With the whistle going for halftime, Curt Cignetti didn’t rush to the locker room. Instead, he went and grabbed the nearest microphone, and ESPN’s Holly Rowe came in his way. Everyone who watched TV knew what would happen next as he unloaded on the officials for, in his view, letting Miami cross the line.

“Well, there are three personal fouls on the quarterback not called in one drive that need to be called because they’re obvious personal fouls. I’m all for letting them play, but when you cross the line. You’ve got to call it. They weren’t. They were black and white calls, Curt Cignetti said when asked about Miami’s front line getting on Mendoza.

We got some third-down conversions on crosses against double mugs, which helped. We got two scores late. The defense hasn’t let them into the end zone or onto the scoreboard. We’ll get the ball first. Sure, it’d be nice to go down there and score a touchdown.”

Cignetti claimed the Hurricanes were crossing the boundary from physicality into danger. He told the national audience that while he’s fine with a challenging game, officials have to step in when it becomes “obvious” that a player is being targeted.

One hit in particular had everyone talking. Miami safety Jakobe Thomas leveled Mendoza right after a handoff, appearing to lead with the crown of his helmet. The impact was so hard that it left Mendoza with a bloody lip visible on national television as clear as day.

Even the announcers like Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit, along with rules expert Bill LeMonnier, were stunned that a targeting flag wasn’t thrown for the hit under the chin.

It wasn’t just that one play, though. Mendoza took another violent shot to his back while throwing on the same drive, and another late hit that also went unpunished. It’s not often we see Curt Cignetti losing his cool. But obviously, this time, the crash-out was valid. The refs basically were blind.

Despite the bloody mouth and the heavy hits, Mendoza proved once again why he’s a top NFL prospect by staying in the game without missing one snap. He finished the half with 116 passing yards, helping Indiana control the clock and also keep the Hurricanes’ offense to only 69 total yards.

One can take the halftime rant as a significant warning to the officiating crew for the second half. Cignetti emphasized the importance of making obvious calls, especially with the first national title at stake and his quarterback’s safety.

Everything went haywire in the third quarter

The No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers are leading the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes 17–7 in the third quarter, all thanks to Mikail Kamara. After dominating 10-0 first down, Miami finally woke up early in the third quarter when running back Mark Fletcher Jr. broke loose for a massive 57-yard touchdown run. That explosive play cut Indiana’s lead to 10–7 and gave the Hurricanes some serious life and hope.

However, it didn’t take Indiana any longer than one drive to settle the score. Indiana’s Mikail Kamara blocked a Miami punt. The Hoosiers recovered for a touchdown to stretch the lead back out to 17–7. Miami is not holding back from going toe-to-toe back and forth so far at Hard Rock Stadium.

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Malachi Toney’s going big for Miami. For the first time this season, we’re witnessing the Hoosiers playing very different football. One more quarter of football before we can label the national champions.