It certainly wasn't the way Indiana football fans had hoped the Big Ten Championship Game would start.

After the first play of the game, Fernando Mendoza had to be helped to the sideline, thanks to a huge hit by Ohio State's Caden Curry that knocked Mendoza to the ground and kept him there for several minutes.

The hit came moments after Mendoza attempted his first pass of the game, a 13-yard completion to Elijah Sarratt. Curry collided with Mendoza's throwing shoulder while the Hoosiers quarterback was moving right, delivering a blow that sent Mendoza to the turf on his back.

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While Mendoza was down for a while, causing the game's television commentators to speculate if it was a shoulder injury, he only missed one play, during which his younger brother, Alberto Mendoza, replaced him to hand the ball to Roman Hemby. Fernando then returned to the field to lead the IU offense.

Fernando Mendoza has been one of the best players in college football and is widely expected to be one of the finalists for this year's Heisman Trophy after leading historically moribund Indiana to a 12-0 regular-season record and its first conference title game in program history. Mendoza entered Saturday with the most passing touchdowns in the country (32), the second-most passing yards per attempt (9.4), the second-best passing efficiency rating (183.7), and fifth-best completion percentage (72.0%).

The winner of Saturday's Big Ten title game will almost certainly be the No. 1 overall seeding going into the College Football Playoff (CFP). The loser, who would only have one loss, may still remain in the top four and receive a first-round bye.