Indiana made their presence felt Friday in the Indiana Hoosiers Football Vs Oregon Ducks Football College Football Playoff semifinal, defeating Oregon 56-22 and completing one of the greatest turnarounds in modern college football history.
On Friday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, both teams will compete once more with a spot in the national championship game on the line. SportsLine’s advanced model has run 10,000 simulations of this matchup and forecasted that its total will go Under.
| Position | Player |
|---|---|
| QB | Fernando Mendoza |
| RB | Roman Hemby |
| RB | Kaelon Black |
| WR | Elijah Sarratt |
| WR | Omar Cooper Jr. |
| WR | E.J. Williams Jr. |
| TE | Zach Horton |
| OL | Carter Smith |
| OL | Drew Evans |
| OL | Pat Coogan |
| DL | Mikail Kamara |
| LB | Aiden Fisher |
| LB | Jailin Walker |
| CB | D’Angelo Ponds |
| S | Amare Ferrell |
| Position | Player |
|---|---|
| QB | Dante Moore |
| RB | Noah Whittington |
| RB | Makhi Hughes |
| WR | Evan Stewart |
| WR | Malik Benson |
| WR | Dakorien Moore |
| TE | Kenyon Sadiq |
| OL | Iapani Laloulu |
| OL | Isaiah World |
| DL | Matayo Uiagalelei |
| DL | Bear Alexander |
| LB | Bryce Boettcher |
| CB | Dillon Thieneman |
| S | Jahlil Florence |
| K | Atticus Sappington |
| Date | Venue | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 9, 2026 | CFP Semifinal (Atlanta) | Indiana | Indiana 56–22 Oregon |
| Oct. 11, 2025 | Eugene | Indiana | Indiana 30–20 Oregon |
| Sept. 11, 2004 | Eugene | Indiana | Indiana 30–24 Oregon |
| Nov. 14, 1964 | Bloomington | Oregon | Oregon 29–21 Indiana |
| Nov. 16, 1963 | Eugene | Oregon | Oregon 28–22 Indiana |
| Date | Opponent | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 9, 2026 | Oregon | CFP Semifinal | W 56–22 |
| Jan. 1, 2026 | Alabama | CFP Quarterfinal | W 38–3 |
| Dec. 6, 2025 | Ohio State | Big Ten Championship | W 13–10 |
| Nov. 28, 2025 | Purdue | Regular Season | W 56–3 |
| Nov. 15, 2025 | Wisconsin | Regular Season | W 31–7 |
| Nov. 8, 2025 | Penn State | Regular Season | W 27–24 |
| Nov. 1, 2025 | Maryland | Regular Season | W 55–10 |
| Oct. 25, 2025 | UCLA | Regular Season | W 56–6 |
| Oct. 18, 2025 | Michigan State | Regular Season | W 38–13 |
| Oct. 11, 2025 | Oregon | Regular Season | W 30–20 |
| Date | Opponent | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 9, 2026 | Indiana | CFP Semifinal | L 22–56 |
| Jan. 1, 2026 | CFP Quarterfinal | Win (advanced) | W |
| Dec. 2025 | Big Ten Championship | Qualified | W |
| Nov. 2025 | Washington | Regular Season | W |
| Nov. 2025 | USC | Regular Season | W |
| Nov. 2025 | Iowa | Regular Season | W |
| Oct. 2025 | Wisconsin | Regular Season | W |
| Oct. 2025 | Rutgers | Regular Season | W |
| Oct. 11, 2025 | Indiana | Regular Season | L 20–30 |
| Early Oct. 2025 | Michigan State | Regular Season | W |
First Half
Indiana took an early advantage in the first half. Indiana won the coin toss and took advantage of a facemask penalty to force Miami Hurricanes punter Ben LaBerge into punting after just six plays, driving 81 yards on their next drive for a 7-0 advantage after running back Romeo Cryer made a short run before they settled for a field goal instead of going for two-point conversion.
Indiana was trailing Miami 10-7 late in the third quarter, when Mikail Kamara managed to sneak past Miami’s punt protection and block an attempted punt from being kicked forward – leading Isaiah Jones of Indiana University to retrieve it and give IU an 18-7 lead.
But Indiana wasn’t finished: Heisman Trophy-winner Fernando Mendoza then broke a long run down the left sideline for a 50-yard touchdown to make it 24-7 and score both a rushing and receiving score within one game this year.
Curt Cignetti used Indiana’s final timeout wisely by opting to forgo a potential field goal with eight plays covering 91 yards resulting in Malachi Toney’s 22-yard touchdown catch that cut Indiana’s lead down to six with less than 10 minutes remaining in the half.
Indiana was able to stop Miami from scoring any more points for the rest of the second half. One major error during this period came from Indiana defensive back Jamari Sharpe’s rare interception when Miami drove deep into Hoosier territory with just under a minute left – this gave Indiana’s defense enough time to ice off their opponent before going into halftime with a comfortable 27-7 lead.
