There was bedlam on the streets of Bloomington on Monday night as Indiana University students celebrated the school’s first ever national championship.
Fernando Mendoza and his fellow Hoosiers beat Miami 27-21 at Hard Rock Stadium, but the wildest celebrations didn’t occur on the field, but back on campus.
Incredible images have emerged from overnight as fans piled out of bars and student accommodation to fill the streets of Bloomington – with some scenes getting out of hand.
Photographers caught jubilant Hoosiers fans lighting fires in the streets, stealing road signs and scaling buildings as celebrations went long into the night.
In one photo, fans can be seen climbing a lamppost surrounded by thousands of other students, who are crammed together to celebrate the win.
In another snap, one fan helps another to climb on top of a building, where he is then joined by hundreds of others on the roof.
Indiana fans lit fires on the streets of Bloomington after winning the national championship
Fans flooded the streets of downtown Bloomington after watching their Hoosiers beat Miami
One fan is seen carrying a ‘stop’ sign down the street amid the wild title celebrations
Near the university campus, fans scaled buildings as they basked in the glory of the victory
The majority of the carnage occurred on Kirkwood Avenue in downtown Bloomington, close to the University campus.
According to multiple reports, firefighters quickly swooped in to dampen the flames of the fires lit by the students in their celebrations.
Despite the wild scenes, no arrests were reported by local media and the local police department eventually cleared the jubilant masses as night turned to day.
Indiana’s win over Miami in front of the likes of Donald Trump cemented an historic 16-0 season, not seen since 1894 when the Yale Bulldogs finished the season with the same record.
And there were celebrations to match the feat, with students partying until dawn despite the freezing temperatures plummeting to close to 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
Not deterred by the harsh winter temperatures, some fans still whipped their shirts off to celebrate the Hoosiers’ victory – perhaps later warmed by the flames of the fires created by their fellow students.
Back at Hard Rock Stadium, Fernando Mendoza was lifting the school’s first ever championship
Amid freezing temperatures in Bloomington, fans lit fires and attempted to stay warm
One fan is helped onto the roof of a building by a friend as celebrations went wild in Indiana
Indiana became the first college football team to go 16-0 and win the title since Yale in 1894
Temperatures were close to 0 but that didn’t stop fans ripping their shirts off in celebration
Not cold enough? One Hoosiers supporter is pictured on top of an ice machine in Bloomington
In the game itself, Mendoza proved the hero for Indiana after scoring a remarkable touchdown to lead the Hoosiers to a first-ever national title.
In front of Tom Brady and Donald Trump, Mendoza cemented his status as the best quarterback in college football with an incredible piece of individual play to take the game away from the Hurricanes in the fourth quarter.
The projected No. 1 pick in this year’s NFL Draft and reigning Heisman Trophy winner bulldozed his way into the end zone from 12 yards on a dramatic fourth down.
Miami still had a chance to stage a dramatic comeback but Beck threw an interception with 44 seconds left in the game, sparking wild scenes among Indiana’s players, coaches and fans.
Fans who couldn’t get up lampposts scaled trees instead to get above the rest of the crowd
After the game, Mendoza and his mom Elsa both broke down in tears during an emotional embrace.
In the wake of his dramatic late touchdown, Mendoza ran to find his family among the celebrations. When he finally did, he bent down to give Elsa a loving hug and tears were visible as the Heisman Trophy winner stood back up.
Mendoza then turned to his father, also named Fernando, and shared another hug as the family enjoyed an outpouring of emotion in the middle of the field. His brother, Alberto, also celebrated the win as Indiana’s backup quarterback.
The family are particularly close and Mendoza has previously called his mom his best friend and ‘inspiration’ because of her open battle with multiple sclerosis.
‘Our mom is our inspiration, our light, and gives us positivity every single day,’ he told the IndyStar.
