MIAMI, FLA (WSAU) — The Indiana Hoosiers completed an undefeated season with a 27-21 win over Miami in the College Football National Championship Game.
It was a remarkable turnaround for a program that up to two years ago had been one of the worst in the country.
The Hurricanes had closed a deficit to 24-21 with 6:37 left on a 22-yard TD pass from Carson Beck to Malachi Toney. A Beck interception by Jamari Sharpe with 44 seconds left clinched it for the Hoosiers.
Indiana won despite no touchdown passes from Fernando Mendoza. Though the Heisman Trophy winner did call his own number to cap a drive with 9:18 left, giving the Hoosiers a 24-14 lead. IU considered kicking a field goal on the play, but decided to put the offense back on the field after a timeout.
Indiana also blocked a punt that was recovered in the endzone for a touchdown, and they got a rushing TD from Riley Nowakowski, a former walk-on at Wisconsin who played his high school football at Milwaukee Marquette.
The win caps a 16-0 season for the Hoosiers, a single-season feat not accomplished since the 1894 Yale Bulldogs.
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