Jan. 9 (UPI) -- D'Angelo Ponds pounced on the first pass of the Peach Bowl, intercepting Oregon, scoring on a return and sparking a 56-22 Indiana rout in Friday's Peach Bowl to clinch Indiana's first national title game appearances.
"I feel like we put a dagger in them in the second half," Ponds said at the trophy presentation. "We definitely made a statement to show how dominant we were."
The top-ranked Hoosiers (15-0) forced three first-half turnovers and led 35-7 trough the first two quarters of the College Football Playoff semifinal thrashing in Atlanta. Heisman winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw five touchdown passes, including three in the first half.
The Hoosiers will battle the Miami Hurricanes (13-2) in the College Football Playoff finale Jan. 19 in Miami Gardens, Fla.
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