Fernando Mendoza’s mom, Elsa Mendoza, had one reminder for her son after the No. 1-seed Indiana Hoosiers defeated the No. 10-seed Miami Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff national championship game on Monday.
Speaking to Arash Markazi of The Sporting Tribune, Elsa jokingly said that after seeing her son rumble his way to a 12-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, she felt that she had to remind him that he’s a “quarterback, not a running back.”
The Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback is not really known for his dual-threat abilities, though he entered the CFP title game with 6 rushing touchdowns and 284 yards on 83 carries in 15 games in the 2025 campaign.
But that was also part of why Mendoza’s touchdown surprised so many, including Miami’s defense, which was left stunned as he broke multiple tackles and leapt into the air to cross the goal line on a gutsy fourth-down call by Indiana. His TD gave Indiana a 10-point lead with under 10 minutes left in regulation.
It was also his only touchdown in the game, passing or rushing, as he passed for 186 passing yards on 16-of-27 pass completions with zero touchdowns and no interceptions.
If there was one play that could sum up the Hoosiers’ win against the Hurricanes, Mendoza’s audacious rushing score should be it.
