Indiana star Fernando Mendoza sets the record straight on controversial final play in win vs Iowa

In college football, the game isn’t over until the whistle blows and zeros are on the clock. Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza made sure of that—and then some—during his program’s road win over the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Week 5 of the 2025 NCAA season had no shortage of drama. Across the country, Saturday was packed with tension and high-voltage action. That was also true for the matchup between Indiana and Iowa, which ended in a 20-15 victory for the visiting Hoosiers in Iowa City.

However, the game could’ve ended in a 20–13 triumph had it not been for a controversial play by Mendoza to close things out. With only three seconds left on fourth down, Mendoza was snapped the football before running all the way back to his own end zone.

Taking the safety assured Iowa two points, but not the football back. The clock, however, had already hit zero well before Mendoza reached the end zone. As a result, many fans across the nation erupted in outcry as their bets were lost on a seemingly meaningless play. Now, Indiana’s signal-caller has spoken on the “money-costing” fiasco.

“I didn’t want to ever put our team in jeopardy,” Fernando Mendoza said after the game, per On3. “Maybe if I slide with one second left, there might be some quirk where we might have to punt it. I just wanted to get out of the safety, and I know I shouldn’t be saying this, I probably cooked people’s spreads and I really apologize for that. However, in that moment, my goal was to win the game.”

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Betting on themselves

As much or as little as Mendoza’s apologies do to the fans upset across the country, fans in Bloomington couldn’t care any less about it. Neither do the Hoosiers, who remain undefeated at 5-0 in the NCAA and 2-0 in the Big Ten. If anything, Indiana is happy to cash in on the wager they care: winning football games. The Hoosiers are putting all of college football on notice.

“They aren’t happy,” Mendoza added. “But I definitely put my apologies out to them. For us, we are looking out for the Indiana moneyline, which is a win.”

This win on the road over Iowa is a big step in the right direction and morale-boosting for a team that will need to be firing in all cylinders in their upcoming matchup. On October 11, the Hoosiers will make a trip to the Northwest, where the Oregon Ducks await in Eugene for one of the biggest matchups of college football’s Week 7.