Fernando Mendoza led Indiana football to a 53-point drubbing over then-No. 9 Illinois on Sept. 20. With his stout play, the redshirt junior quarterback earned AP Player of the Week, Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week and a litany of other awards.
Washington sophomore quarterback Demond Williams Jr. also earned the honor, as he accounted for five total touchdowns in the Huskies’ 35-point Apple Cup victory Sept. 20.
Mendoza went 21 for 23 with 267 yards passing. He threw five touchdowns for the second consecutive week, leading the Big Ten with 14.
Fourteen of Mendoza’s 21 completions went for either a first down or a touchdown. He finished the contest with 15 straight completions to Hoosiers pass catchers.
After the game, Mendoza was frustrated with two incompletions he “didn’t really like.” He first missed senior receiver Elijah Sarratt as the latter tripped. Mendoza’s second incompletion came on an out route intended for redshirt junior receiver Omar Cooper Jr. He said the two “need to get on the same page” on that play.
Mendoza also elevated himself into the Heisman Trophy conversation. According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Mendoza is the favorite at +800. University of Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer trails at +900.
Mendoza also earned a handful of other awards for his performance:
- Maxwell Award Player of the Week
- East West Shrine Bowl Monday Morning Quarterback
- Senior Bowl Stock Up Player of the Week
- Davey O’Brien Great 8
- One of eight on the Manning Award Stars of the Week
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and columnist Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa and qmrichar@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
