CFW Week 22 Results - Is Darian Mensah Miami's next quarterback?

 CFW Week 22 Results – Is Darian Mensah Miami’s next quarterback?

There was something

in the air last night,

the stars were bright, Fernando

 

If the Heisman Trophy hadn’t already been won, Fernando Mendoza would have won it on his 12-yard touchdown run that came with 9:18 to go in the fourth quarter. It was a Mendoza moment. It was a Heisman Trophy winning moment. Even more exciting, the 12-yard run came on a fourth down. Indiana coach Curt Cignetti chose to go for the touchdown instead of kicking a field goal. That touchdown put Indiana up 24-14. As it turns out, 24 points was enough for Indiana to win the game. The Hoosiers won the CFP National Championship, beating Miami, 27-21.

 

Give Miami credit. The Canes played a good game. They didn’t lose to Indiana 38-3, like Alabama. Miami didn’t lose to Indiana 56-22, like Oregon. The Canes gave Indiana all the Hoosiers could handle. Down 24-14, following Mendoza’s touchdown run, Miami, just three minutes later, came back and scored a touchdown on a 22-yard pass from Carson Beck to Malachi Toney. With six minutes and 37 seconds left to play, Miami trailed Indiana by 3 points – 24-21.

 

Indiana’s fate was up to Mendoza again. With Mendoza’s passing and Kaelon Black’s running, the Hoosiers moved the ball down the field, eating time off the clock. But much to the result of a false start penalty on Indiana, the Hoosiers drive stalled on the Miami 18. Indiana kicked a 35-yard field goal. That put the Hoosiers up 27-21.

 

But with 1:42 still on the clock and the always present threat of Carson Beck to Malachi Toney, Miami still had a chance – a good chance. After a roughing the passer penalty on Indiana and a couple of Beck’s completions, Miami was on the move. However, the Beck to Toney magic never materialized. With 40-plus seconds on the clock, Indiana defensive back Jamari Sharpe, a Miami native, intercepted a Carson Beck pass. The fat lady sang. Game over.

 

Indiana took the initial kickoff in the game. But the Hoosiers went 3-and-out. The first half was slow compared to the second half. On three of Miami’s first four possessions, the Canes were 3-and-out. Indiana didn’t fare much better. The Hoosiers did manage a 34-yard field goal with 2:42 to go in the first quarter. At the 6:13 mark in the second quarter, Indiana scored a touchdown. The Hoosiers led Miami, 10-0. Miami missed a field goal shortly before the half. Indiana held on to its 10-point lead at halftime.

 

Early in the second half it looked like the momentum had changed. Just four minutes into the third quarter, Miami scored a touchdown and trailed the Hoosiers, 10-7. Indiana failed to move the ball on successive possessions. Then the Hoosiers got a break. With 5:054 remaining in the third quarter, Indiana blocked a Miami punt and recovered the ball in the end zone. Indiana was up 17-7.

 

Miami wouldn’t give up. Just three seconds into the fourth quarter, Miami scored a touchdown on a 3-yard run by Mark Fletcher. Indiana’s lead was cut to three points – 17-14. A little more than five minutes later, Fernando Mendoza scored on his 12-yard Mendoza moment run. The Hoosiers were up 24-14. And so the game played out with Miami making a game of it, but ultimately falling to Indiana, 27-21.

 

Again, give Miami credit. The Canes were competitive. It was an exciting national championship game. But Indiana was the better team and Indiana deserved to win.

 

The Hoosiers deserved to win because on Miami’s home field, Indiana fans made up at least 60 percent, if not more, of the attendance. A crowd of 67,227 attended the game and more than 40,000 of the attendees were Indiana fans. What an embarrassment to Miami. On their own home field, the Canes only had, at best, 40 percent of the attendance. If you don’t support your team, you don’t deserve to win.

 

Indiana ended its season at 16-0. The Hoosiers are the only college team since the 19^th century to win that many games. The 2023 Michigan Wolverines, the 2022 Georgia Bulldogs, the 2019 LSU Tigers and the 2019 Clemson Tigers were 15-0. The only other college team to go 16-0 was the 1894 Yale Bulldogs. That was before there was structure and organization to the scheduling of games. In the 1880’s and 1890’s college teams used to play club teams and high school teams in addition to each other. Often they would play two games a week.

 

So, Indiana, the No. 1 seed defeated Miami, the No. 10 seed. Congratulations to Indiana. The Hoosiers had a hell of a season.

 

This was the third-straight season a team from the Big Ten Conference has won the national championship – Michigan in 2023 and Ohio State in 2024. Paul Finebaum must be eating crow and crying in his milk.

 

The 15-day transfer portal window closed at midnight last Friday. According to reports, around 7,000 FBS and FCS players entered the portal. Some 200 FBS quarterbacks entered the portal. Eighty of them were repeat transfers. Some quarterbacks were transferring to their third school. Although the window for entering the portal came to a close, players already in the portal can still sign with a new school. January’s transfer portal window was the busiest since the portal began in 2018. The top quarterbacks in the portal were being offered upwards of $3million. Many offensive tackles and defensive lineman were being offered $1 million.

 

After initially saying he was going to remain at Duke, quarterback Darian Mensah made a last-minute decision to enter the transfer portal on the final day the portal was open. Sources say Mensah is going to transfer to Miami for an NIL payment of $10 million. He has been making $4 million at Duke.

 

The Big Ten and the SEC remain in disagreement over the expansion of the College Football Playoff. The SEC (along with the other eight conferences) wants to expand to 16 teams – nothing more. The Big Ten wants to expand to 24 teams. The two conferences have until the end of the day Friday (January 23) to come to an agreement. Otherwise, the CFP will remain at 12 games next season.

 

Touchdown Tom

January 20, 2026

https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

 

Review of the College Football Playoff Championship Game

 

Hurricane Fernando overpowers Hurricane Miami – Indiana 27, Miami 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Indiana 28, Miami 21). It was a low-scoring first half game. Only 10 of the game’s 48 points were scored in the first half. The second half was busier, especially the fourth quarter where 24 points (three touchdowns and a field goal) were scored. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza was 16-27-0, passing for 186 yards. Mendoza ran for a 12-yard touchdown. Indiana running back Kaelon Black and Roman Hemby combined for 139 yards rushing. Receiver Omar Cooper had 5 catches for 71 yards. Receiver Charlie Becker had 4 catches for 65 yards. Miami quarterback Carson Beck was 19-32-1, passing for 232 yards and one touchdown. Miami running back Mark Fletcher ran for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns. Receiver Malachi Toney had 10 catches for 122 yards. The teams were relatively even in the stats. However, Indiana had a 13-minute edge in time of possession. Attendance in Miami Gardens: 67,227

 

 

Quotes of the Week

 

“I’m not an NFL guy,” Indiana coach Curt Cirgnetti, on speculation he will take a coaching job in the NFL.

 

“If you want to be good in anything in life, you got to have a goal. And then you got to be committed to it and have the discipline day in and day out to work toward your goal. The work ethic, the mental toughness to persevere – that all goes into discipline,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti.

 

Touchdown Tom

https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

 

The next and final CFW of the season – CFW Farewell – will be posted Monday morning, January 26.