4 Takeaways From Indiana's Rose Bowl Demolition of Alabama in CFP Quarterfinal

Rose Bowl Stadium (Pasadena, Calif.) — Still undefeated, clearly No. 1 and keeping a magical season alive, the Indiana Hoosiers are moving on to the College Football Playoff semifinals after wrecking No. 9 Alabama, 38-3, in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal Thursday.

Fast, physical and relentless is the motto of Curt Cignetti and his Hoosiers. That was overwhelmingly evident in the first quarterfinal game under the 12-team CFP format where the team with the first-round bye won.

A slow start to the highly anticipated matchup led to an offensive explosion from the Hoosiers, who had a 17-0 halftime lead that they never came close to giving up. Indiana quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza put up a stunning performance after not playing since the Big Ten title game on Dec. 6, and the Crimson Tide ran out of steam early in a game where they were already out-matched.

"We're just a bunch of fighters, and we just scratch and crawl for everything," Indiana center Pat Coogan — named the Rose Bowl offensive MVP — said Tuesday at media day. "We've earned the right to be here."

[2025 College Football Playoff Odds: Lines, Spreads for Each CFP Semifinal Game]

The clear underdog, Alabama, fell to another disadvantage when quarterback Ty Simpson exited the game midway through the third quarter with an injury, leaving backup Austin Mack to lead a second straight 17-point comeback attempt. But Indiana was unstoppable and is off to the Peach Bowl semifinal. 

Here are four key takeaways from the Hoosiers' demolition of Alabama in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal: 

1. Mendoza is, unquestionably, THAT GUY

With the way he’s played all season, Mendoza was crowned the Heisman Trophy winner for a reason. But there will always be doubters, who were almost certainly silenced after watching him tear Alabama’s secondary apart. It had been 26 days since Mendoza last took the field, so maybe he simply wanted to remind everyone why he’s college football’s most outstanding player while carrying his team to the CFP semifinals.

He looked a little stiff, maybe a little nervous, at first against Alabama, which sacked him three times on Thursday, including twice on the game’s three-and-out opening drive. Despite the strong pass rush, Mendoza still found a way to connect with his receivers or take off downfield himself. 

[MORE CFP: 4 Takeaways From Ole Miss' Dramatic Sugar Bowl Win vs. Georgia in CFP Quarterfinals]

Completing 14 of 16 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, Mendoza reminded fans that he has a knack for extending plays, especially with his legs, and might be the best on-field improviser in FBS play. He led an Indiana team that racked up 407 total yards, had no turnovers and finished with twice as many first downs (22) as Alabama (11).

Perhaps his most stunning touchdown was the first of the game — a 21-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Charlie Becker. After the snap, Mendoza had a fairly clean pocket to work with. Still, the pass looked like it would easily sail over Becker’s head, until the receiver extended big time to give Indiana a lead it would never come close to relinquishing. 

"Every position we have is elite," Becker said at Rose Bowl media day Tuesday. "With our O-line being able to protect Fernando, and obviously Fernando [winning] the Heisman, being able to get the ball out and get it to play-making receivers like Omar Cooper, E.J. Williams, Elijah Sarratt, we just have weapons all around. … So it's hard for teams to focus on just one aspect when they have to focus on everything."

Becker led the Hoosiers receivers with 51 yards and a touchdown off just two catches.

That first touchdown was also Indiana’s first Rose Bowl touchdown ever. The Hoosiers' only other Rose Bowl appearance was in 1968, and they lost, 14-3, to USC.

Long after it was clear Indiana had an insurmountable lead over Alabama, Indiana’s Heisman winner called it a day and was replaced by his brother, quarterback Alberto Mendoza, late in the fourth.

[MORE CFP: 4 Takeaways From Miami's Cotton Bowl Win Over Ohio State in CFP Quarterfinals]

2. Indiana’s championship-level defense cannot be underestimated 

The combination of a strong pass rush, forcing turnovers, limiting drives and a big fourth-down stop in the second quarter is what the Hoosiers’ defense is all about. And it’s the kind of squad that’s clearly capable of winning it all. Indiana kept the Crimson Tide sequestered to their half of the field for much of the game and stifled their progress at nearly every turn. 

