After nearly a month the Indiana Hoosiers are back in action as they take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game on January 1st. The Hoosiers enter Thursday’s game as a touchdown favorite over the Crimson Tide. IU will raise the Victory Flag, the Rose Bowl and head to the CFP Semifinals if…
1. Indiana Needs to be the Tougher Team
All season long it has been the opponent who has needed to match Indiana’s toughness in games. So far, nobody has been able to do that for four quarters. IU has bullied most of their opponents and used their offensive line and run game to beat them into submission. IU has run for 221 yards per game and their defense has only allowed 77.6 yards per game on the ground. The Hoosiers limited Oregon to 81 yards, Ohio State to 58 yards and Iowa to 92 yards so far this season. IU keeps coming at opponents on both sides of the ball and so far this season, no one has been able to out tough them.
2. Win the Turnover and Explosive Play Battle
Indiana is +17 in turnover margin this year. They rarely give the ball away and they take it from their opponents a ton. With rain in the forecast, protecting the ball becomes that much more important. IU has only lost one fumble this year and that was in the season opener. Alabama sits at +8 in turnover margin. They have turned the ball over 12 times with seven fumbles and five interceptions. Indiana’s defense is both stout and opportunistic. In some of IU’s biggest wins this year the defense made a big play early.
On the flip side, explosive plays (runs over 10 yards, completions over 15) on offense can swing a bad weather game as well. An explosive play can help the offense get into rhythm or flip the field. Against Ohio State the Hoosiers had a handful of explosive plays that turned the game on its head including a couple 30-plus yard catches by Charlie Becker. Alabama’s offense has been awful running the ball most of the season. An explosive play in the pass game could be the spark they need to score enough against IU.
3. Win First Down
Indiana has been so good on winning first down and it makes the offense so much better. IU has used shorter passes and runs to set themselves up well for the rest of the series. The Hoosiers success on first down has allowed their offense to convert a national best 55.7-percent of their third down tries. Alabama’s defense ranks 35th nationally by allowing conversions on 35-percent of their third down tries.