ATLANTA (Interstat) — The Indiana Hoosiers completed a perfect season and left no doubt about the identity of the nation’s top team, dismantling the Oregon Ducks 56 to 22 on Friday night to claim the championship before a crowd of 75,604 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The victory, capping a 15-win season, was a comprehensive display of dominance by Indiana, avenging its closest call of the year—a 30-20 win over these same Ducks in October—with a performance that flipped the script entirely from that earlier meeting. Oregon, which finished its season at 13-2, entered the game as a slight favorite but was overwhelmed by Indiana’s ruthless efficiency and a cascade of self-inflicted errors from the opening moments.

The most important part of the game, and the sequence that set an irreversible tone, occurred on the very first play from scrimmage. Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, under pressure on his first pass attempt, threw an interception directly to Indiana cornerback D’Angelo Ponds, who returned it 25 yards for a touchdown just 11 seconds into the contest. The stunning pick-six gave Indiana a lead it would never relinquish and placed Oregon in an immediate state of desperation.

Moore, a Detroit native, finished with 285 yards passing and two touchdowns, but the early interception and consistent pressure from Indiana’s defensive front haunted him all night. He was sacked five times, with Daniel Ndukwe recording two of them, and lost a critical fumble in the second quarter that led directly to another Hoosier score.

While Oregon’s offense sputtered, Indiana’s operated with machine-like precision, guided by the game’s top star, quarterback Fernando Mendoza. The Miami native delivered a masterclass in efficiency and playmaking, completing 17 of 20 passes for 177 yards and five touchdowns. He also added 28 yards on six carries, repeatedly extending drives with his legs. His connection with receiver Elijah Sarratt was particularly potent, as Sarratt hauled in seven catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns.

Indiana’s ground game was equally devastating, churning out 228 yards and controlling the clock. Kaelon Black led the charge with 63 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries, including a 23-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter to put an exclamation point on the win. Roman Hemby added 53 yards on 17 carries, and Khobie Martin provided a late spark with 42 yards on just four attempts. The Hoosiers scored touchdowns on their first two offensive possessions following Oregon turnovers, building a 21-7 lead by the end of the first quarter and a 35-7 advantage by halftime after a 21-point second quarter.

Oregon’s lone bright spot in the first half was an impressive 13-play, 80-yard opening drive that answered the initial pick-six, capped by a 19-yard touchdown pass from Moore to tight end Jamari Johnson. After that, the Ducks’ offense was stifled by a swarming Indiana defense led by linebacker Aiden Fisher, who had nine tackles, and a secondary that allowed little after the catch.

The Ducks showed a brief flicker of life early in the third quarter when running back Dierre Hill Jr. broke loose for a 71-yard run to the Indiana 4-yard line. Two plays later, Jay Harris punched it in from two yards out, and Johnson caught a pass for a two-point conversion, cutting the deficit to 35-15. The momentum was short-lived. On the ensuing drive, Black ripped off a 62-yard run, setting the stage for Mendoza’s fifth touchdown pass, a 13-yard strike to E.J. Williams Jr. that pushed the lead back to 42-15.

Indiana’s defense sealed the game in the fourth quarter when a blocked punt set up a short field, leading to Mendoza’s third touchdown pass to Sarratt from three yards out. Black’s 23-yard touchdown run minutes later invoked a running clock for the final minutes, a symbolic gesture of the Hoosiers’ total control.

Oregon added a late consolation touchdown on a one-yard pass from Moore to tight end Roger Saleapaga with 22 seconds remaining for the final margin. The Ducks were led defensively by Bryce Boettcher’s 11 tackles, a testament to the amount of time the unit spent on the field.

The outcome defied the pregame projections, which had favored Oregon by a field goal and predicted a combined score well below the 78 points totaled. Instead, Indiana’s flawless execution and opportunistic defense delivered a lopsided victory that cemented its place as the undisputed national champion. The Hoosiers’ season, which included earlier wins over powers like Alabama, Ohio State, and Penn State, culminated in a championship performance that was as emphatic as it was historic.