Alabama made its first appearance in the Rose Bowl in 1925. A century later, Indiana made just its second appearance in the most storied bowl game in college football history, and it lined up opposite one of the most storied programs in college football history.
Earlier in the week, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti was asked if he was worried how his team would approach Thursday’s College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against the Tide, given the program’s “mystique.” The Hoosiers, Cignetti responded, didn’t care about mystique, only what they saw on tape.
And what they saw on tape did not worry them. Indiana made a statement Thursday night in California, belting the ninth-seeded Crimson Tide 38-3 to score the biggest win in program history.
Indiana won its 14th game, extending a program record for a single season. Indiana set up a CFP semifinal rematch with Oregon, which it beat in Eugene earlier in the year. Indiana moved within 2 wins of its first-ever national title.
Hoosier heaven, if you will. But this team doesn’t appear to be done.
Indiana, if you can believe it, beat Alabama so badly that Alberto Mendoza, the lesser-known brother of this year’s Heisman Trophy winner, took over at quarterback in the fourth quarter. The Hoosiers turned a Rose Bowl matchup with the CFP’s most experienced participant into a rout.
Fernando Mendoza threw for 192 yards, tossing more touchdowns (3) than incompletions (2). The Hoosiers ran for 215 yards, outgaining Alabama’s entire offense (193 yards) just on the ground.
The Hoosiers broke the game open in the second quarter, outscoring the Tide 17-0 after a scoreless opening frame.
Alabama attempted a fourth-and-1 from its 34 early in the second quarter and, after getting stuffed, gave up a 21-yard touchdown 4 plays later. After
After Alabama’s defense forced a 3-and-out midway through the second, quarterback Ty Simpson fumbled on a scramble and gave the Hoosiers the ball back at their 42-yard line. Roughly 3 minutes later, Mendoza fired to Omar Cooper Jr. for a 1-yard touchdown that capped an 11-play, 58-yard drive.
Miscues pushed Indiana into a comfortable lead, but Alabama erased a 17-0 deficit in the opening round of the CFP and this was Indiana.
The Hoosiers outscored the Tide 21-3 in the second half. Alabama switched quarterbacks from Simpson to redshirt sophomore Austin Mack midway through the third, and nothing changed.
Alabama couldn’t run the football — 23 yards all game — and finished with just 100 total yards of offense in the second half. Simpson finished with just 67 yards on 12-of-16 passing. Alabama’s offense was limited to 3.9 yards per play and was held without a touchdown for the second time under Kalen DeBoer. Prior to DeBoer’s arrival, the Tide hadn’t failed to score a touchdown in a game since Nov. 5, 2011.
Indiana 38, Alabama 3
Here’s the Rose Bowl Playoff quarterfinal box score (use the dropdown menu to select team or player stats), followed by the complete play-by-play:
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
