MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Pure chaos. That’s how I would describe the aftermath of Indiana football’s historic national championship win over the University of Miami on Monday night.
A horde of credentialed media members funneled into the narrow doorway marking the entrance of the Hoosiers’ locker room. They surged past a sign with the word “WIN” etched in bold white letters on a crimson background before stepping into a scene unlike any other.
Dozens of Indiana players filled the room, donning their newly-earned national champion apparel. Many of them danced and sang in the middle of the room, unbothered by the intruders attempting to conduct postgame interviews.
The smell of cigar smoke filled my nostrils as a cloud of gray smoke rose from the mouths of numerous Hoosiers. When in Rome, I suppose.
In the mayhem of it all, I found what felt like the one person not actively participating in the festivities. I spotted senior punter Mitch McCarthy scanning the locker room for a teammate to celebrate with — or so I thought.
“I’m actually trying to find a beer,” McCarthy said. “If anyone’s allowed a beer, it’s a 28-year-old. So, I haven’t got one yet. I’m a bit disappointed.”
As I left the determined Australian to continue his mission, I turned the corner to see redshirt seventh-year senior long snapper Mark Langston, McCarthy’s partner in crime. I watched as Langston cracked a hole into his drink of choice — a Dragonfly IPA — and finished it in a matter of seconds while a crowd of teammates labeled him “Shotgun Mark.”
I caught up with the foamy-mouthed special teamer to ask about something he told me during the national championship media day two days prior. He had told me that, before coming to Indiana last season, he was embarrassed to wear his Georgia Southern University football merchandise in public.
Now a national champion, I asked him how often he’ll showcase his Hoosier swag.
“Every day,” Langston said. “Every single day.”
I imagine that’s the same feeling longtime Indiana fans have. For so long the Hoosiers were an embarrassment on the gridiron. It’s blunt but true; the losses speak for themselves. But now, Indiana football is the greatest story in sports. For goodness’s sake, going from 3-9 to 16-0 in the span of two years is one of the greatest stories in the history of sports.
It’s no surprise that Kirkwood Avenue in Bloomington was flooded as the Hoosiers neared victory. Students cluttered rooftops, climbed on trees and scampered up light posts to get a view of the crowd below.
All the pent-up anger from a disappointing three decades of Indiana University athletics was released when redshirt junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza ran out the final seconds of the game. While the student body rushed the streets of downtown Bloomington, redshirt senior running back Roman Hemby shared in the merriment inside Hard Rock Stadium.
“I’m just so happy,” Hemby said. “As the clock hit zeros, I couldn’t stop running and screaming that we were national champions.”
He did so as an ocean of lingering Hoosier faithful roared for the grand finale of a magical season while cream and crimson confetti fluttered from the rafters. It’s easy to get caught up in the euphoria of such a moment. But my eyes were drawn elsewhere.
As the two opposing sidelines converged, one uplifted by victory and the other burdened by defeat, an emotional scene transpired on the 1-yard line. Miami’s senior defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. slumped to the grass, exhausted after the hard-fought defeat. Indiana’s redshirt junior left tackle Carter Smith knelt beside him, his right hand outstretched on Bain’s left shoulder.
In the immediate aftermath of the biggest win of his career, Smith didn’t celebrate with his teammates — he comforted his opponent. After the game, I asked why.
“I mean, I’ve been there,” Smith said. “Last year at Notre Dame, sitting down on the field, it was a really sad moment. I didn’t really have anyone come up to me, and he was kind of in the same boat.”
After a few words, he helped Bain to his feet before offering him a hug as a parting gift. It wasn’t the last time Smith would offer a postgame embrace.
Following the Hoosiers’ trophy presentation, he waited patiently for redshirt junior left guard Drew Evans to finish an on-field interview before tapping him on the shoulder. As Evans turned, the two offensive linemen locked arms for a lengthy hug, punctuated by the relief of completing the ultimate goal.
“He means everything to me,” Smith said. “We’re best friends. I’ll praise Drew for the rest of my life; I love him to death man.”
But the most tear-jerking scene? That happened before the game even ended. After the play that Indiana fans will remember forever, Mendoza’s 12-yard touchdown run on fourth down late in the final quarter, the cameras turned to his parents.
It’s well-known Fernando Mendoza IV doesn’t stand up to cheer during games so he can celebrate with his wife, Elsa, whose multiple sclerosis keeps her in a wheelchair. But as the play developed, his dad couldn’t help but lift from his seat.
As the Hoosiers’ quarterback took off, his dad’s right hand clutched the railing in front of his seat. The closer his son got to the end zone, the higher Fernando IV rose from his seat. By the time Fernando reached across the plane in acrobatic fashion, his dad was elevated in the air, his right hand clenched in a fist, lifted in the night sky above. In the blink of an eye, he sat back down, celebrating with his wife the way they had all season long.
Through it all, his left hand held onto Elsa, as they watched their son write the final chapter of Indiana’s storybook season.
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and columnist Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa and qmrichar@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
