Alabama had high hopes of playing a competitive game and coming out with a victory over top-ranked Indiana in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl. The thought for head coach Kalen DeBoer's team was that if the Crimson Tide could offer a fairly productive ground attack and hold the Hoosiers in check in that area, Alabama could keep the game close and find a way to pull out the victory in the 4th quarter.
That thought went out the window in a hurry. The idea that Alabama could keep the game close was folly. Indiana had built off of its undefeated regular season that included a win over Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game and came into the game with all areas of its game functioning at a high level.
Head coach Curt Cignetti has quickly built a powerful team in his second year as head coach and he has a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback in Fernando Mendoza. Indiana had strength through the air, on the ground and had built a dominating and smart defense that could shut down opponents. They demonstrated all of those characteristics against the Crimson Tide.
What happened in the Rose Bowl was a dominating blowout victory by Indiana. The 38-3 margin was indicative of the difference between the two teams. Suddenly, Indiana had become what Alabama used to be under Nick Saban, while Alabama was still feeling its way under Saban's successor.
DeBoer has not given Alabama an opportunity to dominate
Perhaps it's not fair to expect so much out of DeBoer at this point, but his Alabama team doesn't have the make-up or the attitude to play the kind of football that Saban's teams played for so many years. In the past, those teams would assert themselves from the start. Alabama used to be dominant in all areas and didn't attempt to win on the edges. They went into every game looking to pound opponents and steal their will to win.
In the Rose Bowl, they were on the opposite side of that and that is on DeBoer at this point. Perhaps that will change in Year 3 or 4 of his administration, but it is not close at this point. If that does not change soon, his legacy at Alabama will be a short story.
Lack of Crimson Tide running game put QB Ty Simpson in a losing position
Alabama would have had to win the ground battle between the two teams in order to have a chance. If they had been able to keep it even, it could have been a game that was decided by 7-to-10 points. Neither of those things happened.
The Hoosiers were able to move the ball on the ground throughout, while Alabama did nothing in that area. Indiana had a 218-23 edge in that area. As a result, Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson was under intense pressure to produce from the midway point of the 1st quarter.
The individual rushing statistics for Alabama were brutal. Daniel Hill had 5 carries for 13 yards and Kevin Riley had 3 carries for 2 yards. Simpson was credited with 5 rushing attempts and he gained 17 yards.
Meanwhile, Indiana running backs Kaelon Black and Roman Hemby were able to take advantage of solid blocking by Indiana's superb offensive line. Black had 15 carries for 99 yards and a 25-yard TD run in the 4th quarter while Hemby added 18 carries for 89 yards and he also had an 18-yard TD run.
Simpson limited through the air, Mendoza has no issues
Simpson tried to give Alabama an effective passing attack, but he was limited to 67 passing yards while completing 12 of 16 passes. He was knocked out of the game early in the second half. He had taken a helmet to the ribs in the second quarter on a lost fumble, and he come out of the game after the first series of the second half.
“On the fumble, I took a helmet to the ribs, cracked my rib,” Simpson said. “I tried to go back in in the second half. Just felt like it gave best chance for us to win was Austin Mack. I made an executive decision and thought that gave us the best chance to win. I thought Austin being 100% could help us win.”
While Alabama struggled to move the ball on the ground or through the air, the Hoosiers had both aspects going at top speed. Mendoza demonstrated why he was the Heisman winner as he completed 14 of 16 passes for 192 yards with 2 TDs and no interceptions.
Mendoza clearly understood what the Crimson Tide was trying to do on defense and he was content to throw short- and medium-range passes to Charlie Becker, Omar Cooper and Elijah Sarratt. That was more than enough for Indiana to open a big lead and build on it for 60 minutes.
In the past, Alabama was the big dog and a team like Indiana would have been easily swatted away. Things have changed dramatically, and the two teams have reversed their historical roles.
