Daniel Ndukwe helps Indiana football reach CFP title game with special homecoming
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
ATLANTA — There was something about the fresh Atlanta air that set the stage for Indiana football defensive end Daniel Ndukwe’s career best performance in the Peach Bowl on Friday night.
Ndukwe had two sacks with a forced fumble, four quarterback pressures and a blocked punt in a 56-22 win over Oregon.
The sophomore defender grew up in Lithonia, Georgia, a suburb on the east side of the city, and found a renewed sense of confidence when the No. 1 Hoosiers (15-0) stepped off the plane.
“I got the XP boost in my body,” Ndukwe said with a laugh. “I knew we would have a great game, we delivered.”
Ndukwe was an unlikely hero for IU as a reserve who only recently landed a prominent role at defensive end thanks to multiple injuries at the position.
The oft-used cliche of “next man up” turned out to be true in the CFP semifinals with the defender helping rattle Oregon quarterback Dante Moore and make contributions in multiple phases to send the Hoosiers to the national championship game for the first time in program history.
Indiana football defensive end Daniel Ndukwe put finishing touches on blowout win over Oregon
Ndukwe’s calling card as a true freshman was the work he put on special teams. He became the first IU player to block multiple punts in one season since Jerimy Finch accomplished the feat and Ndukwe he didn’t forget his roots.
He called game with a blocked punt at Oregon’s 7-yard line in a 56-22 win that sent the Hoosiers to the national title game. He actually turned to Byron Baldwin Jr. before the snap and ‘let’s go block it’
“I think that shows a lot of character of who you are, what you do on special teams, not taking a play off even though we are up multiple scores,” Ndukwe said.
That attitude is what made IU’s coaching staff confident Ndukwe would meet the moment after Stephen Daley was injured following the Big Ten title game. The Hoosiers suffered multiple season-ending injuries at the position and that left a player with just 121 snaps of experience on that side of the ball as the team’s starter heading into the CFP.
“The kid works hard, he knows his job description and plays really hard for his teammates,” Haines said. “At the end of the day, that’s a good football player, talented kid.”
It all goes back to the message head coach Curt Cignetti and defensive coordinator Byrant Haines preach on a daily basis — “the standard is the standard” — and that applies all the way down the depth chart.
The coaching staff had been high on Ndukwe since landing a commitment from him while they were still at James Madison. He was one of just a handful of recruits the staff brought over with them to Bloomington.
He was also just five freshmen in 2024 that didn’t redshirt.
“He was a receiver in high school, you talk about hip fluidity, balance, spin, body control, all those traits that Cig talks about, he has those,” Haines said. “Now we are just seeing them in real time.”
Indiana football’s Daniel Ndukwe joins the turnover part in CFP semifinals
Indiana pulled away in the first half by scoring 21 points off turnovers and Ndukwe got in on the action.
In the final minutes of the first half, Ndukwe came off the edge and made a move inside with teammate Mario Landino clearing a pair of blocker to get to Moore and slam him to the ground with such force the ball popped out to give Indiana the ball back at Oregon’s 21-yard line.
Ndukwe’s second sack of the game allowed IU fans to start making their travel plans to Miami.
“I knew my three-tech was getting vertical, shout out Mario,” Ndukwe said with a wide smile. “I know I don’t want any fly bys. I don’t want to run past the quarterback, and I knew what level he was at. It all worked out perfectly.”
Ndukwe told The Herald-Times after the game part of what made his transition from little-used reserve to starter has been the Hoosiers’ talent level up front with a group that includes Landino, Tyrique Tucker and Mikail Kamara.
“Being able to trust my brothers, it elevates my own game, knowing my teammate is doing his job,” Ndukwe said. “The fit is always going to be what we drew up.”
Tucker, who worked his way up the depth chart in much the same way as Ndukwe, had just as much confidence in his teammate as the coaches did. He’s spent all season telling Ndukwe to be ready.
He listened to the advice.
“He was out there getting after it,” Tyrique Tucker said. “That’s my boy. I knew his time was going to come. Just to see him go out there and put it all together, it was big and I was proud of him. He had the right mindset and was ready for the moment.”
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Indiana football’s Daniel Ndukwe was ready for his moment in the CFP semifinals
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos