"all year, hitting him ferociously at every opportunity, sometimes right on the line of legality, if not past it. Indiana coach Curt Cignetti complained to ESPN's Holly Rowe about uncalled personal fouls against Miami, and he wasn't wrong, especially with regards to Jakobe Thomas's potential targeting hit on Mendoza in the first quarter; the Miami-raised QB was bleeding from the lip after Thomas's helmet smashed into his face, but, as was the case most of the night, the flags stayed in the referees' pockets."
"Miami's offense unleashed its best drive of the season, a game after it pulled off a similar miracle drive to beat Ole Miss in the semifinal. Malachi Toney, perhaps the most explosive player in all of college football, finally got space to turn on the afterburners, resulting in a 41-yard reception to move Miami into Indiana territory and then taking a toss 22 yards for the touchdown, which would end up being Miami's final points of the season."
"After almost two weeks of hearing about how Miami would get crushed by Indiana, I was pleasantly surprised by how well the Hurricanes played in Monday night's national championship game. Miami's defense was brutal in the good way throughout, putting Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza under more pressure than he'd faced all year, hitting him ferociously at every opportunity, sometimes right on the line of legality,"
Miami's defense relentlessly pressured Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza, frequently hitting him hard and drawing complaints about uncalled personal fouls, including a potential targeting by Jakobe Thomas that left Mendoza bleeding. Miami's offense struggled in the first half but improved in the second, aided by a late, season-best drive. Special teams blunders — a doinked field goal and a blocked punt returned for a touchdown — gifted Indiana 10 points. After Mendoza's fourth-down touchdown run, Malachi Toney produced a 41-yard reception and a 22-yard toss touchdown, which became Miami's final scoring drive as Indiana managed clock and a field-goal decision that pushed its lead.
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