Fernando Mendoza stats vs Miami in CFP Championship: After third quarter
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MIAMI — Battered and bloodied, Indiana football starting quarterback Fernando Mendoza was under duress in the third quarter of the CFP championship game.
The No. 1 Hoosiers (15-0) had 11 total yards in the quarter while Mendoza was sacked three times. Miami had five sacks through three quarters — it tied a season-high for the most IU has allowed all season in a single game — but managed to go into the fourth quarter with 17-7 advantage thanks to a blocked punt for a touchdown.
He was 12 of 20 for 116 going into the fourth quarter.
Indiana football quarterback Fernando Mendoza helps offense built a 10-0 first half lead
Mendoza, who took a series of hits that left his coach Curt Cignetti chewing out the officials, threw for 116 yards on 12-of-17 passing. He’s completed better than 70% of his pass attempts throughout the first two rounds of the CFP.
He threw a near touchdown to Charlie Becker in the red zone that was called back because the talented sophomore’s heel touched out of bounds. Indiana’s lone score in the first half came on a 1-yard run from Riley Nowakowski, a one-time fullback who has scored on both of his career carries.
What are Indiana football quarterback Fernando Mendoza’s stats this season?
Mendoza came into the game with 3,349 yards passing with single-season program records for passing touchdowns (41) and total touchdowns (47)
The championship game is a homecoming for the Heisman winner, who grew up in Miami and attended Columbus High School. His father, Fernando IV, played high school football with Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal.
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: Fernando Mendoza stats vs Miami in CFP Championship
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