Indiana’s Curt Cignetti Rips Refs for Uncalled Miami Hits on...

The Miami Hurricanes and Indiana Hoosiers met in their highest-stakes game of the season, competing for the College Football Playoff National Championship. With a championship on the line Monday night, the players were fired up and doing their best to secure a victory in Miami, Florida. Despite Miami playing in its home area, the Hoosiers got off to a better start on offense, while the Hurricanes tried to impose their defensive presence. That defense, which swallowed up previous opponents like Texas A&M and Ohio State in the CFP, attempted to get to Fernando Mendoza several times. The Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback took several big hits from the Miami defense in the first half, without any fouls called on the Hurricanes. That had Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti fired up as he called out the officials before heading into the locker room for halftime. Read more: Caitlin Clark Sends Message to Indiana Before National Championship Game BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA - OCTOBER 25: Head coach Curt Cignetti of the Indiana Hoosiers reacts in the game against the UCLA Bruins at Memorial Stadium on October 25, 2025, in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) ESPN's Holly Rowe caught up with Cignetti as he was leaving the field for the locker room and asked him about Mendoza getting hit on various plays and how it affected the Hoosiers' offense. “Well, there's three personal fouls on the quarterback that weren't called in one drive that need to be called because they're obvious personal fouls. I'm all for letting them play, but when you cross a line, you gotta call it. And they were black and white calls,“ Cignetti told Rowe in his criticism of the officiating. The hits were definitely ferocious by Miami's defense, with one of them clearly an unnecessary hit to knock Mendoza down after he handed the ball off to a running back. That particular play and uncalled foul left Mendoza with a visibly bloodied lip. The Hoosiers' star quarterback showed his toughness, shaking off the various rough plays to ultimately lead his team down the field for a touchdown to boost Indiana's lead to 10-0. That said, there were plenty of other individuals on hand hoping that Mendoza would make it through the game without any serious injuries happening. Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady was among the spectators, along with the Raiders owner, Mark Davis, as many expect Mendoza to be the NFL Draft's No. 1 overall pick. Read more: Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza Reveals His ‘Why’ Before CFP Championship For more about college football, head to Newsweek Sports.