Routine and Preparation. Fernando Mendoza's best assets have turned a dream into a reality -- a potential Heisman Trophy he could've never prepared for

As Fernando Mendoza counts down the hours and minutes until entering into a new phase of college football stardom and history, you have to flashback to September 20. Indiana was fresh off of scoring the most points by a Big Ten team against an AP top-10 opponent in conference history. That’s when the true internal belief started.

Indiana was coming off of a 63-10 pounding of No. 9 Illinois and the texts started to come in. Not just about a good offensive performance or a good win — but Heisman chatter.

“I would say it all started when our team had a fantastic performance against Illinois,” Mendoza said earlier this week. “It was a dominant performance on defense, dominant performance by the offensive line, and just dominant coaching performance as well. And after that, some of my friends said it to me like, ‘you’re in the Heisman race’. And I was like, ‘that’s so cool, maybe I can show my kids. Hey, I was in the Heisman race’.”

Fernando Mendoza was 21-of-23 for 267 yards and five touchdowns. It was back-to-back five touchdown games and back-to-back 90+ completion percentage games. But, this was against a then top-10 team and program that could be on its way to the College Football Playoff, amongst the national chatter.

Mendoza silenced all of that.

He followed it up with a win over Iowa on the road which included a game-winning 49 yard touchdown to Elijah Sarratt. Then, a key drive that resulted in a go-ahead touchdown with 6:23 left against then No. 3 Oregon — both wins coming on the road.

>> ‘Wow, look how cool it is, I get to hold the Heisman’: How Fernando Mendoza’s Heisman campaign started on a recruiting visit to Yale <<

Then things shifted. Mendoza took over a lot of the national talk. From the start of the year to the midway portion of the season and Mendoza was the guy.

“I was like, ‘wow. I want to make a goal to myself.’ It’d be so special, and I prayed about, ‘Imagine if I could just make the ceremony. How cool would that be? I’d be able to take that for the rest of my life,’” Mendoza said. “I thought about it, but it was a little bit more of a dream and kind of a long-range goal, or a goal that you reach a little farther than you think you could reach.”

Fernando Mendoza, much like Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti, are process oriented and very strict among their routines. It’s what has elevated this program from a College Football Playoff team last year to the No. 1 team in the country this year.

So, the Heisman Trophy discussion in Mendoza’s ear was an added distraction — but a great privilege.

“It’s been a huge challenge. It’s a huge privilege to be a part of the pressure,” Mendoza said. “I have a mental performance coach — sports psychologist and really leaning on him has been a huge part of this process. (We said) ‘Now that you’re here, stick on what got you here’ — the process, the never-ending preparation, and all the different aspects of really taking it one play at a time, not focusing on the outside noise.”

The distractions became larger and larger with each and every win, and every ‘Heisman’ moment. But, Mendoza maintained the same level or preparation that led him to this type of privilege.

“When you look at his résumé for this award, there’s going to be a lot of games that come down to fourth quarter, clutch drives to win football games, and he’s done it every time,” IU linebacker Aiden Fisher said this week. “So for me, that’s my Heisman. I think that should be America’s Heisman. He is the best football player in the country. I don’t think it’s close.”

Whether it was film study, extra throws, team and individual meetings — the norm stayed the norm inside the building. Except for one moment — or less than a moment.

“Fernando is a real focused guy,” Cignetti said this week. “I brought him in one day and we spent about 28 seconds in here (my office). Not even that, probably 14 (seconds) regarding the Heisman and dealing with it. He came in my front door and went out my side door, and that was it.”

On to the next. The next film study, the next round of extra throws, or the next round of meetings. Keep the process and routine the same.

Mendoza has swept almost every individual postseason award. He’s the Big Ten Offensive Player fo the Year and Quarterback of the Year. He’s the Walter Camp Player of the Year. The Maxwell Award Player of the Year. He’s the Davey O’Brien Quarterback of the Year and either a First-Team or Second-Team All-American by every outlet that has released their teams. And on top of all of that, he’s the AP National Player of the Year.

So as those hours and minutes get shorter and shorter, all of the preparation has been worth it, regardless of the final result on Saturday. And for Fernando Mendoza, there’s no other way to do it.

“I’m gonna prepare to essentially exhaustion, so I know whether the game goes fantastic or goes terrible, I’m gonna be able to lay my head on the pillow at night, sleep tight, knowing that I did everything possible in my power to prepare,” Mendoza said. “And I think I’ve kept that process through every single game I’ve played, knowing to not live with regrets. And I think that’s a big message that some mentors have given myself, is ‘live’. You don’t wanna live on eggshells, but live on decisions that you will not regret. Rather than just say, partying on a Thursday night, rather than, hey, let’s study film, even if it’s on the off season. Just because I know in the future, you don’t wanna be like, ‘wow, I wish I watched more film’. Or ‘wow, I wish I would have eaten a little healthier, so I could be — my body could be healthier’. Or ‘wow, I wish I would have gone to sleep earlier, so I’d be more rested and able to absorb all the information I’m getting from this amazing program’.

“This is what you gotta know to be successful. You don’t wanna be out there, have an analysis by paralysis. But at the same time, you wanna know so much information that you’re ready for every jab and every punch they give, in order to play the best football possible.”

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