PASADENA – Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti has reached unprecedented heights in his first
two years with the Hoosiers. Criticism still remained. Many national pundits argued that SEC
teams would run harder, play faster, and hit bigger against Indiana.
They were wrong.
In Cignetti’s first matchup against an SEC opponent, his Hoosiers demolished Alabama 38-3 in
the Rose Bowl. It was the Crimson Tide’s largest postseason loss in program history. Indiana did
so with an SEC-level rushing attack and rush defense that many didn’t think it had.
“I think Coach Cignetti did a fantastic job … making sure there's no complacency,” Indiana
quarterback Fernando Mendoza said. “We got off to a slow start and then other than that … we
got the ball rolling, and we got back to playing Indiana brand of football.”
Many expected this game to be decided by Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza. And while
Mendoza made some dazzling plays, including two 20-plus-yard touchdown throws to Elijah
Sarratt and Charlie Becker, this game was won in the trenches by Indiana’s rush offense and
defense.
Indiana came into the football game averaging 5.5 yards per rush, trailing only the Oregon Ducks
for most rushing yards per carry of the remaining CFP teams. Alabama came into the game
averaging 3.4 yards per rush, the lowest of any team remaining in the CFP.
“I liked our prep … as good as the opponent was,” Cignetti said. “It’s a great win for our football
program. I'm proud of our players, our coaches, everyone ... [It’s] a big win against a team that's
got great tradition … a lot of good players, and a great head football coach.”
From the get-go, it was clear the Crimson Tide would have a hard time rushing the ball against
the Hoosiers. Alabama did not even attempt to run the football until its fifth offensive snap of the
game, and it only tried to run the ball twice on its first offensive drive that lasted eight plays. In
the first half, Alabama could only muster up 29 rushing yards on 11 attempts.
As for Indiana, it tried to come out swinging with Mendoza, but the Alabama pass rush feasted.
Indiana went three-and-out on its first drive of the game, and Mendoza got sacked twice for a
combined 13 yards lost.
However, Indiana offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan quickly realized that he would have
more success establishing the offense with his one-two punch in the running game. Roman
Hemby and Kaelon Black led Indiana to 24 first-half rushing attempts, 86 yards, and a 17-0 lead.
“Our backs really ran hard,” Cignetti said. “I'm sure there were some nice blocks down the field
too, but the backs, I was really impressed with how hard they ran.”
The second half was more of the same for both sides. Indiana came out of the halftime break and
ran the ball six times to lead a 10-play, 5:40 touchdown drive to put itself up 24-0. The Hoosiers
finished the game with 215 rushing yards, marking the ninth time they’ve rushed for 200-plus
yards this season.
Alabama, meanwhile, rushed for negative six yards in the second half, finishing the game with
23 total rushing yards. In their three postseason games, the Crimson Tide rushed for negative
three yards against Georgia, 28 yards against Oklahoma, and 23 yards against Indiana.
“I feel like that's a testament to [Indiana defensive coordinator] Bryant Haynes,” Indiana
cornerback D’Angelo Ponds said. “I feel like he did a good job scheming them up, knew what
they liked to run, their tendencies and stuff like that.”
With the win, Indiana will play the Oregon Ducks for a second time this season at the
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta. Indiana beat Oregon in Eugene back in Week 7 of the college
football season, 30-20. Since then, the Ducks haven’t lost a game and are coming off of a
dominant 23-0 victory over 4-seed Texas Tech in the Capital One Orange Bowl.
“It's very hard to beat a really good football team twice,” Cignetti said. “So, we'll have a very big
challenge … there's no doubt about that.”
The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Jan. 9. Coverage can be found on
ESPN.
