It’s Ohio State-Indiana Week; Fernando Mendoza Put The Rivalry On The Map

Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza has his hands full as a rookie back-up quarterback with the Las Vegas Raiders. There is no more diligent worker in the league than the earnest Mendoza, who is learning behind starter Kirk Cousins.

But you would excuse Mendoza if he got just the slightest bit distracted on Saturday.

The Raiders host Buffalo on Sunday and the day before home games involve checking into a local hotel ahead of team and position meetings and other game prep.

Which may — may! — provide Mendoza an opportunity to check in on his alma mater Indiana as the No. 5 Hoosiers host Big Ten rival No. 4 Ohio State in a massive regular-season conference matchup at 9 a.m. PT. Indiana enters the game with a nation-best 22-game winning streak.

It was less than 11 months ago — Dec. 6, 2025 — that Mendoza led No. 2 Indiana to a 13-10 come-from-behind win over the top-ranked Buckeyes in dramatic fashion, propelling him from one of a handful of Heisman favorites into a virtual Heisman lock.

Mendoza completed 15-of-23 passes for 222 yards and one touchdown as Indiana claimed its first Big Ten championship in half a century.

The game was dripping with Heisman flavor. Mendoza squared off against Ohio State freshman and fellow Heisman contender Julian Sayin, who would become a fellow Heisman finalist days later. Buckeye wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, a current Heisman favorite, would ultimately finish sixth in the vote, while OSU safety Caleb Downs finished ninth in the Heisman balloting.

The Hoosiers got on the board first with a first-quarter field goal that followed a Sayin interception in Buckeye territory.

Mendoza threw his sixth interception of the season later in the first quarter, which led directly to a Sayin TD pass and a Buckeye 7-3 lead. Historians will note that would be Mendoza’s final interception of the season as he finished his final 15 quarters of postseason football without a blemish.

Indiana missed a field on its ensuing possession and Ohio State countered with a six-play, 67-yard drive that resulted in its own field goal and a 10-3 lead.

Mendoza led the Hoosiers’ reply with a 14-play, 61-yard field-goal drive that saw him convert passes on third-and-6 and fourth-and-2 en route to the score. Indiana went into the half trailing 10-6.

The second half was a defensive slog, save for Mendoza’s magical third-quarter drive that featured a 51-yard pass on third-and-2 which gave Indiana a first down at the Ohio State 29.

Four plays later, the Hoosiers faced a third-and-8 when Mendoza found wideout Elijah Sarratt on a memorable 17-yard back-shoulder touchdown pass that gave Indiana a 13-10 lead for the final score of the game. The scoring pass gave him 39 overall TDs (including six rushing), breaking the school season record.

Ohio State failed on a fourth-and-1 at the Indiana 5 late in the third quarter and missed a 29-yard field goal in the fourth. Mendoza would make them pay.

On Indiana’s final possession, Mendoza’s 33-yard pass on third-and-6 enabled the Hoosiers’ to run off most of the remaining clock, essentially sealing the win.

The victory was arguably the biggest in Indiana history, ending a 30-game losing streak to Ohio State that dated back to 1988 while securing the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. It also snapped the Buckeyes’ nation-leading 16-game winning streak.

Two days later, Mendoza was announced as a Heisman finalist. Five days after that, he became the first Hoosier to win the trophy.

Mendoza is as disciplined as they come. No one would ever question his focus. But if his eyes dart on Saturday — briefly — from Sunday’s game plan to the direction of a TV for just a few seconds, no one would blame him.