The Peach Bowl was over by halftime. It felt over after the first play from scrimmage. Oregon quarterback Dante Moore threw a pass intended for Malik Benson, in an attempt to be aggressive at the start of the drive. Bad idea. Indiana corner D'Angelo Ponds jumped the route for an interception, and ran it back 25 yards for a touchdown.
The Ducks had started the game with possession and lost it after only a few seconds. To their credit, they responded with a touchdown catch by Jamari Johnson, but then the Hoosiers' offense finally took the field to put together a touchdown drive—then, later in the second quarter, another. And another. And another. By halftime, Indiana led 35-7, and viewers at home would've been forgiven for doing something else with their Friday night.
The competitive element had totally vanished from the game, and any remaining entertainment was merely in witnessing an excellent team run up the score on a good team. To start the second half, Indiana put together an 11-play, 75-yard drive to kill more clock and build a 42-7 lead. Let's sim to the end: Indiana won, 56-22, and will face Miami in the College Football Playoff title game. The Hoosiers had beaten the Ducks by 10 in Eugene, back in October, but this time they made a serious opponent look like an early-season cupcake.
Even with all that scoring, Indiana's offense didn't rack up that much yardage, because it wasn't necessary. QB Fernando Mendoza was 17-of-20 for 177 passing yards and five touchdowns, while the rushing game totaled 185 yards. The Hoosiers earned fabulous field position on early Oregon turnovers: On the very first play of a drive in the second quarter—yes, it happened again—Moore lost a fumble when his running back Dierre Hill Jr. bumped the ball out of his hand on what was supposed to be a WR screen play. The Hoosiers recovered at Oregon's 3-yard line, and Kaelon Black punched it in after a couple of rush attempts.
Friday's victory did not offer any new insight into Indiana; it merely emphasized what everyone already knew. This is why Mendoza won the Heisman, why the Hoosiers are the No. 1 team in the country, and why they're 15-0. Across two CFP games this postseason, Indiana has won by a combined score of 94-25; their quarterback has thrown no interceptions and a total of five incompletions. It's laughable, absurd. Since surprising everyone at the beginning of the season, Curt Cignetti's team looks and feels unstoppable.
There's still one more opportunity to be stopped. What, if anything, can Miami do to spoil Indiana's perfect season? The strategy would probably look a lot like it did in the Hurricanes' Fiesta Bowl win over Mississippi: run the ball well in order to rack up time of possession and keep Mendoza on the sideline. Also, Carson Beck has to be error-free. Also, no dumb penalties. Also, figure out a way to make Curt Cignetti miss his flight. Just do all that, and maybe you'll have a chance to take down the best college football team in the country.
