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Instant recap: Indiana 56, Oregon 22

  • 17h ago
 

Fernando Mendoza celebrates a passing touchdown.

Quick thoughts on IU football’s 56-22 win against Oregon in the CFP semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in front of 75,604 fans:

Key moments in IU’s win

D’Angelo Ponds pick-six on the first play

Indiana won the coin toss and deferred to the second half, giving Oregon the first possession.

On Oregon’s first play from scrimmage, Dante Moore’s pass intended for Malik Benson was intercepted by D’Angelo Ponds and returned 25 yards for a touchdown, setting Mercedes-Benz Stadium into a frenzy and giving the Hoosiers a 7-0 lead.

Oregon answers after early interception

The Ducks found their footing on their second possession as Moore captained a 14-play drive that ate up 7:38 of game clock. The Hoosiers struggled with their pass rush, as Moore had as much time as he wanted on several of his completions.

The drive ended with Oregon in the end zone as Moore found Jamari Johnson for a 19-yard pass that tied the game at seven with 7:11 remaining in the opening quarter.

Mendoza finds Cooper to cap off 11-play scoring drive

On IU’s first possession, the balanced Hoosier offense mixed in runs from Kaelon Black and Roman Hemby and precision passing by Mendoza to march 75 yards in 6:31.

In the redzone on 2nd and goal, Mendoza hooked up with Omar Cooper Jr. for an eight-yard touchdown pass, giving the Hoosiers a 14-7 lead with 42 seconds left in the opening quarter.

IU capitalizes on Moore’s fumble

After Oregon went three-and-out and IU could only muster 25 yards on its next drive, the Ducks took possession at their own 13-yard line.

On the first play, Moore had the ball knocked out of his hands by running back Dierre Hill Jr. and Mario Landino recovered on the Oregon three-yard line. Three plays later, Kaelon Black found the end zone from less than a yard out to make it a 21-7 IU lead.

Onslaught continues as Mendoza finds Becker for a touchdown

The Ducks mustered just one first down on their next drive before punting the ball to the Hoosiers, who began their drive at their own 39.

Four plays later, Mendoza found Charlie Becker for a 36-yard touchdown pass to make it 28-7 Indiana with 3:20 left in the second quarter.

Moore’s third turnover sets up another IU touchdown

Oregon’s next possession resulted in another turnover. This time, it was Daniel Ndukwe getting to Moore and forcing a fumble that Landino recovered at the Oregon 21.

Five plays later, Mendoza hooked up with Sarratt for his third passing touchdown to make it 35-7 Hoosiers with one minute left in the first half.

Mendoza connects with E.J. Williams for fourth passing touchdown

To open the second half, the Hoosiers went 75 yards over 11 plays for another trip to the end zone.

This time, it was Mendoza to E.J. Williams on a 13-yard connection to stretch the lead to 42-7 with 8:52 left in the third quarter.

Ndukwe’s blocked punt gives IU possession in the red zone early in the fourth quarter

Leading 42-15, the Hoosiers forced Oregon to punt deep in their own territory with 13:12 left in the game.

Ndukwe blocked James Ferguson-Reynolds’ punt attempt and the ball was recovered by Kaiden Turner and returned to the Oregon seven-yard line.

On 3rd and three, Mendoza connected with Sarratt for his fifth touchdown pass of the game to make it 49-15 and put the game out of reach for good.

Offensive standouts

Mendoza completed 17 of his 20 pass attempts for 177 yards and five touchdowns with a quarterback rating of 241.8.

Black rushed 12 times for 63 yards and two touchdowns and Roman Hemny carried 17 times for 53 yards.

Elijah Sarratt caught seven passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns. Cooper, Becker and Williams Jr. each had a touchdown catch.

IU offensive stats

Defensive standouts

Aiden Fisher led IU with nine tackles, including 1.5 for a loss.

Ndukwe had two sacks, a forced fumble and a blocked punt and Landino had three tackles and two fumble recoveries.

Ponds had six tackles, an interception and the return for a touchdown. Mikail Kamara had a tackle for a loss, Isaiah Jones had 1.5 tackles for a loss and Rolijah Hardy also had a tackle for a loss.

IU defensive stats

What’s next for the Hoosiers

Indiana will be back in action next on Monday, January 19, in the CFP National Championship Game against Miami (FL) at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

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