Indiana Dominates Oregon in Peach Bowl, Faces Miami for National Title

Indiana’s path to the national championship contest was paved with an utterly dominant performance.

The top-ranked, undefeated Hoosiers opened the scoring on the game’s initial play, establishing a commanding 35-7 halftime advantage en route to a 56-22 dismantling of No. 5 Oregon in the Peach Bowl. Indiana is now set to clash with No. 10 Miami on January 19th in Miami, vying for the national title.

The Hoosiers (15-0) secured their first touchdown without even receiving the opening kickoff. Defensive back D’Angelo Ponds flawlessly anticipated Oregon quarterback Dante Moore’s intentions, intercepting Moore’s first-down throw for a 25-yard touchdown return.

Credit is due to Oregon, as the Ducks (13-2) mounted a 14-play, 75-yard drive on their subsequent possession to even the score at 7-7. However, any suspense quickly dissipated thereafter, largely due to two fumbles by Moore.

The initial fumble was not entirely his responsibility. With Indiana ahead 14-7, Oregon commenced a drive from its own 13-yard line following a Hoosiers punt. Running back Dierre Hill Jr. executed a fake handoff from Moore. As Moore initiated his throw on the run-pass option play, the ball struck Hill’s shoulder, deflecting into the air before Mario Landino recovered it at Oregon’s 3-yard line.

Three plays subsequent to that turnover, Kaelon Black crossed the goal line, extending the Hoosiers’ lead to two touchdowns, a margin that would only widen.

After Heisman Trophy recipient Fernando Mendoza connected with Charlie Becker to make the score 28-7, the lead grew to 35-7 following Moore’s second fumble of the contest. He was brought down by Daniel Ndukwe, and Landino once again secured the loose ball with 2:36 remaining in the first half.

Six plays later, Mendoza found Elijah Sarratt for a 2-yard touchdown, establishing a four-score cushion that extinguished any remaining hope Oregon harbored for a victory.

Mendoza achieves yet another extraordinary statistical feat

Mendoza earned the Heisman Trophy by guiding Indiana to the sole undefeated season in top-tier college football, complemented by several astonishing individual displays. In the 13 games preceding the Heisman presentation, Mendoza recorded three contests where he threw more passing touchdowns than incompletions, along with a fourth game featuring four touchdown passes and four incompletions.

In the Rose Bowl, Mendoza completed 14 of 16 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns, elevating his tally of games with more touchdowns than incompletions to four.

On Friday evening, this figure climbed to five, thanks to Mendoza’s showing in the Peach Bowl. He exhibited supreme efficiency once more, completing 17 of 20 passes for 177 yards and five touchdowns.

This performance solidified Mendoza’s position as the overwhelming frontrunner for the No. 1 overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. While he has not formally declared, his declaration is widely considered a certainty, especially given Indiana’s prior acquisition of TCU quarterback Josh Hoover via the transfer portal.

Oregon faced offensive personnel shortages

Both Hill and Jay Harris assumed significant roles as running backs for the Ducks on Friday, necessitated by unforeseen player departures at the position. Starting running back Noah Whittington was unexpectedly listed as questionable on Oregon’s Thursday injury report and saw minimal action on Friday, his right lower leg heavily taped. Five-star freshman Jordon Davison, who scored two touchdowns in the Orange Bowl, sustained a clavicle fracture late in that game. Furthermore, the team’s No. 4 running back, Jayden Limar, was no longer with the squad after entering the transfer portal.

Harris, who began the year as the team’s fifth-string running back, is also in the transfer portal. Nevertheless, he was available on Friday in what essentially served as an audition for potential new programs.

He broke free for a 71-yard run in the third quarter. However, it proved to be too little, too late for an Oregon team that also endured the mid-game losses of left tackle Isaiah World and right guard Alex Harkey.

The limited depth at running back placed additional pressure on Moore, presenting a prime chance for him to demonstrate why he should be regarded among the top NFL Draft prospects alongside Mendoza, should he declare. Instead, Indiana’s defense restricted Oregon to less than four yards per play in the first half before the Ducks managed to gain some yardage after the Hoosiers had extended their lead to five scores early in the second half.