PASADENA, Calif. — Fernando Mendoza literally jumped for joy when the Heisman Trophy winner learned he was not the offensive MVP of No. 1 Indiana’s dominant victory over No. 9 Alabama in the Rose Bowl.
The quarterback and his teammates ran across the celebration stage to mob 311-pound center Pat Coogan, who was visibly shocked to be the center of attention at another landmark moment for these incredible, unbeaten Hoosiers.
“It’s probably the first, if I had to guess, offensive lineman MVP award,” Coogan said with a grin. “These guys are unbelievable. The belief that we have in each other … it’s just been never-ending growth, never-ending improvement.”
Coogan’s improbable honor was a beautiful bit of symbolism that recognized the manner in which these hard-nosed Hoosiers physically manhandled the Crimson Tide to reach the College Football Playoff semifinals with their 38-3 victory Thursday.
Just two years into one of the most incredible team turnarounds in recent sports history, Indiana was simply tougher, meaner and more precise on both sides of the ball than blue-blooded Bama — and now the Hoosiers (14-0) are headed to the Peach Bowl on Jan. 9 for a CFP semifinal rematch with No. 5 Oregon.
Mendoza passed for 192 yards and three touchdowns in his first game since winning his school’s first Heisman, but the Hoosiers won the Rose Bowl for the first time in school history by dominating the Crimson Tide (11-4) at the line of scrimmage.
Indiana scored the game’s first 24 points before pouring it on with fourth-quarter rushing touchdowns from Kaelon Black and Roman Hemby, wrapping up a jubilant afternoon in the 112th edition of the Granddaddy of Them All.
“I thought our mindset was really good,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said. “It was a hard-fought game early. Alabama made some plays. They had us off-balance offensively. But we were able to make the plays when we needed to and take over in the second half. It’s a big win against a team that’s got a lot of tradition like that.”
Charlie Becker, Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt caught touchdown passes while Black rushed for 99 yards. Indiana outgained Alabama 407-193, delighting a decidedly pro-Hoosiers crowd that celebrated its long-struggling team’s first Rose Bowl game appearance since 1968 with chants of “Hoosier Daddy?” in the final minutes.
Indiana had not won any bowl game since the Copper Bowl in 1991, but history has been no match for Cignetti and his Hoosiers during the coach’s two transcendent seasons.
The next challenge is even bigger: Oregon routed No. 4 Texas Tech 23-0 earlier Thursday in the Orange Bowl. Indiana beat the then-No. 3 Ducks 30-20 in October in Eugene in one of Cignetti’s most impressive Big Ten victories.
Indiana is two wins from the first national championship in school history after becoming the first team to advance following a first-round bye in the current 12-team playoff format. The first six bye teams — including the first two this season — couldn’t come back strong from an extra-long layoff, but the Hoosiers took care of business while improving to 25-2 under Cignetti.
The Crimson Tide’s second season under Kalen DeBoer ended in the same venue as their final season under Nick Saban two years ago. Alabama was outclassed one week after an impressive road win over Oklahoma, managing just 151 yards before the meaningless final minutes of the Tide’s biggest blowout loss since September 1998.
“We can be upset, because losing doesn’t sit well for us, and we can be frustrated about it,” DeBoer said.
Ty Simpson passed for 67 yards before he cracked a rib late in the first half, and backup Austin Mack replaced him in the third quarter. Mack immediately got the Tide rolling on a 65-yard drive leading to a short field goal, but the Hoosiers responded with two unstoppable touchdown drives.
Indiana controlled the famous Rose Bowl turf, which stayed pristine despite nearly 24 hours of steady rain before kickoff. The storms dissipated while the Hoosiers took their first-half lead, and some blue in the sky appeared early in the second half while the Hoosiers closed in on history.
The physical domination began when Indiana’s second drive stretched 84 yards and 16 plays over nearly nine minutes before Nicolas Radicic’s 31-yard field goal on the first snap of the second quarter.
Indiana’s defense then stopped Alabama on fourth-and-1 at the Tide 34, and Mendoza fired a long, high pass to the leaping Becker four plays later for a 21-yard touchdown.
Simpson got hurt when he fumbled in Indiana territory after a courageous first-down scramble, and the Hoosiers methodically drove for Mendoza’s 1-yard touchdown pass with 17 seconds left to Cooper, the hero of Indiana’s dramatic victory over Penn State.
The victory is the latest step in the monumental two-season turnaround of what was the losingest program in college football when Cignetti took charge. After winning 11 games and reaching the CFP last season, the Hoosiers steamrolled through their schedule this fall before beating defending national champion Ohio State for the Big Ten title and ascending to the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 for the first time.
Takeaways
- Indiana: The Hoosiers acted as if they had been here before, even though they hadn’t. Cignetti’s group has a businesslike demeanor that wasn’t remotely altered by Alabama’s reputation and history.
- Alabama: It was remarkable to see the most successful program of the 21st century get dominated up front. The Tide’s inability to run the ball was a seasonlong problem, but it was particularly painful in Pasadena. Whether through personnel or scheme, DeBoer’s offense must take a step forward next year to reach the standard expected at Bama.
