiana’s Rose Bowl test

PASADENA — Fernando Mendoza badly wanted to fit like a glove in Bloomington.

Some may have called him creepy, or a stalker, Mendoza said. Others may just say the Heisman Trophy winner was well-prepared.

Transferring into Indiana from Cal – on the heels of the Hoosiers’ first College Football Playoff berth – the redshirt junior printed out pictures of each of his new teammates. Like a playbook, he memorized the names, the faces of Indiana’s roster – study habits from the once Yale-committed signal caller remaining true.

Some Hoosiers had different haircuts. Others transferred in and out of Indiana in year two of the Curt Cignetti era. If he didn’t get their names right on the first try, Mendoza said, he’d be sure not to make the same mistake twice.

“Really showed that, ‘Hey, I care about you,’” he said earlier this week. “No matter if you’re the star linebacker or you’re a walk-on – no matter who you are, I’m going to care about you because I want to help this team and be a leader of this team.”

Wide receiver Elijah Sarratt said: “How good Fernando is on the football field, he’s just as good off the field as a man, as a friend – everything.”

Mendoza didn’t make any mistakes twice in Pasadena during the Rose Bowl on Thursday afternoon. Starting six-for-six, the 6-foot-5 Miami-raised quarterback searched for wideout Charlie Becker across the field. Alabama defensive back DaShawn Jones read Mendoza like a book, nearly coming away with an interception as he crept behind Becker.

On third-and-8, with the pocket caving in, Mendoza released the ball with a maturity that causes NFL scouts to salivate, finding Becker’s outstretched hands in the North end zone for a 21-yard touchdown pass. The calm and serenity of bouncing back to the 6-foot-4 sophomore, who was once just the face on the page of Mendoza’s teammate textbook, placed the Hoosiers ahead of the Crimson Tide 10-0 just after the midway point in the second quarter.

“It all starts with brotherhood,” said Becker, who recorded a team-high 51 receiving yards on two catches. “And that’s what (Mendoza) tried to do as soon as he got here – trying to create a brotherhood.”

In No. 1 Indiana’s 38-3 Rose Bowl victory over No. 9 Alabama in the quarterfinal of the College Football Playoff – the Hoosiers’ first trip to the Rose Bowl Game since 1968 – Mendoza continued to show why he’s not just the star quarterback on the national championship favorites, but a name meant for the annals of college football. Mendoza completed 14 of 16 passes for three touchdowns and 192 passing yards.

“Fernando’s a very special guy,” Cignetti said. “He’s very unique. He’s selfless. He’s the ultimate team guy.”

Center Pat Coogan is a name – and face – Mendoza got to know all too well in 2025. The redshirt senior lineman is another 2025 transfer into Indiana, from nearby Notre Dame where he defeated the Hoosiers a year ago in the CFP first round, and he’s the heart of the protection operation.

When Mendoza connected with wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. for a 1-yard touchdown pass to increase the lead to 17-0, the 22-year-old slinger motioned finger guns at Coogan before firing off further celebrations as his offensive line assembled into field-goal formation for the point after attempt.

It was easy to forget the pair of opening-drive sacks that forced Indiana, which had averaged fewer than two sacks allowed per game, to punt.

“Once we got our feet wet,” Mendoza said, “we got the ball rolling and we got back to playing Indiana brand of football.”

As Coogan basked in the unexpected glory of earning offensive Rose Bowl MVP honors – instead of Mendoza – his quarterback hounded the back of his primary barricade’s jersey. Mendoza and Coogan were having fun, just as they’d done all season long.

“He’s the ultimate team guy,” Cignetti said of Coogan.

The quarterback and center grasped roses with their teeth, as Coogan and Mendoza lifted the Rose Bowl trophy together.

Forty-five years ago, Los Angeles Dodgers’ Mexican southpaw Fernando Valenzuela sparked “Fernandomania” throughout Southern California with his courageous displays.

For one day, Fernandomania reigned again with a different last name – a young Cuban-American pouring all he had into the Rose Bowl as Indiana relished in Pasadena ecstasy.