Awards Abound for Mendoza, Hoosiers
9/22/2025 3:30:00 PM | Football
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – After he equaled the Indiana football program record for receiving touchdowns in a single game, redshirt junior wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. was selected as the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, as announced by the conference office on Monday (Sept. 15).
Mendoza Tabbed to Big Ten and National Player of the Week Lists
The first Hoosier post multiple games with five-plus touchdown passes and multiple games with a completion percentage over .900, Fernando Mendoza was tabbed as the Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week to go along with six other national honors.
The Miami, Florida, native was tabbed as the Maxwell Award National Player of the Week, AP National Player of the Week, Davey O'Brien National Quarterback of the Week, Manning Award National Quarterback of the Week, East-West Shrine Bowl Monday Morning Quarterback, and Senior Bowl Stock Up Player of the Week.
His outing included 21-of-23 passes – including 15-straight completions to finish the game – for 267 yards and five touchdown passes. His 21 completions included 16 that went for either a first down or touchdown. He found five different receivers with four of them finding the end zone at least once. After he hit Omar Cooper Jr. for an 11-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter, Mendoza found three different receivers for touchdown passes in the second quarter: E.J. Williams Jr. (11 yards), Riley Nowakowski (43 yards), Elijah Sarratt (9 yards). He capped his scoring tosses with a 5-yard scoring pass to Sarratt in the third quarter.
Hoosiers Tabbed Pop-Tarts Crazy Good Team of the Week
After posting the largest margin of victory by a team outside the AP top-10 against an AP top-10 team with a 63-10 victory over Illinois, Indiana was selected by the All-America Committee of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) as the organizations Pop-Tarts Crazy Good Team of the Week.
It marks the fourth time Indiana has earned the award: 2020 – Week 8 vs. Penn State; 2007 – Week 12 vs. Purdue; 2006 – Week 7 vs. Iowa.
Cignetti Named Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week
Officials from the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. announced Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti as The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week after a 63-10 victory over then 9/8 Illinois in Week 4.
The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week award honors a football coach who led his team to a significant victory during the previous week, while also embodying the award's three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity.
Mendoza Tabbed to Big Ten and National Player of the Week Lists
The first Hoosier post multiple games with five-plus touchdown passes and multiple games with a completion percentage over .900, Fernando Mendoza was tabbed as the Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week to go along with six other national honors.
The Miami, Florida, native was tabbed as the Maxwell Award National Player of the Week, AP National Player of the Week, Davey O'Brien National Quarterback of the Week, Manning Award National Quarterback of the Week, East-West Shrine Bowl Monday Morning Quarterback, and Senior Bowl Stock Up Player of the Week.
His outing included 21-of-23 passes – including 15-straight completions to finish the game – for 267 yards and five touchdown passes. His 21 completions included 16 that went for either a first down or touchdown. He found five different receivers with four of them finding the end zone at least once. After he hit Omar Cooper Jr. for an 11-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter, Mendoza found three different receivers for touchdown passes in the second quarter: E.J. Williams Jr. (11 yards), Riley Nowakowski (43 yards), Elijah Sarratt (9 yards). He capped his scoring tosses with a 5-yard scoring pass to Sarratt in the third quarter.
Hoosiers Tabbed Pop-Tarts Crazy Good Team of the Week
After posting the largest margin of victory by a team outside the AP top-10 against an AP top-10 team with a 63-10 victory over Illinois, Indiana was selected by the All-America Committee of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) as the organizations Pop-Tarts Crazy Good Team of the Week.
It marks the fourth time Indiana has earned the award: 2020 – Week 8 vs. Penn State; 2007 – Week 12 vs. Purdue; 2006 – Week 7 vs. Iowa.
Cignetti Named Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week
Officials from the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. announced Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti as The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week after a 63-10 victory over then 9/8 Illinois in Week 4.
The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week award honors a football coach who led his team to a significant victory during the previous week, while also embodying the award's three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity.
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