Heismandoza Hype -- ‘Winning Games Has to Matter’
By Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - What do you do when 68,000 people go mute; when television cameras focus on a player lying face down on the Lucas Oil Stadium turf for five seconds, 10 seconds, 15 seconds, his feet occasionally kicking as if he's swimming in a pond only he can see?
How do you process the perception that quarterback Fernando Mendoza, arguably the best college football player in the country, is seriously injured, that the Indiana Hoosiers are in big trouble just one play into their climactic Big Ten title game against No. 1 Ohio State?
Buckeyes standout defensive end Caden Curry has come free to crush Mendoza with a massive but legal hit, and Hoosier hopes seem in doubt.
They are not.
Even though he wonders if he's broken a rib, even though he later describes the play on the "Pat McAfee Show" as getting "hit by a freight train with no brakes," Mendoza has no intention of leaving the game. He rises to his feet and heads to the sidelines only because college rules require him to sit out one play. Backup quarterback and younger brother Alberto Mendoza takes over for a handoff, and then Fernando returns to lead IU to a 13-10 win over Ohio State, its second-ever outright Big Ten title and first since 1945, and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming playoffs.
"I was never going to stay down," Mendoza says. “I will die for my brothers on that field. So, no matter whether it's a gut punch, whether it's a head punch, whatever it is, I'm always going to get back up.”
"We'd worked so hard to get to this point that no hit, no knockout hit, knockout punch could take me out of that game."
This is what potential Heisman Trophy winners do. They don't just wrack up jaw-dropping stats and mind-boggling plays, although Mendoza has done plenty of that in his Hoosier debut season -- completing 71.5 percent of his passes for 2,980 yards, a national-leading 33 touchdowns and six interceptions. They stare down adversity and rib-rocking pain; they win games and moments; they win hearts of teammates, coaches and fans; they win when, by all ordinary measures, they should not.
"When you talk about the Heisman," IU standout linebacker Aiden Fisher says, "winning games has to matter. He's won more than anybody in the country. There's only one undefeated team left."
Mendoza is a Heisman Trophy finalist along with Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin, and Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia. The winner will be announced Saturday night in New York City.
"The reason why I'm shining now," Mendoza says, "is because of all the stars around me -- my teammates, coaches, family, and support staff."
The Hoosiers (13-0) have no doubt who should win.
"He's the Heisman winner," center Pat Coogan says. "I'll campaign for it. We see how talented he is, the arm talent, the ability to put the ball in the perfect spot."
Coogan references Mendoza's clutch 33-yard pass to receiver Charlie Becker on third-and-six deep in IU territory late in the fourth quarter against Ohio State that allowed the Hoosiers to basically run out the clock -- an audacious play called by audacious head coach Curt Cignetti who -- always -- plays to win.
"That was put in the perfect spot," Coogan says, "and he did it all game long.
"The kid is tough as nails. You saw the shot he took on the first play of the game. Being able to rise, get off the ground, take that and still put his body on the line for the team. He's the Heisman winner. He's the best quarterback in the country without out a doubt. He's the toughest quarterback in the country without a doubt. He's our rock and the reason why we have had so much success. He puts in so much work to shine in such moments."
Fisher is just as passionate in his support of Mendoza, the Walter Camp Award winner as the nation's best player.
"It starts with his film. The throws he makes wow you every time. The job he's done this year has been remarkable."
Fisher points to critical Mendoza-led fourth-quarter drives at Iowa, at Oregon, at Penn State and against Ohio State as further proof.
"Look at his resume. We had a lot of games come down to the fourth quarter and we needed a clutch drive to win. He's done it every time. That's my Heisman. He's the best player in the country. I don't think it's close."
*****
Mendoza's defining moment might have come in the last two minutes at Penn State's Beaver Stadium. The Hoosiers had lost a double-digit lead to trail 24-20 against a fierce Nittany Lion defense and a raucous 100,000-plus crowd.
A sack left Mendoza facing second-and-17 at IU's 13-yard line, and prospects seemed grim. Then he went to work, connecting on clutch passes to Omar Cooper Jr. for 22 yards, E.J. Williams Jr. for 12 yards, Riley Nowakowski for 29 yards and Charlie Becker for 17 yards to the Penn State 7-yard line.
On third down, with a pair of Nittany Lions defenders in his face, Mendoza threw a high pass to Cooper Jr., who made a spectacular TD catch at the back of the end zone while getting both feet in bounds.
IU victory.
Add that to Mendoza's 240 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns, the fact he's thrown a touchdown pass in 12-straight games and that no FBS quarterback can match his five games of four-plus TD passes and no interceptions, and it's a Heisman resume like no other.
"None of us were surprised he's a finalist," Cignetti says. "We saw that coming for quite a long time. He solidified his place the other night (against Ohio State). It's a credit to him for being as committed as he is for putting himself in position to play like he plays. His teammates and the assistant coaches are a big part of that.
"What stands out to me is the way he performs when the game is on the line, the plays he makes, the throws he makes. He's made a number of big plays with his legs, as well. "We've been involved in quite a few tight contests, away from home or at a neutral venue, and that's when he seems to lock in and play his best ball."
