The Indiana signal-caller has already checked every box this season, leaving nothing new to prove in the Natty. But as Fernando Mendoza prepares for his next move, Josh Pate explained how the quarterback continued to grind despite already claiming the Heisman Trophy. That’s Mendoza living his words because the final box still isn’t checked.

“The ball’s like a cannon coming out of his hand,” Pate said on the Colin Cowherd Podcast. “He’s making a lot of far hash outthrows, the typical NFL throws that you wanna see.” 

The difference in Indiana’s win over Ohio State came down to one throw. Facing third-and-6 with 2:40 left and nursing a 13-10 lead, Mendoza fired a dart 30 yards to Charlie Becker for a 33-yard gain. The play moved the chains, bled the clock, and left Ohio State with just 13 seconds and nothing but Hail Mary hopes. 

That throw by Mendoza locked up the league title, drawing direct comparisons to a standout NFL duo. A back-shoulder throw sealed the regular-season win, and Mendoza and Elijah Sarratt went back to the same playbook in Indiana’s Peach Bowl blowout over Oregon.

With Mendoza’s pinpoint accuracy and Sarratt’s strong hands and elite body control, defenders were left grasping. The duo drew inspiration from one of the NFL’s most lethal tandems. “It was Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams, to be specific,” Sarratt said.

Along with his athletic skills, Mendoza stands out because of his hard work.

“How many times do you see a quarterback justifiably win the Heisman Trophy and then play better post-winning the Heisman?” said Pate. “He’s played his best football in the playoffs.”

Take 2021 Heisman winner Bryce Young, the former Alabama quarterback, for example. He threw for 4,872 yards and 47 touchdowns in his award-winning season. When he returned the following year, his numbers dipped to 3,328 yards and 32 touchdowns.

Mendoza hoisted the bronze beauty on December 13 and handed Oregon a masterclass in the Peach Bowl semifinal on January 9. The Hoosiers quarterback went 17-of-20 for 177 yards and five touchdowns, dominating from kickoff. 

By halftime, Mendoza had already thrown for 110 yards and three scores, then added a 21-yard scramble in the third quarter to stretch the lead to 42-7 and put the game out of reach. Across two CFP games, Mendoza has eight touchdown passes to just five incompletions. Mendoza’s words kept the hunger in the quarterback alive, even with the Heisman in his bag.

Fernando Mendoza’s words are one step away from turning into reality

Earlier this fall, Mendoza told a reporter that winning a Heisman would be “great and all,” but his true goal was a national championship. Cignetti even met with Mendoza midseason for just 14 seconds to acknowledge his status as a Heisman frontrunner.

“Let’s keep the main thing the main thing, and that is to win football games,” said Mendoza, which even made Cignetti hopeful about the National Championship title. 

He became just the second FBS player in the past 30 years, joining C.J. Stroud, to throw five touchdown passes while completing 90% of his passes against an A-ranked opponent. Still, for him, the season isn’t truly complete until he lifts the national championship trophy.

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Whether or not Mendoza achieves his ultimate college goal, his stock is already soaring in the NFL. Projected as the No. 1 overall pick, he’s expected to land with the Las Vegas Raiders.

But analyst Jason Brown, who correctly called Shedeur Sanders’ draft-day slide, has shared his take on Mendoza’s leap to the pros.

“That Mendoza guy is not special at all,” said the analyst. “Is a fifth-round guy.”

Fernando Mendoza might shrug off a draft slide, but losing the Natty? That would hit him hard.