Indiana reigns as national champion after a dominant run through the College Football Playoff culminated in a win over Miami in the National Championship Game.
The Hoosiers’ run through the playoff was
one for the ages as they left some of the sport’s powers, old and new, in their wake en route to the title. That doesn’t happen without several key plays that turned the Tide (sometimes literally).
Here’s the five best plays, ranked, with some honorable mentions:
5. D’Angelo Ponds’ forced fumble, Rose Bowl
Indiana was up 10-0 in the second quarter of the Rose Bowl when Alabama finally started picking up momentum. The Crimson Tide drove all the way to midfield and faced a crucial third down with seven yards to go. A conversion would bring the Tide into Hoosier territory.
Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson took the snap and picked up those seven yards and more with his legs as it looked like the Tide, just like they had against Oklahoma, were gaining some belief after a poor start. Then D’Angelo Ponds, Indiana’s star cornerback, ended the drive there with a hit that knocked the ball out of Simpson’s hands.
Indiana linebacker Isaiah Jones quickly fell on the ball. The Hoosier offense took it from there, driving 58 yards down the field and scoring with ease to go up 17-0 heading into halftime.
4. Mikail Kamara’s punt block, National Championship
Indiana likely does not win a national championship without this play.
It’s outstanding for a few reasons. For one, it gave the Hoosiers some breathing room in the second half as a dominant Hurricanes defensive line was giving the offense trouble. For another, it was an individual effort on the part of Kamara rather than a called block attempt.
Indiana makes a point of emphasis on special teams, playing several starters on offense and defense in the game’s third phase. Kamara picked up that he could beat his man on a rush during previous punts and made his move on this one, flying right past the blocker and throwing a hand over the punter’s foot. The ball ricocheted off the turf and bounced into the endzone where it was found, once again, by Isaiah Jones.
The Hoosiers went up 17-7 heading into the fourth quarter, points that proved crucial when Miami started surging late.
3. Jamari Sharpe’s game-sealing INT, National Championship
Does Indiana hold off the Miami offense no matter what? Maybe.
The Hurricanes found the endzone on their previous two fourth quarter drives and had momentum at their backs as some costly penalties kept the Hoosiers from putting the game away on offense and kept this final drive alive on defense.
What Indiana needed, and was playing for, is a mistake. The Hoosier defense, like several others in college football, was willing to allow some successful plays to keep an opposing offense on the field. These are college offenses, bound to make some sort of error at some point.
Miami quarterback Carson Beck thought he had an opening downfield with Keelan Marion flying down the left sideline. A catch there is either a touchdown or an opportunity to work the clock a bit more in almost as favorable of a situation as it comes. Indiana cornerback Jamari Sharpe had other ideas.
Sharpe read the play as well as a defensive back can, knowing he had safety help over the top and that he could lay off a bit to make a play on the ball. When it was underthrown ever so slightly, he leapt up to meet it and end the drive on Indiana’s terms.
One penalty and a few nervous kneel-downs later and the Hoosiers were national champions.
2. D’Angelo Ponds’ game-opening pick six, Peach Bowl
Sometimes there’s a play early in a matchup that sets the tone. A defining moment that tells you what a game is going to look like.
Ponds’ game opening interception return for a touchdown was such a moment. He, like several other players on this list, read the moment perfectly. Oregon quarterback Dante Moore turned to throw to his receiver on an out route, letting the whole stadium know where the ball was going for a few fleeting fractions of a second.
Ponds was the only one able to do anything about it, so he did, undercutting the route and taking the ball for himself before rushing right into the endzone for the score.
It was the first of several Oregon mistakes that led to an almost insurmountable 35-7 halftime deficit.
Honorable Mentions
- Charlie Becker’s touchdown reception against Alabama, Rose Bowl.
- Becker’s fourth down reception against Miami, National Championship.
- Becker’s third down reception against Miami, National Championship. (sorry, Charlie)
- Aiden Fisher’s third down sack against Miami, National Championship.
- Louis Moore’s third down tackle on Malachi Toney against Miami, National Championship. (setup for aforementioned punt block)
1. Fernando Mendoza’s dive for the endzone, National Championship
It might not be the play that sealed the national championship, but it’s the one that’ll be immortalized in picture in countless TV dens, bars, breweries and verbally in interactions between Indiana fans.
Indiana had an opportunity to bring the lead back to 10 points as Miami found success on offense in the fourth quarter before the drive seemingly stalled with a third down incompletion in the shadow of the Hurricanes’ endzone. The Hoosiers initially sent out the kicking unit on fourth down with four yards to go before reconsidering and taking a timeout.
Miami was too late to adjust as Indiana’s offense retook the field. Fernando Mendoza took the snap, read the coverage and ran. First came the first down pickup and then the now-iconic dive into the endzone to break the plane and score the touchdown.
Indiana had one more offensive possession that ended in a field goal, but Mendoza’s run will stand forever as the defining play of the national championship game.