What's more, Indiana handed Alabama its first 30-point loss in a bowl since 1998 and its largest bowl game loss of all time, per FOX Sports Research.

Hoosiers defensive coordinator Bryant Haines’ group was persistent, limiting the Crimson Tide to just 93 total yards in the first half and 193 overall. Alabama’s first (and only) score of the game didn’t come until the 2:44 mark in the third quarter, after Indiana had added another touchdown to its lead.

"The front seven is really underrated, especially the D-line," Indiana defensive back Louis Moore said Tuesday at media day. "I don't know their stats, but from my perspective back there, it looks like they're pushing the quarterback every play on the pass [rush], but even the run defense."

One of Alabama’s more efficient moments came late in the second quarter and was in large part because of two completions from Simpson for eight yards to tight end Josh Cuevas and then for 13 to wide receiver Ryan Williams. But on third-and-7 from Alabama’s own 49-yard line, Simpson saw an opening, rushed for nine yards and what would have been a first down but fumbled the ball away. That was the only turnover by either team, and Indiana capitalized by scoring a touchdown on its next possession. 

The Hoosiers swarm, hit hard and seemingly never faltered from their A-game. They were second overall in FBS scoring defense (10.8 points per game allowed), and going into the Rose Bowl, they held their last three opponents to a combined 20 points, per FOX Sports Research. 

Well, that’s now 23 points in four games, and it’s clear Indiana’s defense is not to be trifled with.

[MORE CFP: 4 Takeaways From Oregon's Shutout Win vs. Texas Tech in the CFP Quarterfinals]

3. You can’t expect to erase a 17-0 deficit twice in the same CFP

A scoreless first quarter — the Rose Bowl’s first since 2000 — suggested this CFP quarterfinal would be a defensive slugfest, especially following a rainy morning. But the Hoosiers’ offense is one of the more prolific in the country and exploded in the second quarter with two touchdowns and a field goal. 

By halftime, Alabama was stuck in a familiar 17-0 deficit. But the odds were tremendously stacked against the Crimson Tide coming back Thursday the way they did against No. 8 Oklahoma in the CFP first-round game. Against the Sooners, Alabama not only tied the game up by halftime, but it also got a lot of help from cartoonish Oklahoma errors.

But Indiana and Oklahoma are not on the same level. While the Hoosiers’ defense is statistically on par with the Sooners, their explosive and balanced offense is at another level. And the Crimson Tide learned that the hard way, as very little went in their favor.

"[It's] definitely something that we'll look back on in years to come and say, ‘We were able to play against the best of the best and shoot our shot against the best of the best,’" Indiana running back Roman Hemby said at media day Tuesday. 

"We're going to play really hard and do everything that we can to win," added Hemby, who finished with 89 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. "I feel like that's what Big Ten champions, and that's what national champions do."

Out of halftime, Alabama started with the ball and had a quick three-and-out drive, while the Hoosiers hit the end zone on their first drive of the second half. That pretty much set the tone for the rest of the game for both the Hoosiers and the Crimson Tide, who were simply out-matched across the board. 

Alabama converted just 3-of-11 third downs, and Simpson completed 12-of-16 passes for 67 yards, while Mack went 11-for-16 for 103 yards.

4. Alabama needs an efficient run game to compete in a 12-team CFP

Alabama’s ground game has fallen a long way since the days of Mark Ingram and Derrick Henry, or even more recently with Najee Harris and Jahmyr Gibbs. Of course, the Crimson Tide are in a different era these days, but a nonexistent run game limited them all season. Their 109.9 rushing yards per game this season ranked them 120th in FBS play and was the lowest average in a season since 1955, per FOX Sports Research.

They almost certainly needed a two-dimensional offense to take down the No. 1 team in the country. Of Alabama’s 193 total yards in the loss, just 23 were on the ground. And according to FOX Sports Research, the team finished the season being held to fewer than 300 total yards in four straight games and fewer than 30 rushing yards in three straight games. 

4 ½. What’s next?

The top-ranked Hoosiers dominated and advanced to the College Football Playoff semifinal game at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta on Jan. 9. They’ll face a familiar opponent in No. 5 Oregon with a trip to the Jan. 19 national championship game on the line. Indiana and the Ducks met in Eugene in October, and the Hoosiers prevailed in a 30-20 victory. 

Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!