Indiana gets massive punt block TD to extend lead over Miami
By David Wasson
Published:
Indiana’s special teams worked its magic midway through the third quarter of Monday’s College Football Playoff national championship game, blocking a punt that was returned for a touchdown and a 17-7 lead over Miami.
Miami faced a 4th-and-1 at its own 16 and sent Dylan Joyce back to punt. Joyce’s kick was blocked by Mikail Kamara at the 5-yard line, the ball bouncing backwards before being recovered by Isaiah Jones in the end zone for a touchdown.
The blocked punt was the fourth of the season for an Indiana special teams unit coordinated by Grant Cain, and the eighth block for a Curt Cignetti-coached team since he took over in Bloomington for the 2024 season.
The Hoosiers had also blocked punts in 2025 against Kennesaw State on Sept. 6, Illinois on Sept. 20 and Oregon in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 9.
Miami’s special teams woes were a story earlier in Monday’s CFP title game, as Hurricanes kicker Carter Davis doinked a 50-yard field goal attempt off the right upright late in the second quarter. Davis had missed 5-of-12 kicks on 40 yards or longer in the 2025-26 season. And the missed kick finished off a woeful first half for the Miami, as the Hurricanes amassed just 69 yards – the fewest in a first half of a CFP title game.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
