INDIANAPOLIS – In a game that will echo through the annals of college football history, the Indiana Hoosiers etched their name into immortality on Saturday night, stunning the defending national champions and top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes 13-10 in the Big Ten Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium. It marked Indiana's first conference title since 1967 – and their first outright crown since 1945 – capping a Cinderella season that began with the Hoosiers as the losingest program in FBS history and ends with them as the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.
The victory wasn't just a win; it was a statement. A gritty, defensive masterpiece where Indiana's relentless front seven harassed Ohio State's vaunted offense into submission, sacking quarterback Julian Sayin five times and forcing a crucial late interception. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy frontrunner who shook off an early injury scare, orchestrated two game-changing touchdown drives, including a 17-yard strike to Elijah Sarratt that gave the Hoosiers the lead they would never relinquish.As the final seconds ticked away and the crimson-clad faithful erupted, coach Curt Cignetti – the architect of this miracle – hoisted the Big Ten trophy skyward, his voice cracking with emotion. "This is for every Hoosier who's ever believed," Cignetti said postgame. "From the doubters to the dreamers – we're No. 1 now."
A Season of Unlikely MagicTo understand the magnitude of this triumph, one must rewind to August. Indiana entered 2025 with a 662-677-43 all-time record, the worst winning percentage in major college football. The Hoosiers hadn't sniffed a winning season since 2020, let alone a conference title game. But Cignetti, poached from James Madison where he'd engineered a 48-8 run, arrived with a transfer portal haul that transformed Bloomington into a powerhouse.Mendoza, a junior college gem turned gunslinger, threw for 3,800 yards and 38 touchdowns during the regular season, while a defense that ranked fifth nationally in total yards allowed (251.8 per game) suffocated opponents. Wins over Michigan (35-14), Penn State (28-10), and a 56-3 demolition of archrival Purdue propelled Indiana to 12-0 and the No. 2 ranking.Ohio State, meanwhile, was the juggernaut everyone expected. The Buckeyes, fresh off a 2024 national title, steamrolled through a schedule that included a 27-9 thumping of Michigan, allowing just 7.8 points per game behind a secondary led by All-American safety Caleb Downs. Sayin, the five-star freshman phenom, had dazzled with poise beyond his years, and wideouts Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate terrorized defenses. A Big Ten title seemed like a formality – until Indiana turned the script.
A Defensive Slugfest Under the LightsFrom the opening kickoff, it was clear this wouldn't be a fireworks show. The teams traded field goals early – Nico Radicic's 29-yarder for Indiana at 6:51 of the first quarter, followed by Sayin's 9-yard touchdown dart to Tate just before halftime to put Ohio State up 7-3. A 30-yard Jayden Fielding field goal early in the second stretched the Buckeyes' lead to 10-3, capped by a 54-yard bomb from Sayin to Smith that had the scarlet-and-gray contingent roaring.But Indiana bent, never broke. The Hoosiers' defense, anchored by edge rushers Caden Curry and Louis Moore, teed off on Sayin, dropping him for losses totaling 42 yards. Three sacks in the first half alone disrupted Ohio State's rhythm, limiting them to 109 passing yards and just 41 on the ground.The tide turned in the third quarter. Trailing 10-6 after Radicic's second field goal, Mendoza – who had briefly left the field after a blindside hit from Curry – engineered a seven-play, 88-yard masterpiece. On third-and-8 at the Ohio State 17, he floated a perfect back-shoulder pass to Sarratt for the go-ahead score. "That was vintage Fernando," Cignetti said. "Kid's got ice in his veins."Ohio State clawed back into the red zone twice in the fourth, but Indiana's secondary – led by cornerback D'Angelo Ponds – stuffed them short of paydirt each time. The dagger came with 2:40 left: On third-and-6 from their own 24, Mendoza aired it deep to Charlie Becker for a 37-yard grab that sealed the first down and the win. An 11-of-18 night for 155 yards, Mendoza earned MVP honors, his poise belying the moment.A final Buckeye drive fizzled when Sayin was picked off at the Indiana 25 by Moore, and the Hoosiers kneeled it out amid a deafening roar.
