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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Tom Dierberger

College Football World Loved Indiana’s Surprise Winner of Rose Bowl MVP

Pat Coogan Fernando Mendoza Indiana Football Rose Bowl (Event) Hoosiers Curt Cignetti Alabama (Organization)

Everything is coming up Indiana these days.

Once the laughingstock of college football normally dwelling in the Big Ten’s basement, Indiana has risen to national powerhouse in just two years. Led by coach Curt Cignetti, the No. 1 Hoosiers easily handled No. 9 Alabama 38–3 on Thursday night in the Rose Bowl to advance to the College Football Playoff semifinals.

To make a great story even better, the Rose Bowl Offensive MVP award was given to a very deserving Hoosiers player—but not the one you’d think. Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza threw for 192 yards and three touchdowns in the blowout win, but the award instead went to Hoosiers redshirt senior center Pat Coogan and the rest of the offensive line.

Mendoza and the rest of the Hoosiers on the stage at Rose Bowl Stadium erupted in celebration after ESPN’s Rece Davis announced Coogan as the winner.

“It’s unreal. ... I’m sure Fernando snuck in there and told him to give it to me because he’s that type of guy,” Coogan told Sirius XM after the game.

The rest of the college football and sports world loved the move:

What a moment.

After the win, Indiana now advances to the Peach Bowl to battle No. 5 Oregon in the CFP semifinals.

One more win, and the Hoosiers are playing for a national championship. Somehow, that’s a more improbable statement than an offensive lineman winning MVP in a bowl game.

More College Football on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as College Football World Loved Indiana’s Surprise Winner of Rose Bowl MVP.

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