Mendoza Wins Heisman Trophy Award

NEW YORK — QB Fernando Mendoza of #1 Indiana, won the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, becoming the first Hoosier to win college football’s most prestigious award since its inception in 1935.

Mendoza claimed 2,362 points, including 643 first-place votes. He beat Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia (1,435 points), Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (719 points) and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin (432 points).

Frank Coyle voted for Fernando Mendoza. He is a longtime member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy, Outland Trophy, Bronko Nagurski, Jim Thorpe, Fred Biletnikoff and Eddie Robinson awards annually for 34 years.

Mendoza lead the Hoosiers to their first #1 ranking and the top seed in the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket, winning the Big Ten Championship in the process. He threw for 2,980 yards and a national-best 33 TD passes while also running for 6 scores. Indiana, the last unbeaten team in major college football, will play in the CFP quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game presented on Jan. 1^st after a bye week next weekend in the opening round.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti was in attendance at the ceremony. As Mendoza greeted Cignetti after winning, the coach simply said, “Great job, bro. You deserve that one.”

Mendoza was a first-year starter at Indiana after transferring from California and set new team records for TDs and points during last season’s surprise run to the CFP. He is the second Heisman finalist in school history, joining 1989 runner-up Anthony Thompson. Mendoza is the seventh Indiana player to earn a top-10 finish in Heisman balloting, and it marks another first in program history: having back-to-back players in the top 10. Hoosiers QB Kurtis Rourke was ninth last season.

“This trophy might have my name on it,” Mendoza said at the lectern, again acknowledging his teammates back on campus. “But it belongs to all of you, it belongs, for the first time, in Bloomington. Playing in front of Hoosier Nation is one of the greatest privileges of my life.”

Quarterbacks have won the Heisman in four of the past five years, with two-way player Travis Hunter of Colorado ending the run last season.

The Heisman Trophy presentation came after several accolades were already awarded. Mendoza was named The Associated Press player of the year earlier this week and picked up the Maxwell and Davey O’Brien awards Friday night, and Love won the Doak Walker Award.