Heisman Aftermath – For Mendoza, Glory Earned; Focus Returned; Work Renewed
By Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Fernando Mendoza poses in front of 25 pounds of college football glory at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium's Don Croftcheck Team Room, a Heisman Trophy no Indiana Hoosier has ever won before, although All-American tailback Anthony Thompson gave it a heck of a try with his 1989 runner-up finish; a whirlwind weekend in New York in his rearview mirror, a New Year's Day College Playoff Rose Bowl opportunity drawing closer, and the quarterback offers perspective.
"It was a great weekend," he says, "but we understand that just like the Big Ten Championship game, just like any other big game we played this season, this page is now folded, although I will be in the fraternity for the rest of my life.
"Our focus is winning the College Football Playoff. That's what would make this trophy so much sweeter. I believe this trophy is a push of confidence for us, that we're making history for the IU team by being 13-0 and also bringing home a Heisman Trophy to Bloomington.
"Our team understands, even in the (weightlifting session) this morning, that we need to be humble and hungry. We did it, we got the (Heisman) trophy; now it's on to the real trophy, the season's trophy, which is the national championship."
Mendoza won the Heisman in dominating fashion -- 2,362 points and 643 first-place votes to runner-up Diego Pavia's 1,435 points and 189 first-place votes -- as much for the quality of his character as the clutch play-making that propelled the Hoosiers to the top seed and a Rose Bowl opportunity against Friday night's winner between Alabama (10-3) and Oklahoma (10-2).
Mendoza won because he wins; because he thrives in the biggest moments; because he cares, because he recognizes those who helped him scale this athletic mountain; because he refuses to let adversity stop him (remember his game-winning responses to interceptions at Oregon and at Penn State?).
"Don't let anybody knock you down," he says. "You can do it."
Mendoza reflects on where he was last winter, a University of California transfer looking to make a fresh start at an emerging powerhouse program under head coach Curt Cignetti; a program coming off its first college playoff appearance in history and wanting more.
"To be quite honest," he says, "I don't even know if I'm deserving of this (award). I would have never expected this.
"However, the coaching staff, the way that I got there through spring and elevated myself all the way to this point as a player, it's two different Fernando Mendozas. It is two different players.
"You can ask any coach or player on staff. Even some of the players this morning were like, 'Bro, when we saw you in spring, there's no way we ever thought this was possible.' It's just a testament to the great team that I have around me and the great coaches."
A weekend like no other in program history needed to be shared and it was, by family and friends and multiple teammates who paid their own way to celebrate with the quarterback who inspires by word as well as deed.
Linebacker Aiden Fisher was there. Offensive linemen Pat Coogan, Carter Smith and Bray Lynch were there, receiver Charlie Becker, tight end Riley Nowakowski and so many more who had fought the good fight with Mendoza and, in this unprecedented season, always won.
"I believe I had like 60 family members that came out, around 10 to 15 teammates that made the trip out on their own dime, and a lot of family and friends in the community that supported me along the way, not when I was the Heisman frontrunner, but those guys and all those people who have been behind my back when I was second string in middle school. To see all of them and to see how much it meant to them, it was unreal."
In New York, Mendoza met with former Heisman winners such as Tim Tebow, Tim Brown, Archie Griffin, Eddie George, Steve Spurrier, Gino Torretta, and many more. Each made an impact, with Tebow's advice to not live in the past or walk on eggshells, but to live and make decisions you won't regret really resonating.
"They were fantastic," Mendoza says. "They gave me a lot of good advice. They are legends of the game."
Now Mendoza is a legend and he gave a Heisman-winning speech for the ages, one rich in emotion and humility and insight, one that reflected research of past Heisman speeches to match if not surpass that of his heralded game preparation because it demanded his best and he absolutely delivered.
"It was my duty as a finalist to practice and rehearse the speech," he says. "I rehearsed it and it sounded a lot better in the mirror, and then I got up there and I'm like, 'Wow, I'm really nervous.' So, I started stuttering a little bit."
Nerves are gone. It's back to the grind of practice and weight lifting and conditioning and film watching, back to the process that produced those 13-straight victories, and epic triumphs at Oregon, at Iowa, at Penn State and, finally, over previously unbeaten and defending national champion Ohio State in Indianapolis.
Three victories separate the Hoosiers from a national championship that once seemed as likely as the bison returning as IU's mascot.
"We understand we're recovering from the weekend," Mendoza says, "and now it's time to work."