Curt Cignetti explains his play call on iconic Fernando Mendoza touchdown run in national championship

No. 1 Indiana etched its name in the history books with a 27-21 win over No. 10 Miami in the 2026 College Football National Championship Game. The Hoosiers became the first FBS team in modern college football history to finish with a 16-0 record, and Fernando Mendoza‘s 12-yard touchdown run with nine minutes remaining instantly became an iconic moment.

On 4th & 4 from the Miami 12-yard line with 9:18 left in regulation, Mendoza ran the QB draw and broke multiple tackles to find the end zone to give the Hoosiers a late 24-14 lead. Indiana held on for the 27-21 win thanks to a game-clinching Jamari Sharpe interception, cementing the title win.

Back-to-back AP Coach of the Year Curt Cignetti joined the ‘Triple Option‘ podcast on Wednesday, where he discussed the legendary play call.

“Well, you know, you’ve got to play to win,” Cignetti said. “You’ve got to have confidence in your players. I always remind myself before the game begins and I’ll always put some stuff on paper about how I want to coach the game or whatever. Like I told the staff and team a few times over the last couple of games, if you win you’re a hero and if you lose you’re a bum. Cut it loose and play to win. You can’t play not to lose.

Curt Cignetti hammers home ‘confidence in his players’

“I didn’t feel real good about trotting the field goal team out there and just getting a six-point lead and kicking the ball off,” Cignetti continued. “They were moving the ball a bit on us in the second half and we had an opportunity to go up two scores. Even if we didn’t make it, they were gonna be pinned down pretty good. We were gonna have to hold them anyway. We went for it earlier in that drive on fourth down and we played to win. You’ve got to have confidence in the players. They’ve been making plays all year long and the quarterback’s been making plays all year long, so let’s go.”

It’s not often that a Heisman winner enjoys their ‘Heisman moment’ after winning the award, but Mendoza certainly did so. The projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft left his mark in a major way on the program, earning CFP National Championship Game Offensive MVP honors thanks in part to the play.

“It was just a quarterback draw,” Cignetti continued. “We called it a little different because we turned the line different than we have all year long, and there were RPOs on the outside. But we were anticipating that the quarterback would run based on what they did the play before and based on what we thought they’d be doing in that situation, and it worked out that way. He broke some tackles.”

For now, Indiana can reflect on the win. Instead of being the hunter next season, however, they will now be the hunted. TCU transfer quarterback Josh Hoover has been entrusted to lead the Hoosiers into a new era, the third season of the Cignetti era.