(BCSNN) — Confetti rained down on Hard Rock Stadium on Monday night as Indiana completed a perfect 16-0 season, defeating Miami 27-21 to win the national championship and secure one of the most remarkable turnarounds in college football history.
“It was a hard-fought game,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said. “I give a lot of credit to Miami. It was a real gut check. We found a way. It's a credit to our guys' resiliency to find a way to get that done.”
Miami (13-3) pushed until the final minute, but cornerback Jamari Sharpe’s interception of a Carson Beck pass with 44 seconds remaining sealed the Hoosiers’ unbeaten title run. Indiana now owns major college football’s latest undefeated national championship to pair with its 32-0 men’s basketball title team from 1976.
The Hoosiers’ 16-0 record matches the major college mark set by Yale in 1894.
“It's a great thing, Indiana winning the national championship two years into our tenure,” Cignetti said. “You do it with people and a plan.” He credited senior leadership, his staff, and the support of university president Pam Whitten and athletic director Scott Dolson.
The championship capped a 27-2 stretch over two seasons, a surge that began when Cignetti arrived in December 2023 and declared, “Google me. I win.”
“I know a lot of people thought this was never possible,” Cignetti said. “It probably is one of the greatest sports stories of all time.”
Defensive lineman Tyrique Tucker said the moment was surreal. “We put in so much work. It’s so surreal. I’m so grateful for the opportunity. We didn’t take anything for granted.”
Indiana built three separate 10‑point leads, and Miami closed the gap each time, but the Hoosiers never trailed in any of their three playoff games.
“It became a dogfight at the end,” Tucker said. “We had to bow up. Bend but don’t break.”
Leading 17-14 in the fourth quarter, Indiana faced fourth‑and‑four at the Miami 12. Cignetti and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan opted against a field goal and called a quarterback draw. Fernando Mendoza broke through two defenders for a 12‑yard touchdown.
“Coach Cig said… he wanted to be aggressive and play to win,” Shanahan said. “Fernando has been doing that all year long.”
Mendoza finished 16‑for‑27 for 186 yards. “Fernando has the heart of a lion,” Cignetti said. Mendoza added, “Everybody… had a gritty performance. We were all putting our bodies on the line.”
Miami answered with a touchdown to cut the lead to 24-21, but Indiana responded with a 35‑yard field goal from Nico Radicic with 1:42 left. Sharpe’s interception ended the Hurricanes’ final drive.
“We were in Cover 2,” defensive coordinator Bryant Haines said. “It was really good technique by Jamari… maybe he would make a mistake and he did.”
Sharpe called it “an amazing feeling.”
Dolson walked through the confetti afterward, calling the moment the product of belief and alignment. “Cig is the secret weapon,” he said. “When you do that, anything is possible.”
Indiana built its early 10-0 lead on Radicic’s first‑quarter field goal and a 1‑yard touchdown run by Riley Nowakowski, who shifted to fullback to finish a 14‑play, 85‑yard drive. Miami missed a field goal before halftime.
The Hurricanes opened the second half with a 57‑yard touchdown run by Mark Fletcher, but Indiana answered with a blocked punt recovered in the end zone by Isiaiah Jones. Fletcher’s second touchdown made it 17-14 entering the fourth quarter.
A fourth‑down completion to Charlie Becker set up Mendoza’s touchdown run, and Radicic’s late field goal provided the final margin before Sharpe’s interception clinched Indiana’s historic season.
