Louisville players were bleeding, bandaged, blinking away eye pokes and trying to gather themselves between whistles.
Louisville wins a grind-it-out game to advance.
For three months, Louisville basketball carried a question around like a loose bolt in its pocket.
In November, Kentucky and Louisville rolled out their basketball teams like two shiny new Cadillacs on the showroom floor.
Indiana beat Miami 27–21 to achieve college football immortality — a 16–0 perfect season, the first national title in program history, and the culmination of a playoff run that saw the Hoosiers outscore Alabama, Oregon and Miami by a combined 104–62.
It’s not just a game. It’s a test of blueprint vs. bloodline. Little pink houses vs. South Beach. One program trying to wake up echoes. The other, trying to build a brand-new sound.
Curt Cignetti is not here for sentiment. He didn’t bring any. Didn’t pack it. Didn’t allow it through TSA.
This is a new situation. I never figured I’d be covering a college football national championship game. No offense to Louisville or Kentucky. I guess I never ruled out Louisville getting here one day. I figured they’d make a playoff, and then you never know.
What else is there to say about Fernando Mendoza? I’ve written about his rise, his family, his efficiency, his mindset. And somehow, I’m still not sure we’ve said enough.
He was a soccer kid in Floyds Knobs until his mom and stepdad nudged him toward football his freshman year at Floyd Central High School.