Live updates: Indiana vs. Miami in the College Football Playoff national championship

After a lengthy breather, the Indiana offense is back on the field looking to re-establish some rhythm.

Kaelon Black busted a 13-yard run to get the Hoosiers off to a positive start. Another great play call got Indiana 18 yards on a pass from Fernando Mendoza to Omar Cooper, Jr.

With Indiana now on the fringe of field goal range, the Hurricanes defense put the clamps on the Hoosiers and forced a fourth-and-five decision for head coach Curt Cignetti.

Cignetti trusted his offense and Mendoza delivered a beautiful back-shoulder throw to Charlie Becker for 19 yards and a first down.

The Hoosiers stalled out in the red zone and faced a fourth-and-four at the 12-yard line. Cignetti once again kept his offense on the field and Mendoza kept the ball on a designed run play and broke a series of tackles on a spectacular run.

Mendoza took a huge hit as he dove across the goal line for a touchdown to give the Hoosiers a little breathing room.

Score: Hoosiers 24, Hurricanes 14

A very loud rendition of “Mr. Brightside” is playing during the timeout here. No one has sat down all game and they’re not about to now.

It’s such a tightly wound game that you can almost feel the mood swings from play to play. Miami fans were very much on the attack after the break and IU fans a little quiet, kinda like they were on pins and needles. But when Fernando Mendoza hit Charlie Becker to convert that fourth down, the two sides swapped vibes.

Get the feeling it’s going to go that way until there are all zeroes on the clock. Indiana isn’t used to being challenged in these playoffs, and Miami is more than happy to play it tight late.

The Hurricanes answered the blocked punt for a touchdown on its last drive with Mark Fletcher Jr.’s second TD in the game on the first play of the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 17-14

Carson Beck found CJ Daniels for 24 yards and later Malachi Toney for 22 yards earlier on the scoring drive.

The drama is going way up in this national title game and we are set for an incredible finish in Miami Gardens.

Score: Hoosiers 17, Hurricanes 14

Big play alert!

Indiana’s Mikail Kamara blocked Miami’s punt inside the team’s 16-yard line, which was recovered by Isaiah Jones in the end zone for the touchdown to give Indiana a commanding lead in the third quarter.

A massive play in this game that swings momentum back to the Hoosiers after the Canes had pulled within a few points.

For those that are pro-DOINK, we had another one just now. Nico Radicic’s extra point rang off the metal but IN for the conversion.

Score: Hoosiers 17, Hurricanes 7

Indiana fans have to feel great about going into the half up 10 and showing the ability to push the vaunted Miami defense backwards.

Indiana’s head coach isn’t walking into the break with a smile - though he never does.

When asked about the Hurricanes’ physicality and getting contact on QB Fernando Mendoza, Curt Cignetti wasn’t too pleased.

“There’s three personal fouls on the quarterback not called in one drive,” he told ESPN’s Holly Rowe at the break. “They need to be called because they are obvious personal fouls.

“I’m all for letting them play but when you cross the line, you gotta call it.”

What do you think?

Was this a correct non-call?

Just feels like Indiana is in a pen waiting to explode.

Give credit to the Miami defense for keeping Fernando Mendoza and the Hoosiers in check, relatively speaking. But on that last scoring drive, it looked like IU was starting to solve the Hurricane riddle.

They mixed up the play-calling effectively, and the offensive line did a better job of protecting Mendoza. And the Hoosiers, remember, get the ball first to start the second half.

The only small X factor – Miami defensive back Xavier Lucas will be back for the second half. He was suspended after getting hit with a targeting call in the second half of the Fiesta Bowl.

But combine the lead with the Hurricanes inability to generate anything offensively and 10-0 feels like a pretty big hole.

A struggling Miami offense went for it on fourth-and-one from inside its own 35-yard line in the second quarter and was able to get the first down on running back Mark Fletcher Jr.’s one-yard run.

The Hurricanes drove down to Indiana’s 32-yard line and had a chance to get on the scoreboard but Miami kicker Carter Davis missed a 50-yard field goal as the ball hit the goal post.

Miami’s offense failed to make landfall in the first half.

Indiana gets the ball first in the second half.

Score: Hoosiers 10, Hurricanes 0

Mario Cristobal’s decision to go for it on fourth down on this drive seems like it was as much a strategic decision as an emotional one.

The sputtering Miami offense needed something to get it going, and the head coach rolling the dice in their favor is a nice confidence boost.

Of course, that’s easier to say with 20/20 hindsight after it worked. But the Hurricane offense wasn’t going anywhere, and after Fernando Mendoza put together a surgical drive to give IU a 10-0 lead, this drive feels pretty critical for Miami.

Miami has the ball at the Indiana 40-yard line.

Indiana picked up another easy first down to get the drive started with a 12-yard pass to Elijah Sarratt.

A few plays later, the Hurricanes looked to have Indiana stopped, but OJ Frederique Jr. was flagged for interference and the Hoosiers got a fresh set of downs.

The Canes’ defensive front is really stepping up and quickly forced the Hoosiers into a third-and-13. An offsides penalty against Miami gave Indiana five yards and then the Hoosiers caught Miami off-guard with a designed run play, and Kaelon Black ran between the tackles for a 20-yard pick-up.

Two plays later, the Hoosiers appeared to have the game’s first touchdown, but replay showed that wide receiver Charlier Becker barely stepped out of bounds at the six-yard line before diving to the pylon.

Miami forced Indiana into a third-and-goal at the one-yard line, and in an old-fashioned I-formation, Mendoza handed off to tight end/fullback Riley Nowakowski, who pounded it in for the game’s first touchdown to cap the 14-play drive.

Score: Hoosiers 10, Hurricanes 0

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