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David Hale
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — The national championship game is a homecoming for Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who grew up in Miami and graduated from Columbus High, but he’s not exactly basking in the glory of being the prodigal son made good.
The Heisman Trophy winner talked about coming back to his hometown with a chance to win a championship Saturday, and he was quick to shift the attention from himself onto the Hoosiers’ incredible run.
«I can be selfish, saying, ‘Oh, it’s Miami, it’s a homecoming,’ and stuff like that, but in reality, all that matters is the football game,» said Mendoza, who has thrown 41 touchdown passes and just six interceptions this season. «Whether we win or lose this football game, I know that I’m going to be able to sleep, rest at night knowing I did everything possible to prepare for this game and everything possible in order to help the Hoosiers win this game.
«Although it means a lot to myself, being from Miami, having family from Miami, growing up a University of Miami fan, it’s the national championship. It means so much for Bloomington. It means so much for my teammates. It would mean so much for everybody around. I don’t want to put the spotlight on myself, but on everybody.»
This comes as no surprise to Indiana coach Curt Cignetti, who has built the Hoosiers into a monster by investing in players exactly as understated and dedicated to the process as Mendoza.
On Saturday, Cignetti was asked about his ability to build a winner without a host of four- and five-star recruits, and he laughed that he has «never looked at a star» but does invest in landing the right people.
James Madison or small schools at the FCS level — all somehow fitting together perfectly — and it raises the question about just how this is possible.
Cignetti’s answer: «There’s no magic wand.»
To expect Mendoza to thump his chest back in his hometown or for Cignetti to tout his miracle at raising Indiana from complete FBS afterthought to the brink of a national championship is to fundamentally misunderstand Cignetti’s greatest magic trick.
«It’s just the work and being committed to the work and the process and the product,» said center Pat Coogan, who played in last year’s national championship game with Notre Dame before transferring to Indiana. «That’s just part of who we are. No magic pill. The secret’s in the work.»
Cignetti chalked up Indiana’s unlikely rise as the combination of the right people, the right culture and consistent commitment to the right process.
The result has felt like magic, but it’s not a label anyone wants to embrace — except for, possibly, one play that will be unleashed in the title game against Miami.
«We do have a play called ‘Wizard’ we installed for this one,» Cignetti said.
So clearly that’s a nod to the wizardry of building Indiana and the magic wand he insists he doesn’t have, right?
«It’s just word association with another play we have,» offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan said. «It’s just so guys can remember it a little easier. But it’s funny with some of the things I’ve seen on social media [about Indiana magic].»
If it’s not magic, though, it certainly is a skill that has turned Cignetti and Mendoza into stars — even if they are not exactly comfortable in that role.
In fact, Cignetti summed up his drive for attention succinctly when asked Saturday if he had any interest in an NFL job after all the success at Indiana.
«I’m not an NFL guy,» he said. «I made that decision a long time ago. I’ve always been a college football guy.»
