Fernando Mendoza already had the best Heisman Trophy odds going into Week 12.
Now, the Indiana quarterback has etched his name into the Hoosiers’ football record book. He did it with 5:21 left in the 4th quarter of Saturday afternoon’s 31-7 victory over hapless Wisconsin. Mendoza dropped back and calmly found Omar Cooper Jr. for a 5-yard touchdown pass that finished off the scoring in front of the home crowd and set the Indiana single-season passing TD record.
It was Mendoza’s 30th touchdown toss of a season that’s been storybook, at least so far. The California transfer has been nothing short of sensational in his first season at IU, with the stats and the victories to back it up. Saturday’s win over Wisconsin improved the 2nd-ranked Hoosiers to 11-0 overall and 8-0 in the Big Ten, as they chase a College Football Playoff spot and a shot at a national title.
Here is Mendoza’s record-breaking touchdown pass to finish off another win:
Mendoza didn’t just set a record on Saturday. He lit up that stat sheet in his continued drive toward a possible Heisman Trophy, completing an astonishing 22 of 24 passes for 299 yards with 4 touchdown passes and 0 interceptions.
That last TD made sure he’s in the Indiana record book forever, but the book is hardly closed on the 2025 season for Mendoza. It’s just getting started as his Hoosiers close in on a perfect regular season and a Playoff berth, while Mendoza continues to close in on that Heisman Trophy.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
