The Indiana Hoosiers continued their dream season with their 15th victory in as many games this season, as they crushed the Oregon Ducks 56-22 in the semifinals at the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta on Friday.
Quarterback Fernando Mendoza, presumed first pick in the next NFL draft, was smoking hot for Indiana. He completed 17 of 20 passes for 177 yards and five touchdowns against no interceptions. In the playoffs so far, he has eight touchdown passes compared to just five incomplete passes.
It was more difficult for his opposite number Dante Moore, who could well be the second choice in the upcoming auction. Moore finished the game with 62% completions (24/39), 285 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
For head coach Curt Cignetti, it is a 26th victory in 28 games since he was at the helm of the Hoosiers. It’s the largest two-season win total for a new coach in NCAA history.
Indiana got off to a great start, with a D’Angelo Ponds interception returned to the end zone on the first play of the game to set the tone.
Dante Moore and Oregon, however, responded immediately with a sequence of several minutes that ended with a touchdown from tight end Jamari Johnson.
The Hoosiers then took complete control of the game, so much so that they returned to the locker room with a 35-7 lead after 30 minutes.
Indiana didn’t slow down in the second half and scored three more touchdowns to win 56-22.