Stars of the Night: Mendoza and the Hoosier Hounds
A Season of Unlikely MagicTo understand the magnitude of this triumph, one must rewind to August. Indiana entered 2025 with a 662-677-43 all-time record, the worst winning percentage in major college football. The Hoosiers hadn't sniffed a winning season since 2020, let alone a conference title game. But Cignetti, poached from James Madison where he'd engineered a 48-8 run, arrived with a transfer portal haul that transformed Bloomington into a powerhouse.Mendoza, a junior college gem turned gunslinger, threw for 3,800 yards and 38 touchdowns during the regular season, while a defense that ranked fifth nationally in total yards allowed (251.8 per game) suffocated opponents. Wins over Michigan (35-14), Penn State (28-10), and a 56-3 demolition of archrival Purdue propelled Indiana to 12-0 and the No. 2 ranking.Ohio State, meanwhile, was the juggernaut everyone expected. The Buckeyes, fresh off a 2024 national title, steamrolled through a schedule that included a 27-9 thumping of Michigan, allowing just 7.8 points per game behind a secondary led by All-American safety Caleb Downs. Sayin, the five-star freshman phenom, had dazzled with poise beyond his years, and wideouts Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate terrorized defenses. A Big Ten title seemed like a formality – until Indiana turned the script.
A Defensive Slugfest Under the LightsFrom the opening kickoff, it was clear this wouldn't be a fireworks show. The teams traded field goals early – Nico Radicic's 29-yarder for Indiana at 6:51 of the first quarter, followed by Sayin's 9-yard touchdown dart to Tate just before halftime to put Ohio State up 7-3. A 30-yard Jayden Fielding field goal early in the second stretched the Buckeyes' lead to 10-3, capped by a 54-yard bomb from Sayin to Smith that had the scarlet-and-gray contingent roaring.But Indiana bent, never broke. The Hoosiers' defense, anchored by edge rushers Caden Curry and Louis Moore, teed off on Sayin, dropping him for losses totaling 42 yards. Three sacks in the first half alone disrupted Ohio State's rhythm, limiting them to 109 passing yards and just 41 on the ground.The tide turned in the third quarter. Trailing 10-6 after Radicic's second field goal, Mendoza – who had briefly left the field after a blindside hit from Curry – engineered a seven-play, 88-yard masterpiece. On third-and-8 at the Ohio State 17, he floated a perfect back-shoulder pass to Sarratt for the go-ahead score. "That was vintage Fernando," Cignetti said. "Kid's got ice in his veins."Ohio State clawed back into the red zone twice in the fourth, but Indiana's secondary – led by cornerback D'Angelo Ponds – stuffed them short of paydirt each time. The dagger came with 2:40 left: On third-and-6 from their own 24, Mendoza aired it deep to Charlie Becker for a 37-yard grab that sealed the first down and the win. An 11-of-18 night for 155 yards, Mendoza earned MVP honors, his poise belying the moment.A final Buckeye drive fizzled when Sayin was picked off at the Indiana 25 by Moore, and the Hoosiers kneeled it out amid a deafening roar.
Stars of the Night: Mendoza and the Hoosier Hounds
- Fernando Mendoza (QB, Indiana): The hero of the hour. Overcame an early ankle tweak to deliver 155 yards and two scores, including the game-winner. His 51-yard bomb to Becker on third-and-2 earlier in the game flipped field position. Postgame, Mendoza's viral interview – a tearful tribute to his late father – melted hearts nationwide.
- Elijah Sarratt (WR, Indiana): The 17-yard TD grab was his highlight, but his blocking downfield opened lanes for the running game, which grinded out 121 yards.
- Caden Curry and Louis Moore (Indiana DL): The sack duo terrorized Sayin, with Curry's strip-sack nearly changing the game. Their pressure forced Ohio State's lone turnover.
- Julian Sayin (QB, Ohio State): No moral victories here, but the freshman battled through five sacks for 109 yards and a TD. A 54-yard strike to Smith was electric, but the O-line crumbled.
- Jeremiah Smith (WR, Ohio State): The freshman phenom's big plays kept hope alive, but drops in the red zone haunted the Buckeyes.