Fernando Mendoza's clutch play against Miami leads undefeated Indiana to its 1st national title

MIAMI (AP) — A historic season for Fernando Mendoza ended with a national title.

The Heisman Trophy winner didn't have his best statistical game Monday night, but he came up big when it mattered. He completed 16 of 27 passes for 186 yards and ran the ball six times, one of which was for a pivotal 12-yard touchdown.

Offensive momentum slowed for Indiana in the third quarter and the Hoosiers punted three times. Mendoza had zero passing yards and was sacked three times. Early in the fourth, the Hurricanes cut a game-long deficit to three points after a 3-yard rushing score from Mark Fletcher Jr.

But then Mendoza rose to the occasion. He led the Hoosiers on a 12-play, 75-yard drive. He converted two crucial fourth downs, hitting Charlie Becker for an improbable 19-yard reception on a 4th-and-5, and less than a minute later, ran the ball in for a 12-yard touchdown on a 4th-and-4.

It wasn't an easy trip into the end zone. Jakobe Thomas and Wesley Bissainthe collided with Mendoza hard enough for him to nearly topple over. But he caught himself with his hand. With Ahmad Moten Sr. on his tail, and Mohamed Toure and Xavier Lucas closing in, the 6-foot-5 quarterback used every inch to arch over into the end zone.

“I’ll die for my team," Mendoza said. "Whatever they need me to do, they need me to take a shot to the front or back, I’m going to die for my team out there because I know they’ll do the same thing for me. That’s what makes this national championship so special.”

It was the type of play that has surprised competitors all season long. Mendoza, known as a pocket passer, can weave through a defense on foot better than most would expect. He averaged 3.4 yards per carry this season, and including the title game, has rushed for seven TDs.

Coach Curt Cignetti said the play was installed specifically for this game.

“We put it in for this game," Cignetti said after Indiana claimed its first national title. "It was a quarterback draw, but it was blocked differently. And we rolled the dice and said they’re going to be in (the same defense) again. We blocked it well, he broke a tackle or two and got into the end zone.”

The Hurricanes responded with a touchdown on the ensuing drive, but Mendoza responded accordingly. He found Becker for a near-identical 19-yard catch on a critical third down. It extended the drive long enough to give Indiana the chance to convert a 35-yard field goal and take a 27-21 lead.

On the next drive, Jamari Sharpe picked off Miami quarterback Carson Beck to ice the game.

Mendoza did it all in front of Raiders owner Mark Davis, general manager John Spytek and minority owner Tom Brady — all in attendance at Hard Rock Stadium. If the Raiders use their No. 1 pick on Mendoza, he would become the sixth quarterback to win the Heisman, national championship and be drafted first overall.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza passes against Miami during the first half of the College Football Playoff national championship game, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza looks to pass against Miami during the first half of the College Football Playoff national championship game, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza scores against Miami during the second half of the College Football Playoff national championship game, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza holds the trophy after their win against Miami in the College Football Playoff national championship game, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza celebrates after scoring against Miami during the second half of the College Football Playoff national championship game, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

AL-HOL, Syria (AP) — Syrian government forces on Wednesday took full control of a sprawling camp in northeast Syria housing thousands of people linked to the Islamic State group, as a truce between the government and Kurdish fighters appeared to be holding.

A convoy of armored vehicles with government forces moved into the al-Hol camp Wednesday following two weeks of clashes with the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which lost large parts of land that they had controlled and appeared closer to merging into the Syrian military, in accordance with government demands.

The capture of the camp came a day after the SDF withdrew from the facility. At its peak in 2019, some 73,000 people were living at al-Hol camp. Their number has since declined with some countries repatriating their citizens.

The camp is still home to some 24,000, most of them women and children linked to the Islamic State group. They include about 14,500 Syrians and nearly 3,000 Iraqis. Some 6,500 others, many of them loyal IS supporters who came from around the world to join the extremist group, are separately held in a highly secured section of the camp.

There have been reports that some families fled during the chaos but there has been no official confirmation.

An Associated Press journalist visited the camp Wednesday as scores of soldiers guarded the main entrance.

“Go inside and see the chaos that is happening. There are no clinics, no running water, no bread and no vegetables,” an Iraqi woman living in the camp said, after SDF fighters left the area. The woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns, called on the Iraqi government to repatriate her.

Another Iraqi woman, who also refused to give her full name out of fear of reprisal, told The Associated Press that her brother and uncle were held in jails in northeast Syria and called on authorities to release them so that she can all return home.

The Syrian government and the SDF announced a new four-day truce on late Tuesday, after a previous ceasefire broke down.

Northeast Syria was relatively calm on Wednesday. A drone attack killed seven soldiers and wounded 20 while they were inspecting a weapons depot abandoned by SDF fighters in the northeastern town of Yaaroubiyeh, the Defense Ministry said, blaming the Kurdish forces. The SDF in a statement denied it, saying the blast was triggered by soldiers moving the ammunition.

The SDF and the government traded blame over the escape Monday of IS members from a prison in the northeastern town of Shaddadeh. Many of the detainees were recaptured by government troops who took control of the jail, state media reported.

The SDF remains in control of the vast majority of more than a dozen prisons, where some 9,000 IS members have been held for years. Under a deal announced Sunday, government forces were to take over the control of the prisons but the transfer did not go smoothly.

The largest detention facility, Gweiran Prison, now called Panorama, has held about 4,500 IS-linked detainees and still was in the SDF hands.

Defense Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Hassan Abdul-Ghani said in televised comments Tuesday night that the government “was and still is in direct confrontation” with the IS. He added that authorities are ready to take over prisons with IS members.

The IS was defeated in Iraq in 2017, and in Syria two years later, but the group’s sleeper cells still carry out deadly attacks in both countries. The SDF played a major role in defeating the IS.

Tom Barrack, the U.S. envoy to Syria, said in a statement Tuesday that the SDF’s role as the primary anti-IS force “has largely expired, as Damascus is now both willing and positioned to take over security responsibilities."

He added that the “recent developments show the U.S. actively facilitating this transition, rather than prolonging a separate SDF role.”

Syrian government soldiers light a small fire as they wait to enter the al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria's Hasakeh province, Syria, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, after the withdrawal of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Syrian government soldiers lie on the ground as they wait with others to enter the al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria's Hasakeh province, Syria, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, after the withdrawal of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Syrian government forces with their luggage wait to enter the al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria's Hasakeh province, Syria, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, after the withdrawal of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Syrian government forces in armored vehicles enter the al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria's Hasakeh province, Syria, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, after the withdrawal of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Syrian government troops stand guard at the entrance to the al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria's Hasakeh province, Syria, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, after the withdrawal of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)