Miami enters the National Championship Game against Indiana seventh nationally with 96 tackles for loss and No. 1 with 47 sacks. Indiana is 15th nationally, allowing 4.0 TFLs and 34th permitting 1.47 sacks per game. Whichever team wins the battle at the line of scrimmage will play a significant role in the outcome.
In addition to being first nationally in sacks, the 92.5 Pro Football Focus pass-rushing grade is also the best in the country. Per Max Chadwick of PFF, Rueben Bain Jr. is second nationally with 80 pressures and Akheem Mesidor is fifth with 63 during the 2025 season.
Chadwick also noted that Miami has at least a 40 percent pressure rate in its College Football Playoff wins over Ole Miss and Ohio State. Miami has at least 4.0 TFLs in every game in 2025 except vs. Ole Miss. The Rebels were the third team to hold Miami under 2.0 sacks in a 2025 game.
Mesidor has 60 tackles and leads Miami with 15.5 TFLs, 10.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. Bain has 46 tackles, 13.0 TFLs, 8.5 sacks, one interception, one pass defended and one forced fumble in 2025. Bain and Mesidor dominated Texas A&M and Ohio State in the first two rounds of the CFP. For Miami to have a chance vs. Indiana, both stud pass-rushers will have to be at their best in trying to slow down/rattle Fernando Mendoza.
Indiana's OL could present Miami with its biggest test in 2025
Indiana is 16th nationally in 2025 with a 78.2 PFF pass-blocking grade. Indiana left tackle Carter Smith is second nationally with a 93.7. Chadwick stated Indiana is only 73rd with a 12.4 percent knockdown rate and has struggled against some of the better pass-rushing teams they have played against in 2025.
Mendoza is ranked No. 1 in Power Four with a 71.7 PFF passing grade under pressure in 2025. Mendoza is third nationally, completing 73.0 percent of his passes, second with 9.5 yards per attempt, No. 1 with 41 touchdown passes and a 187.96 passer rating and 26th with a 1.7 interception percentage. The Heisman Trophy winner can carve up a defense when he has too much time to scan the field. It's going to be on the Miami pass-rush to prevent that from happening.