D’Angelo Ponds doesn’t waste words when the stage grows larger. Ahead of the Peach Bowl, and before his dramatic pick six to start the game, Indiana’s defensive back stripped the College Football Playoff moment down to its core.
“I would say the most physical team will win,” Ponds said.
That belief has carried Indiana to Atlanta and continues to shape how the Hoosiers see this matchup. For a defense built on discipline and detail, the room for error is thin.
“If we do our job and eliminate explosives as a defense, I feel like we’ll be okay.”
The setting itself adds complexity. Playing in an NFL stadium alters landmarks defensive backs rely on instinctively, from spacing to alignment.
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“The numbers are different. The hashes are different, as well. It’s an NFL stadium,” Ponds said. “Splits are kind of based off the numbers. Since the numbers are moving, you’ve got to know where they are or where they would be on a college field.”
Ponds’ physical edge surfaced earlier this postseason on a hit that produced a turnover, but even that moment wasn’t chased.
“I just meant to get a hit on him,” he said. “Definitely want to make a quarterback pay for scrambling and running.”
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That edge, Ponds explained, reflects Indiana’s culture and coaching.
“We’re a well-coached team,” he said. “It stems down to Cig (Curt Cignetti) all the way to our coaches.”
Facing a rematch with the Oregon Ducks, Ponds welcomes the challenge without hesitation.
“Definitely very excited just to go against a good team, a great quarterback, great receivers,” he said. “It’s going to be a battle.”
Inside the locker room, quarterback Fernando Mendoza has become the emotional center of the run.
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“He’s one of the hardest working guys I’ve ever seen,” Ponds said. “I feel like he deserved it.”
No warm fuzzies, only force, precision, and belief as Indiana prepares to meet the moment in Atlanta.
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