The post Indiana's Fernando Mendoza surmounts brilliant drive to overcome upset scare vs. Penn State appeared first on ClutchPoints .
The No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers remain undefeated after taking down the Penn State Nittany Lions 27-24 in a wild Week 11 matchup. It was a close contest throughout, which allowed quarterback Fernando Mendoza to show off his clutch gene on a brilliant drive to overcome the Hoosiers' upset scare on Saturday.
In the closing moments of the contest, the Hoosiers found themselves down 24-20 in the fourth quarter. Indiana began the drive with just 1:51 remaining on the clock and needing to drive 73 yards down the field. Fernando Mendoza connected with his wide receivers on several occasions to keep the drive alive.
The Hoosiers managed to take the lead on what might be the most brilliantly clutch touchdown we've ever seen in college football history. Mendoza tossed the ball toward the back of the endzone to wide receiver Omar Cooper, who managed to get one foot in for the touchdown with just 36 seconds left on the clock.
That score just so happened to be the only touchdown pass recorded by the junior quarterback. Fernando Mendoza ended the contest with 218 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception while completing 63.3% of his pass attempts.
Mendoza is playing extremely well right now, and many believe he's one of the top prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft if he chooses to go pro. He may have just supplanted himself as a top pick on Saturday. Especially considering the New York Jets ' front office was in attendance at the Indiana-Penn State game , to presumably watch Fernando Mendoza.
Indiana advances to a 10-0 record and seems primed for a trip to the Big Ten Championship. However, the program still has two games remaining on the schedule. We'll see the Hoosiers in action again in Week 12 when they take on the Wisconsin Badgers.
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