On Friday, Jan. 9, the Peach Bowl semifinals were played in Atlanta, Georgia, and two teams had a shot to make it to the championship game.
The undefeated 1st-seed — the system that determines a team’s playoff position based on regular-season performance— Indiana Hoosiers were looking to defend and complete the most historic season in their program’s history by continuing to charge toward the championship. The 5th-seeded Oregon Ducks aimed to avenge their loss to the Hoosiers earlier in the season and snatch their Cinderella story away from them.
After the school finished with a positive record in only two of the previous ten years, when Head Coach Curt Cignetti was hired, he aimed to turn the school’s football program around, and he did exactly that. In his last two seasons with the school, they made the playoffs both times and finished 11-2 last year. After 14 straight big wins, it’s no surprise to say they are the favorite in every game they play.
On the first drive of the game, with their nerves obvious, the Ducks threw a pick-6, and immediately it was apparent that the overwhelming amount of Hoosiers fans in Atlanta would be hard to quiet down. Dante Moore — Oregon’s quarterback — and the Ducks’ offense were mighty, and after a 14-play, 75-yard drive, they scored to knot the game at seven points.
Ultimately, the Ducks couldn’t shake their turnover sickness, and they fumbled the ball twice in the second quarter, which were recovered by Indiana’s Mario Landino and Daniel Ndukwe, respectively. Indiana went on to score off of both of these turnovers, stretching their lead to 35-7 at the half.
With their back against the wall and a giant deficit to come back from, the Ducks came out with more fire at the half, with a very quick touchdown and two-point conversion, but their second-half efforts proved too little too late. The game ended with a final score of 56-22 for Indiana.
After the game, Ducks Head Coach Dan Lanning and Moore sat down and opened up to the Oregonian about their shortcomings. “First things first, the quarterback has to protect the football. They have a great defense, great disguise and different looks, but you can’t win football games if you’re causing turnovers,” said Moore. “Something, of course, I need to work on. It comes with just reps, but overall, Indiana’s defense is great, the defensive coordinator, but at the end of the day, we beat ourselves.”
“Ultimately, there were moments where we had success offensively,” said Lanning. “But obviously, when you have the takeaways, you start off with the pick six. You get a little bit in the hole. You probably start to press a little bit. You get away from some of the success you have in the run game at times. There’s moments that we had some plays, but that’s a damn good team. And you gotta give credit to them, too. It’s not just what we didn’t do, it’s what they did do.”
Similarly, Heisman trophy winner Fernando Mendoza and Cignetti talked briefly after their huge Peach Bowl win. “It means the world and I couldn’t have done this without God. This is just such a great opportunity for my entire team,” Mendoza told ESPN.
“We’re a bunch of misfits. There are zero five-stars on our team. We’re just a bunch of gritty guys who are glued together and going toward a common goal, which is to win each and every single game,” said Cignetti. “It’s a collaborative effort and with a strong culture, you can accomplish anything.”
Moving into the off-season, the Ducks have important decisions to make on whether or not to keep their current system in place. After signing Dylan Raiola, a quarterback transferring from Nebraska, Moore’s status was up in the air. He was tasked with deciding whether to enter the draft or stay with the Ducks for a sophomore season.
“With my decision, it’s been very tough,” Moore told ESPN. “I’ve prayed a lot about it, talked to many people — my mentors and people I look up to. With that being said, of course I’ll be coming back to Oregon for one more year, being able to play for the Oregon Ducks and reach our goal and be national champions.”
Indiana is sending a message to College Football that Head Coach Curt Cignetti is here and proving himself as a Hall of Fame-caliber coach. Being 15-0 with one more game against Miami leaves them on the brink of achieving a perfect season and College Football National Championship title. The Hoosiers are not holding back on their goal for their first title.
