For the final time this season, the Miami Hurricanes will put it all on the line, stepping onto the sport’s biggest stage to face No. 1 Indiana for a National Championship.
Coming off the program’s first-ever Fiesta Bowl win, a 31-27 thriller over Ole Miss, UM will play at Hard Rock Stadium one more time this season.
“At the end of the day, your preparation doesn’t change,” Miami head coach Mario Cristobal said to the media ahead of the game. “Your intensity is always driven up the closer and closer you get to game time and as you go deeper into the season.”
UM’s intensity will have to be turned all the way up against Indiana.
The Hoosiers are not only undefeated but have had one of the best program rebuilds in college football history under second-year head coach Curt Cignetti. In just two seasons, Cignetti has led IU to a 26-2 record, including a Big Ten championship win against Ohio State.
Indiana has been nothing short of dominant in its playoff run, scorching Alabama 38-3 in the Rose Bowl and most recently defeating Oregon 56-22 in the Peach Bowl to punch its ticket to the National Championship,
South Florida ended up being the perfect place for this game as members from both sidelines have ties to Christopher Columbus High School in Miami. On Miami’s side, Cristobal and offensive line coach Alex Mirabal played football at the school in the 1980s.
But the biggest story of them all is the 22-year-old Heisman quarterback who came out of Cristopher Columbus, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
“He’s [Fernando Mendoza] ahead of the defense all the time,” Cristobal said. “He’s two steps ahead. He understands the back end, the front. He’s extremely accurate, poised. He can make you pay with his feet. He can make you pay with his arm.”
Indiana’s offense has been electrifying all season long, scoring the third most points per game at 40.4 and averaging 461 yards per game, good for 11th in the country.
In its rout of Oregon, Mendoza finished the game 17-of-20 passing with 177 yards and five touchdowns. Mendoza was given the opportunity to score with ease multiple times due to his defense making key stops all night to set up good field position.
Despite the two schools only having faced off twice with the most recent matchup being Miami’s 14-7 win in 1966, Mendoza does have experience playing UM.
In 2024 with Cal, Mendoza threw for 285 yards and two touchdowns as the Hurricanes edged out the Golden Bears in a 39-38 thriller.
And it’s not just Mendoza with talent for the Hoosiers, IU’s offense features a tandem of talented running back and wide receiver duos.
Starting with the running backs, redshirt senior Roman Hemby has rushed for just over 1,000 rushing yards, while senior Kaelon Black is just under that mark. They combined for 116 yards on the ground in their last game against the Ducks.
On the wide receiver side of things, Omar Brown Jr. and Elijah Sarratt are both over 800 yards receiving. Against Oregon, Sarratt stole the show with seven receptions for 75 yards and two touchdowns.
If Miami wants to slow Indiana’s high-octane offense, it must play its best defensive game of the season. That starts with getting pressure on Mendoza, something UM has done consistently against elite offensive lines all year. The challenge won’t change against the Hoosiers, and Miami will be the best defense Indiana faces this season.
One key for the Hurricanes will be third down defense. Miami has to stop the Hoosiers on third down as they are the No. 1 third-down offense in the country, sitting at 58.2% and going 11-for-14 against Oregon.
When Mendoza does throw the ball, he is on-point as he sits third in the country in completion percentage, right behind Miami quarterback Carson Beck.
It will be a must for UM defensive backs like Ethan O’Connor and OJ Frederique Jr. to heavily contest Mendoza’s passes against talented wideouts. The defensive back room could be thin on Monday with cornerback Damari Brown questionable and Xavier Lucas missing the first half after being ejected for targeting against Ole Miss.
While the Hurricanes defense is firing on all cylinders Indiana’s isn’t too shabby either as the Hoosiers scored many of its points thanks to the defense.
On the first play of the Peach Bowl, Oregon quarterback Dante Moore stepped back and threw the ball into the hands of Indiana defensive back D’Angelo Ponds for a 25-yard pick six. Moore was sacked three times and fumbled the ball twice.
There will be no room for error for Beck and the offense. Coming off a 268 passing yards game, Beck dealt in the fourth quarter when it mattered most with two key drives within the final minutes of the game, including rolling out of the pocket himself with less than 30 seconds to score the game-winning touchdown.
Over the past three playoff games, Miami has run the ball for 150 yards or more, which has and will continue to be a key to success. In the Fiesta Bowl, junior running back Mark Fletcher Jr. ran the ball for 133 yards on 22 attempts. Sophomore Marty Brown was a key contributor as well, rushing for 54 yards and a touchdown.
“Mark Fletcher has had hundreds and thousands of repetitions. And when you do that, and when you’ve been through what he’s been through, it just means that much more,” Cristobal said. “And it shows in the way he approaches everything that he does. So I think it’s a combination of all those things that’s showing up.”
Ultimately, this championship will come down to execution. Whichever team wins the line of scrimmage, avoids costly mistakes, and plays with poise under pressure will walk away with the trophy.
For Miami and Indiana, Monday night at Hard Rock Stadium isn’t just another game—it’s a moment that will be etched into the history books.
The National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium is on Monday, Jan. 19, with kickoff scheduled for 7:50 p.m. and pregame ceremonies at 7:30 p.m. ET.
