Indiana fans at team hotel celebrate ‘once in a lifetime’ run

Daniel Girdler got plenty of text messages this week congratulating him on his recent engagement.

But he’s gotten more texts about the Indiana Hoosiers.

Girdler was among the thousands of Indiana fans who flooded Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the Peach Bowl on Friday night, where they witnessed a 56-22 beatdown of the Oregon Ducks.

“It was a home game,” said Girdler, who traveled from Michigan to attend. He estimates the crowd was 95% Hoosiers, with many making the roughly eight-hour drive from Indiana.

“Maybe once in a lifetime, historical run. You can’t miss it,” added Girdler, one of many fans staying at the Marriott Marquis, the team’s Atlanta hotel, and checking out Saturday.

After decades of living in football obscurity, the Hoosiers have shocked the country this season and now find themselves headed to Miami for the national championship. It’s a breath of fresh air for Andy Bratton, a season-ticket holder who witnessed years of ineptitude from the team. “It was hard. I mean, it was a lot of losses,” he said.

But like many of the fans who took the trip to Atlanta, he wasn’t surprised by the victory. He was only surprised by the score. “I thought it’d be closer,” he said. “I think everybody did.”

Dan Bishop recalled when tickets to watch a game in Bloomington, Indiana, cost $30. Now people are spending $500 to $800 for a regular season game ticket, he said. “It’s been a long time coming for them to get to this national championship, or have any relevancy in football,” Bishop said.

Donned in their IU gear as they prepared to make the drive back to Indiana, Jason and Jennifer Barrett were still glowing from the resounding victory. Their seats were within 10 feet of quarterback Fernando Mendoza’s parents. “It was such a cool thing to watch his family just be so proud,” Jennifer Barrett said. “I don’t think that woman (Mendoza’s mother) ever stopped smiling the entire game.”

With IU taking such a large lead so early, much of the game was a celebration for IU fans. Hands were sore from high-fives, with strangers becoming close friends. “You turned into this brotherhood really quickly,” Jason Barrett said.

Girdler thinks the country is firmly on Indiana’s side. People in the airport have approached him to voice their support, perhaps a recognition of the team’s quick turnaround. “It’s awesome to get a break from the power schools, and it rewrites the book on football,” Girdler said.

“If Indiana can do it, everybody can. There’s no reason why you can’t get a new coach and build a new program.”