By Matt St. Charles
The Indiana Hoosiers handily beat Alabama in the Rose Bowl 38-3 to advance to the College Football Playoff Semifinals. With their first Bowl win since 1991, they’re headed to Atlanta to match up with Oregon.
After Fernando Mendoza was sacked twice on the opening drive, it seemed like the Crimson Tide would have plenty of fight in “The Granddaddy of Them All.” But after that point, it was virtually all Hoosiers.
IU took its next drive down the field for 84 yards on 16 plays, having to settle for a field goal because of communication issues with Mendoza’s helmet, which created an inability to get a play call in on third down. Early in the second quarter, Indiana took a 3-0 lead.
On Alabama’s next drive, it pump-faked a fourth down two different times in a bizarre situation that did not favor the Tide. Unable to draw the Hoosiers offside once, they lined up in punt formation with Ty Simpson lined up as a gunner, just for the quarterback to rush in under center for a hard count. Then, out of the Wildcat, Alabama was stuffed for a losson a jet motion handoff, giving Indiana the ball at the opponent’s 34-yard-line. A few plays later, Mendoza connected with Charlie Becker for a 21-yard touchdown pass over the middle to go up 10-0.
The teams then traded punts before Alabama squandered the potential of a seven-play, 43-yard drive when Simpson fumbled on a huge hit from D’Angelo Ponds. Taking over at their own 42 with just over three minutes until the half, IU mounted an 11-play drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown grab for Omar Cooper, Jr. with just 17 seconds remaining.
Indiana took a 17-0 lead into the locker room, and Alabama wouldn’t be able to recreate its comeback against Oklahoma in the First Round.
The Tide went three-and-out to start the third quarter, while the Hoosiers responded with a 10-play, 79-yard drive that ended in a 24-yard Mendoza touchdown pass to Elijah Sarratt up the left sideline. Seemingly the dagger, Indiana was even firmer in the driver’s seat.
Following Sarratt’s score with 7:46 left in the third, Alabama made a quarterback change, swapping Simpson for redshirt sophomore Austin Mack. Mack connected with Jermi Bernard for a 34-yard completion that got the Tide into field goal range, giving them their only points of the day.
Kaelon Black and Roman Hemby each added fourth-quarter rushing touchdowns of 25 and 18 yards, respectively, to extend the margin to the final score, 38-3.
The Hoosiers completely controlled the game following that first drive, rushing for more yards than Alabama had total, 215-193. With 407 total yards, 22 first downs, and no turnovers, they dictated the game to give one of college football’s bluebloods its worst loss since 1998.
The win gives Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers a rematch with Oregon next Friday, January 9th at the Peach Bowl for a chance to go to the National Championship game. After beating the Ducks 30-20 in October, it won’t be an easy task, but this group is surely up to it.