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CFP Semifinal Fans Respond To Dominating Indiana Disposing Of Oregon In Peach Bowl

Jeff Hawkins Written by Sports EditorJeff Hawkins
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CFP Semifinal Fans Respond To Dominating Indiana Disposing Of Oregon In Peach Bowl

Offensive efficiency and aggressive defensive turnovers paved the way for the Indiana Hoosiers to dominate and dismantle the Oregon Ducks, 56-22, in a CFP Semifinal matchup Friday night.  

Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza completed 17 of 20 passes and compiled five touchdown passes, pacing the top-seeded Hoosiers, who scored in each quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.  

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore committed three turnovers, including two turnovers and a first-play interception that led to the game-opening score.  

The Ducks picked the wrong opponent to avoid turnovers. The Hoosiers entered the semifinals ranked first in the FBS, having collected 127 points off turnovers this season.  

In two losses to the Hoosiers this season, Moore committed five turnovers. In the No. 5 Ducks’ other 13 outings, he compiled just seven combined turnovers. 

X (Twitter) users responded to how easily Indiana’s roster, with a combined eight five-and-four-star recruits, dominated Oregon, which employed 55 blue-chippers …

 

The Big Ten took center stage Friday night …

A Big Ten afterthought for decades, Indiana fans waited a long time for this opportunity …

ESPN’s talking heads agreed with each other …

Georgia went red …

Hoosiers defensive back D’Angelo Ponds gave the Hoosiers’ faithful an exciting opening. On the semifinal’s first offensive snap, Ponds intercepted Moore and returned it 25 yards for an early momentum-stealing score …

Moore rebounded to drive the Ducks 75 yards on 14 plays, capped by a 19-yard touchdown pass to Jamari Johnson, tying the score at 7-all …

The Heisman trophy winner displays his accuracy. Mendoza opened 4-for-4 for 41 yards and a TD pass to Omar Cooper Jr., giving the Hoosiers a 14-7 lead with 40 seconds left in the first quarter …

Moore fumbled and Mario Landino recovered his first fumble at the Ducks’ 13-yard line. Three plays later, Kaelon Black
scored on a 1-yard run …

Moore was under constant first-half pressure …

Mendoza hit Charlie Becker on a 36-yard touchdown pass as the Hoosiers moved ahead by three TDs …

Recovering his second Moore fumble of the first half, Landino set up Mendoza’s third TD pass, a 2-yarder to Elijah Sarratt, increasing Indiana’s lead to 35-7 with 59 seconds remaining in the first half …

The Hoosiers’ scoring surge continued in the second half as Mendoza hit E.J. Williams Jr. on a 13-yard TD reception at 8:52 of the third quarter …

At 7:50 of the third quarter, the Ducks cut their deficit to 42-15 on Jay Harris’ 2-yard run, followed by a 2-point conversion. The score was set up by Dierre Hill Jr.’s 71-yard run …

The Hoosiers even dominated on special teams, resulting in a blocked punt. Mendoza took advantage of the sudden change by hitting Sarratt for his second TD reception …

Black’s 23-yard sprint kept up the scoring …

Final score: Indiana 56, Oregon 22 …

Jeff Hawkins Written by Sports EditorJeff Hawkins
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry, in both print and digital media. He joined the Sportscasting team in 2021 following a decade of freelancing. He spent his early career as a reporter for various newspapers in Illinois, New York, Florida, North Carolina, and Michigan, with a particular emphasis as a beat reporter for the Chicago Blackhawks. Jeff earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from Oakland University. Over the course of his career he earned several sports writing awards, including two national awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors for column writing and news reporting. One of the five prized columns included a commentary on NASCAR's increasing corporate influences, particularly in northern racetracks — commentary which you might find Jeff building on as part of the Motorsports writing team at Sportscasting now.  
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