Second Half
Indiana began to show their superior defense after an uneventful first quarter, becoming one of the most dominant teams in modern college football history.
Oregon was forced to play on its heels as Indiana unleashed their defensive strength that was second in points allowed per game nationally and never let up against Indiana in what will go down as one of their greatest ever performances ever seen in modern college football history.
Indiana All-America cornerback D’Angelo Ponds made Oregon pay with their initial drive after intercepting Oregon quarterback Dante Moore’s poor throw and returning it 40 yards for a score. Indiana would go on to record five interceptions during this first half.
Indiana was on offense, amassing more than 400 yards total offense through two quarters and taking control of their opponent with its balance between run and pass.
Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza hit eight different receivers throughout the night but made perhaps his greatest play early in the second period when he threw an impressive deep, perfectly placed pass to wide receiver Charlie Becker – one that looked as though it might sail over his head until Becker reached down and extended for it with his body, giving Indiana the lead.
Hoosier fans had reason to celebrate on their next possession when Miami was flagged for facemask violation and they received possession back. Indiana took advantage of this by scoring on kicker Nico Radicic’s 35-yard field goal attempt.
Kaelon Black of Indiana scored another touchdown during the second period when he returned a punt from Miami’s 38-yard line for an intercepted fumble return touchdown return.
Indiana made its final statement of the game when defensive end Daniel Ndukwe of Oregon blocked a punt at their 7-yard line on the first play of the third quarter, leading to a touchdown drive that extended their lead from 32-7 to 35-7 with more than an quarter left to play.
Third Quarter
Indiana Hoosiers continued their run towards College Football Playoff national title with an emphatic win against Oregon in Peach Bowl quarterfinal play.
Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza threw five touchdown passes while their defense held firm against Oregon from start to finish, giving Indiana its 15-0 mark and becoming just second team ever in modern history to go unbeaten through regular season competition.
After an uneventful first quarter, Indiana took control early in the second period with two decisive plays. First, their defense forced Dante Moore into fumbling inside the red zone and recovered it before running back Jordan Davison scored from 41 yards away for an early 14-0 lead.
Indiana added another field goal before halftime from 37 yards out, but their lead would soon erode as Oregon cornerback D’Angelo Ponds intercepted Malik Benson’s pass and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown return. Indiana would stall on their next drive as kicker Atticus Sappington missed an attempted 36-yard field goal attempt from kicker Atticus Sappington.
Oregon was kept at bay by Indiana’s defense, while their offense continued to move the ball easily. On the final drive of the first half, Mendoza connected with Omar Cooper Jr. on an 8-yard touchdown pass for an early 21-0 advantage.
Indiana’s defense force another three-and-out to start the third quarter before Mendoza throws his fourth incompletion of the day before finding Roman Hemby with a five yard touchdown pass to give Indiana an impressive 27-0 advantage with just over three minutes remaining in this quarter.
On Oregon’s opening drive, Indiana’s defensive front forced and recovered a strip sack on Dante Moore before Dierre Hill Jr. lost possession during a first-down scramble and Pat Coogan recovered it for Indiana. On Oregon’s next play, however, Pat Coogan recovered another ball that Dierre Hill Jr. dropped on a first down scramble which Indiana recovered as well.
Hoosiers run out the clock and take a 35-7 lead into the fourth quarter – their most decisive victory ever! Indiana now advances to face Miami in a Sugar Bowl semifinal matchup on January 19, with the winner becoming only the second team ever in modern history to advance to a College Football Playoff national championship game.
Fourth Quarter
Indiana could become the first undefeated team in 20 years to win an unblemished national title if its defense continues its success.
Hoosiers put an immediate stop to Oregon Ducks’ offense with three turnovers of the first half and scored 14 points off these errors to dominate this contest against one of the country’s No. 5-rated teams.
Indiana’s defensive units did not disappoint. On Oregon’s next drive, Indiana All-America defensive tackle Daniel Ndukwe forced a fumble and blocked a punt to give Indiana great field position before returning the kickoff all the way back to Oregon’s 7-yard line – not one but two tremendous feats from Ndukwe!
From then on, everything revolved around Indiana.
Mendoza went 17 for 20 for 177 yards and five touchdowns against No. 5 Florida State in a College Football Playoff semifinal, one of the most dominating victories ever witnessed. Through two CFP games this season he now has more touchdown passes than incompletions!
Indiana is flourishing under coach Curt Cignetti, whose leadership has transformed the program into a national powerhouse. The success of Indiana Hoosiers Football Vs Oregon Ducks Football showcased the Hoosiers’ dominance on the biggest stage.
Cignetti does not sugar-coat anything and finds fulfillment only when his team is winning games, as was evident Friday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. If they continue this unbeaten run, Indiana could become the first undefeated national champion since 1989.
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