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The Indiana Hoosiers authored perhaps the signature win of the college football season against Penn State on Saturday by making perhaps the signature play of the year to this point. Down four points with less than two minutes to play at Happy Valley, Indiana got the football back with its undefeated season on the line. Despite a sack to begin the drive, which pushed the Hoosiers back seven yards to their own 13-yard line, Heisman Trophy candidate and quarterback Fernando Mendoza led the team on an 87-yard scoring drive to maintain its perfect campaign. He finished the game off with a 7-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. in the back of the end zone, which Fox Sports called the best catch of the 2025 NCAA season. A high pass, Cooper acrobatically snagged the pigskin out of the air and somehow got a foot down inbounds -- all despite incredibly tight coverage by the Penn State defender. Read More: Gus Johnson Sparks Strong Reaction Amid Indiana-Penn State Broadcast Following the game, Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti conducted a sideline interview and was just about as stunned as everyone in attendance with how the game played out and ultimately ended. "Refuse to lose, basically," Cignetti described the efforts of his team, and particularly Mendoza. "I've seen a lot of stuff in my day," he continued. "I've never seen anything like this." Mendoza didn't produce his typically dominant type of performance, completing 19 of 30 passes for 218 yards, one touchdown and one interception. However, he became the official favorite to win the Hiesman Trophy following the victory, which pushed the No. 2-ranked Hoosiers to a record of 10-0 on the year. Mendoza was +150 to win the award following the game, just ahead of Julian Sayin of Ohio State at +200, per DraftKings Sportsbook. Indiana next takes the field against Wisconsin on November 15 before finishing the year on the road against Purdue on Nov. 28.
