When the rainy forecast for the Rose Bowl was announced, it became clear that the 112th Rose Bowl Game would be won and lost in the trenches. Eager to prove themselves and silence the SEC homers, the Hoosiers came out swinging on both sides of the ball, running effectively and pressuring Alabama QB Ty Simpson all game long.
Indiana established the run game early, as the offensive line opened big holes for both Kaelon Black and Roman Hemby, who quickly began to break off runs for large chunks. As the Hoosiers continued to grind out yard after yard on the ground, they began to break the spirit of the Crimson Tide defense. Speaking to the media after the game, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said, “I think that’s what you would always love to see as the head coach, things we used to preach when I was at Alabama, about changing the way they think, breaking their will, and that’s the best way to do it, running the football.”
Indiana certainly broke the will of the Alabama rush defense, as the Hoosiers ran for 215 yards, with both Black and Hemby rushing for nearly 100 yards and a touchdown. Cignetti praised the performance of his two backs after the game, saying, “It takes a while. It doesn’t happen in the first quarter, the second quarter; it happens in the second half at some point, hopefully, when you’re able to achieve that goal. I thought our line did a nice job. I thought our backs really ran hard, and I’m sure there were some nice blocks down field too, but the backs, I was really impressed with how hard they ran.”
Wide Receiver Elijah Sarratt echoed Cignetti’s statements, saying, “The coaches were preaching all week that we have to be physical. That’s our M.O., though, that’s our identity. We have to be physical no matter who we’re playing or who we’re going against, and we were able to be physical today.”
Part of the reason that Indiana was able to run the ball so effectively was the Hoosiers’ use of “jumbo” packages with extra blockers, including lineman Zen Michalski. Speaking to the media after the game, offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan said, “It was something we saw on film in our preparation for the game, and [we] felt like it was going to give us an opportunity to get a yard. And then using Zen [Michalski], we’ve been mixing that in throughout the year. Once we had some success early in the game, we came back to it, and it led to more success.”
This success would likely not be possible without the Hoosiers’ veteran center, Pat Coogan, calling the shots along the line. Usually a thankless job, where your successes go unnoticed and your failures are magnified, Coogan’s blocking at center was phenomenal all game long, earning him an honor that is rare for an offensive lineman: Rose Bowl MVP.
When asked about this honor, Coogan said, “It’s pretty great. It’s probably the first, if I had to guess, offensive lineman MVP, but it’s all a credit to my teammates and my coaching staff for, first of all, just believing in me and the ability to make my calls and diagnose a defense and fully entrusting in me and my abilities.”
Coogan continued saying, “And a credit to all my teammates. These guys are unbelievable. The belief that we have in each other, the ability to bounce off of each other and say, ‘Hey, what are you thinking, or do you see that?’ It’s just been, kind of like I said before, never-ending growth, never ending improvement.”
After such a dominant performance you would think the Hoosiers would be satisfied with how they played, but for a team that preaches being “humble and hungry,” they are never satisfied. “And there’s certainly a lot of things we have to clean up, especially in that fourth quarter. Stuff was moving pretty fast, and we were kind of sloppy, especially up front. And it all starts with me. I’m the center of it all. I’ve got to make sure the guys are on the right page. But it’s a credit to my teammates for just being studs.” Coogan continued.
Ultimately, it was Indiana’s physicality that won them the Rose Bowl. The Hoosiers don’t have much time to stop and smell the roses, however, as they now prepare to face the Oregon Ducks in the Peach Bowl next Friday.