Heisman contender Fernando Mendoza talks Omar Cooper Jr. touchdown catch helped IU football stay perfect
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It has been a week-and-a-half since Indiana football‘s Fernando Mendoza and Omar Cooper Jr. connected on perhaps the most consequential play of the college football season. The quarterback still can hardly believe how his receiver came down with the ball in-bounds for the winning touchdown on Nov. 8 against Penn State.
The Hoosiers trailed the Nittany Lions by four points and faced third-and-goal at the Penn State 7-yard line with less than a minute remaining when Mendoza threw to Cooper in the back of the end zone. Cooper leaped and caught the ball just below the crossbar, lowered his right foot (which may or may not have grazed the grass) before his left foot touched in the end zone. The Hoosiers won 27-24 to keep their record unblemished.
Mendoza told the “Heisman Trophy Podcast” that he has ordered a T-shirt honoring “The Catch” and he can’t wait to wear it.
“I was able to just put it up there and, Coop, he’s from Indiana, so he has a background in basketball as well,” Mendoza said. “He was able to grab that rebound right near the goal post, and I don’t know how he got his feet in. I was in utter shock.”
Cooper played football, basketball and long jumped at Lawrence North High School.
Mendoza said he didn’t have a chance to watch the play until the Hoosiers started their trip back to Bloomington.
“It’s a video game catch,” he said. “Usually when you see the two feet, you see the first one pop down. He was levitating one and doing the other one. A little bit of Houdini there.”
It’s no coincidence Mendoza appeared on the Heisman podcast. He has been doing a lot of media appearances during IU’s off week, and he is one of the favorites to win college football’s highest individual honor.
Fernando Mendoza connected with Omar Cooper Jr. for the game-winning TD in @IndianaFootball’s win over Penn State 💥
📍@Sitecore x Connection of the Game pic.twitter.com/fvBbGbCJtd
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) November 11, 2025
The No. 2 Hoosiers (11-0, 8-0) visit Purdue (2-9, 0-8) for the Old Oaken Bucket game on Friday, Nov. 28. IU will likely meet No. 1 Ohio State on Dec. 6 in the Big Ten championship game.
Mendoza also discussed the recruiting process that brought him to IU, how his brother Alberto — a second-year IU QB — helped in that process, his game-day habits, interest in business, his mother and much more.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Heisman Trophy contender Fernando Mendoza talks Omar Cooper touchdown catch
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