Miami’s Defense Faces Its Ultimate Test in Heisman Winner Fernando Mendoza
The Miami Hurricanes have seen it all this postseason-dual-threat dynamos, pinpoint passers, and quarterbacks who can take over a game in a heartbeat. But in the National Championship, they’ll line up against their biggest challenge yet: Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza.
The Heisman Trophy winner isn’t just the most decorated quarterback Miami has faced this season-he’s the most complete. Mendoza, who hails from Miami, brings a rare blend of size, poise, and production to the table.
At 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, he’s thrown for 3,349 yards with 41 touchdowns to just six interceptions. He’s completing 73 percent of his passes and averaging 9.5 yards per attempt.
And while he’s not a run-first quarterback, he’s still added six scores on the ground and 284 rushing yards, mostly on scrambles.
What makes Mendoza so dangerous is how efficiently he operates while still delivering explosive plays. He’s completed at least 70 percent of his passes in seven games this season, and in the College Football Playoff alone, he’s been nearly flawless-completing 86 percent of his throws with eight touchdowns and zero interceptions against Alabama and Oregon. That’s not just hot streak territory; that’s surgical quarterbacking under the brightest lights.
Even when he’s not putting up gaudy yardage totals-he’s topped 250 passing yards in only four games-he’s still stretching defenses, averaging over 10 yards per attempt in six contests. That’s a sign of a quarterback who doesn’t need volume to be lethal.
Pro Football Focus has taken notice, grading Mendoza with a stellar 91.0 passing mark for the season. He’s hit the 80.0 mark in ten different games, and he’s peaking at the right time with back-to-back-to-back elite grades against Ohio State (91.9), Alabama (92.9), and Oregon (91.6). These aren’t just empty numbers-they reflect a quarterback who’s in complete command of his offense, regardless of opponent or pressure.
Mendoza’s 25 "big-time throws" this season are a testament to his arm talent and confidence, and he’s only been tagged with 11 "turnover-worthy plays." That kind of decision-making is why he’s widely projected to be the first quarterback off the board in the 2026 NFL Draft. He’s got the quick trigger to slice up defenses on schedule, but he’s just as comfortable extending plays and making something out of nothing.
Let’s break that down a bit further. When Mendoza gets the ball out in under 2.5 seconds-basically, when he’s operating within the rhythm of the offense-he’s completing 78 percent of his passes with 24 touchdowns and just four picks, averaging 8.2 yards per attempt.
But even when plays break down and he holds the ball longer than 2.5 seconds, he’s still dangerous: 65.5 percent completion, 18 touchdowns, two interceptions, and a whopping 11.4 yards per attempt. That’s a quarterback who can beat you both within the system and outside of it.
And he doesn’t melt under pressure, either. Mendoza has completed 51 percent of his throws under duress, with nine touchdowns and only two interceptions while averaging 7.8 yards per attempt. He’s not just surviving pressure-he’s thriving in it.
Most of Mendoza’s throws come within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, where he’s been absurdly efficient-completing 89.3 percent of those attempts for 1,653 yards, 16 touchdowns, and just two interceptions. But when he does go deep, it’s not just for show.
He’s completing nearly 57 percent of his passes that travel 20-plus yards in the air, racking up 955 yards, 11 touchdowns, and only one interception. That’s elite-level efficiency at all three levels of the field.
As a runner, Mendoza isn’t a designed-run threat, but he’s elusive when the pocket collapses. He’s scrambled for 274 yards this season, showing enough mobility to escape pressure and extend plays.
And his pressure-to-sack rate-18.2 percent-ranks 83rd among 133 quarterbacks with at least 200 dropbacks. That might not jump off the page, but it shows that while he’s not immune to sacks, he’s not easy to bring down either.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Miami has already faced Mendoza before-last season, when he was at Cal.
In that game, the Hurricanes got the better of him. Mendoza completed just 11-of-22 passes for 285 yards with two touchdowns and a pick, and Miami pulled off a dramatic win.
That day, Mendoza earned a PFF passing grade of 42.0-his second-lowest in 34 career starts. The only lower grade came against Purdue to close out the 2025 regular season.
So what went wrong for him against Miami the first time? Pressure.
The Hurricanes brought heat on 42.9 percent of his dropbacks, and Mendoza struggled-completing just 3-of-7 passes for 18 yards and taking two sacks in those situations. Cal’s offensive line didn’t do him many favors, grading out as the 69th-best pass-blocking unit in the country.
This time, though, Mendoza is protected by Indiana’s offensive line, which ranks 17th in the nation in pass blocking. That’s a significant upgrade.
But Miami’s pass rush is a different beast altogether. According to PFF, the Hurricanes boast the top pass rush in the country.
The best pass rush Indiana has faced so far? Iowa, ranked fifth.
In that matchup, the Hoosiers gave up two sacks and 16 pressures.
So here’s the question: Can Miami replicate the formula that rattled Mendoza a year ago? He’s clearly a more polished, confident quarterback now, but Miami’s pass rush is also better than anything he’s seen in 2025.
This National Championship showdown isn’t just about Mendoza’s arm talent or Miami’s defensive prowess-it’s about who wins the chess match at the line of scrimmage. If Miami can disrupt Mendoza’s rhythm like they did in 2024, they’ve got a shot at capping off their playoff run with a title. But if Mendoza gets time to operate, the Hurricanes could be in for a long night.
One thing’s for sure: we’re about to find out just how far Mendoza has come-and whether Miami’s defense can rise to the occasion one more time.