The Power of Perseverance - Never Let Anyone Count You Out

I don't know what's happening in college sports, but our Husker boys are kicking a$$ in basketball and Indiana just won the national championship in football. INDIANA!!!

I'm a die-hard Husker fan - always have been, always will be. That being said, what the Hoosiers did this year is admirable beyond measure. What they did this season was a statement, and if you're too prideful to admit that you're about to ruin the best story in college football this decade.

This team turned the most historically losing program in Division I football into an undefeated national champion. Seriously - they ended the season 16-0, capped it with a 27-21 win over Miami in Miami's own stadium, and in doing so completed one of the most improbable turnarounds in the sport's history. Let that sink in.

Just two short seasons ago, this program was 3-9. Then Curt Cignetti showed up and in his second year as head coach, changed everything. In 2024 they went 11-1 and people started to whisper. Fast forward to 2025 and they:

~ Went 12-0 in the regular season (first time in program history)
~ Won the Big Ten Championship Game over Ohio State (their first conference title since 1967)
~ Demolished Alabama (38-3) in the Rose Bowl and beat Oregon (56-22) in the Peach Bowl
~ Finished it all with an epic win over Miami in the national title game.

THAT is culture change! THAT is coaching excellence!

Now let's talk about Fernando Mendoza. This kid, y'all!!

~ Won the Heisman Trophy (the FIRST Hoosier in history to do so)
~ Beat Miami in his hometown (and against the team that originally passed him over)
~ Sealed the national title with a gutsy fourth-and-four 12-yard touchdown run that literally defined the entire game.

Absolutely incredible!

Here's the lesson in all this.