Football is a team game, yes, but let\u2019s be honest \u2014 some team players are more important than others. This week\u2019s Peach Bowl presents a matchup of two of the most significant quarterbacks in the college game \u2014 Indiana\u2019s Fernando Mendoza and Oregon\u2019s Dante Moore \u2014 and if history is any indication, their stories will be intertwined for years to come.<\/p>\n
Marcus Mariota\/Jameis Winston, Jared Goff\/Carson Wentz and Bryce Young\/CJ Stroud comprise just a few of the quarterback duos taken 1-2 in the NFL Draft, duos judged by the success (or lack thereof) of the other for several years after their selections. The Mendoza\/Moore duo could well follow in that line, particularly if the Peach Bowl ends up a showcase for both players. Mendoza has the gaudier awards, but Moore has bounced back from a midseason lull to lead the Ducks to two big playoff wins.<\/p>\n
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Mendoza finished the year with 3,172 yards passing,\u00a0and led the FBS in touchdowns (36), yards per attempt (9.6) and passer rating (184.7) \u2026 and, of course, he won the Heisman Trophy. Moore, after some significant early-season hype, finished with a more-than-respectable 3,280 yards, 28 touchdowns and 9 interceptions, although he didn\u2019t finish in the top 10 in Heisman voting.<\/p>\n
Both players\u2019 head coaches spent time earlier this week touting their quarterbacks\u2019 play \u2014 which, granted, is not the most difficult task.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you look at a quarterback, obviously he’s gotta have throwing ability and be able to process, but the ability to extend plays, whether it’s with his legs or once he’s out of the pocket with his arm, his eyes downfield, I mean, that’s the key,\u201d Indiana\u2019s Curt Cignetti said of Mendoza. \u201cA guy that cannot extend plays, you really become vulnerable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c[The Hoosiers] do a great job of protecting against shots, but I think Dante’s been a really good decision-maker throughout the year,\u201d Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said, \u201cand that’ll be something that’s really important in this game.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The two teams met back in October, a grinding 30-20 Indiana victory that was tied with less than seven minutes remaining. Mendoza and Moore ended up with similar stats from that game \u2014 Mendoza threw for 215 yards and a touchdown; Moore had 186 and a touchdown. The difference came on the ground and on the margins. Moore threw two interceptions to Mendoza\u2019s one, and Mendoza had 31 yards on the ground to Moore\u2019s minus-27, thanks to the six sacks he suffered.<\/p>\n
\u201cFernando’s ability to make plays with his legs, boy,\u201d Cignetti said. \u201cI can’t even count the number of times in big games this year where his legs have come through and extended drives.\u201d Mendoza would finish the year with 256 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.<\/p>\n
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Lanning, unsurprisingly, is applying a little retroactive analysis to that game to help clean up Moore\u2019s numbers.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou gotta remember when we played earlier in the season, Dante hadn’t played a ton of games,\u201d he said. \u201cAs you play an entire season, you get exposed to a lot of different looks, and you learn from those moments, and Dante has certainly learned from a lot of those moments \u2026 He’s not the same player as he was earlier this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
The closest historical comparison to this year\u2019s scenario might be 2015, when Jameis Winston and Florida State took on a Marcus Mariota-led Oregon in the first-ever College Football Playoff semifinal. The Ducks had no trouble running the Noles right out of the Rose Bowl, 59-20. Mariota (26\/36, 338 yards, 2 TDs, 1 interception) and Winston (29\/45, 348 yards, 1 TD, 1 interception) had roughly the same numbers, but the game might best be remembered for Winston\u2019s cartoonish fumble in the midst of an Oregon onslaught.<\/p>\n
Even so, Winston ended up drafted No. 1 overall a few months later, with Mariota just one slot behind him. Both won Heismans, and both are still in the NFL as spot starters \u2014 Winston with the Giants, Mariota with the Commanders.<\/p>\n
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In all likelihood, Mendoza will get the draft nod over Moore, but regardless of how this game ends, the Mendoza\/Moore dance will continue right on into late April. Yahoo\u2019s draft analysts have been impressed with both players. Nate Tice terms Mendoza<\/a> \u201can accurate thrower to all three levels who constantly goes to the right place with the ball.\u201d Charles McDonald, meanwhile<\/a>, praises Moore as a player with \u201call the tools to be a high-upside passer as he develops his game.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMendoza\u2019s been my QB1 throughout this entire process,\u201d Tice says. \u201cHe\u2019s a high-floor guy, smart, a clean operator, accurate. His game translates every well to the NFL.\u201d Tice pegs Matt Ryan as Mendoza\u2019s high-upside comparison, and believes he\u2019ll be QB1, likely to the Raiders.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve graded Moore throughout the process as a late first-rounder, early second-rounder that gets bumped up because of QB inflation,\u201d Tice says. \u201cHe\u2019s QB2 almost by default.\u201d<\/p>\n Moore actually hasn\u2019t declared yet, which could shift the entire post-Mendoza draft depending on his decision. \u201cIn a perfect world, he\u2019d go back to school,\u201d Tice says of Moore. \u201cBut he\u2019s looking at $54 million guaranteed from the Jets. You can\u2019t always guarantee that will be there if you wait a year, especially with Arch Manning, (Brendan) Sorsby and other guys.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Tice pegs the break-point for a player of Moore\u2019s caliber at around the 22-to-24 spot, meaning it would make more sense to stay if he was drafted that low, but it\u2019s unlikely he would fall that far if he\u2019s available. Then again, so much depends on this Peach Bowl.<\/p>\n \u201cIt will have more of an impact on Moore than Mendoza, prospect-wise,\u201d Tice says. \u201cIf he goes out against Indiana and has an amazing game, that could affect some teams\u2019 thinking. They\u2019re watching how players perform in these big games at the end of the season.\u201d<\/p>\n