As far as talking to Mendoza about handling the Heisman hype, Cignetti says they had one conversation that lasted perhaps 14 seconds.
"Fernando is a real focused guy. I brought him in my office one day, maybe after game seven or eight, regarding the Heisman and dealing with it. He came in my front door and out my side door. That was it."
And then Cignetti, the national coach of the year for a second-straight season, with a New Year's Day Rose Bowl playoff quarterfinal game against the winner between Alabama (10-3) and Oklahoma (10-2) looming, offers a final point.
"This is a great award. A lot of great players have won it. The key is after the award is won and he's enjoyed the ceremony, let's lock in and get ready to play the next game."
Mendoza calls the Heisman Trophy "the most prestigious award in all of college football." He says he noticed at the start of the season he wasn't listed among the top 10 Heisman contenders. That sparked his competitive nature to make the award ceremony.
"Now that goal has come to fruition," he says. "It's such a cool moment. It's about how you can make dreams come true by reaching farther than you thought you could reach."
Heisman opportunity comes with pressure. Mendoza says his performance against Illinois (21-for-23, 267 yards and five touchdowns) generated national attention and potential distraction. He says keeping his focus has been a "huge challenge." He works with a sports psychologist to ignore outside noise -- good and bad -- and stick with the process.
"It's a huge privilege to be part of the pressure," he says. "Having such a great team and great teammates has positioned me to win games. It's elevated me."
Elevation includes relentless preparation that Cignetti calls the best he's ever seen. Mendoza credits Cignetti, offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan and quarterbacks coach Chandler Whitmer for honing that approach. Their message is simple -- "This is what you have to do to be successful," Mendoza says. "You have to be ready for every jab and every punch opponents throw."
He says it comes with the understanding that the best players are confident, and they're confident because they prepare "like no other."
"I prepare to exhaustion so that I know, whether the game goes fantastic or terrible, that I did everything possible to prepare. I keep to that process. I don't want to live with regrets."
The result -- while others might relax and party, Mendoza works.
"It's a short window of opportunity," he says. "Why waste it? If this is what you've dreamt about, why not give it your all?"
Mendoza wastes nothing. He says he concentrates on staying in the moment and focuses on the task at hand. In this case, that's physical recovery from 13 punishing games, staying sharp on his quarterback fundamentals, doing preliminary film watching on Oklahoma and Alabama to learn personnel, and the Heisman ceremony. He says he's watched 10 Heisman speeches from former winners to prepare for his own possible victory speech.
"I want to make the most of the weekend and opportunity," he says.
Mendoza leads with toughness. When he took a big hit out of bounds at Iowa, the Hoosiers rallied around him.
"I was sitting next to him in the postgame interview," Fisher says, "and he said he would die on the field to play this game. People laugh and chuckle about it, but he is dead serious. He will do anything it takes to win. "He cares so much about his team and his teammates. Whatever it takes to win, he's going to do it. He's been such a great leader and so selfless."
Receiver Elijah Sarratt benefits from Mendoza's selflessness. That includes his game-winning touchdown catch against Ohio State.
"It's his talent and what he does outside of practice," Sarratt says. "It's the time he spends watching film and going over the plays by himself. That's why he has this success. You haven't seen the unseen hours he puts in.
"He loves this game. He does everything he can to be the best player on the field every Saturday, and he usually is. I've played for a lot of quarterbacks. To see the work he puts in makes me continue to work hard. He'll continue to do great things."
Sarratt says Mendoza's leadership surfaced quickly last January after the quarterback transferred from the University of California.
"It's the day by day of going to work," Sarratt says. "We understood he would be our guy. In the weight room, doing the 7-on-7 drills, just talking to us, encouraging guys in the locker room, talking to whoever walks by, and it doesn't matter who it is. "It's the little stuff that builds over time. If you're a good player, you're a good leader. The work he puts in Monday to Sunday allows him to be a good leader."
Coogan says Mendoza didn't try to take charge right away, that leadership was more of a slow build through winter, spring, and summer.
"You have to gain trust by your actions, you aren't going to gain trust just by saying it. It's what you do on the field, what you do in the meeting rooms, what you do in the locker room. "That's where he really took the biggest stride. He's an ultimate professional, and an ultimate, wonderful teammate. He prepares like no one I've ever seen; he works his butt off like no one I've ever seen; and he is just an awesome locker room guy on top of that."
The defining leadership moment, Coogan says, was taking that hit at Iowa.
"He showed us with his actions that he'll do anything for us. He'll put his body on the line for a chance to have success."
While IU has never had a Heisman Trophy winner -- the closest was in 1988 when All-American running back Anthony Thompson took second -- it has never had anyone combine such individual and team success before.
"This award is so iconic," Mendoza says. "I know how much it would mean to the team, the fans, and everybody around the program."
He also understands the biggest reason for this weekend opportunity.
"We're 13-0 and Big Ten champions."
In the end for Mendoza, it's not about the Heisman Trophy or any postseason awards or accolades.
It's about winning.
"I'm looking forward to the great postseason I believe we will have," he says.