After their regular season matchup was closely contested, everyone expected the Peach Bowl between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Oregon Ducks to be another battle between two of the Nation's best. Instead, Curt Cignetti's team set the tone with a pick-six on the first play from scrimmage and it defined the night.
The Indiana Hoosiers demolished Dan Lanning's team in a way that no one saw coming, winning the game 56-22. The Hoosiers' defense made Dante Moore look like he didn't even belong on the field, forcing 3 turnovers with 3 sacks. The Hoosiers' offense moved the ball at will while even getting help from the defense.
The Indiana Hoosiers are a machine that can't be stopped
When you look at this Indiana Hoosiers team, they're truly like a machine as everyone is playing together, and they hardly ever break down. The offense can outscore any team, the defense can shutout any offense, and the special teams even make an impact.
Fernando Mendoza is like a robot at quarterback as he hardly ever makes a mistake, and he just dices up opponents. Mendoza played to his Heisman level, going 17-20 passing for 177 yards and 5 touchdowns. Even when a play breaks down, he makes the big play with his legs, rushing for 28 yards.
The Hoosiers' defense will allow teams to score, but the style in which they play is truly suffocating. Oregon couldn't get anything going on offense as Dante Moore was running for his life for most of the game, finishing with 3 turnovers in a night to forget.
Even as the Indiana Hoosiers were up 42-15 at the start of the 4th quarter, with Oregon seemingly waving the white flag, punting the ball back, Indiana looked like a team trying to prove something. The Ducks showed no urgency, taking a delay of the game, and then the Hoosiers blocked the punt, giving the offense the ball inside the 10-yard line.
PUNT BLOCKED ❌
— College Football Playoff (@CFBPlayoff) January 10, 2026
📺ESPN pic.twitter.com/elxO8GBtaZ
Curt Cignetti even sent a message refusing to take his starting offense out of the game, showing everyone that you play for 60 minutes. Teams often take on the mentality of their head coach, and this Indiana team mirrors their head coach, playing with the exact seriousness we see from Cignetti on the sidelines.
Miami is a great team with an incredible head coach in Mario Cristobal, but it's hard to find a way in which Indiana loses against anyone. Curt Cignetti's team is dialed in, and this feels like one of the greatest rosters assembled with just how united everyone plays.
