#1 Hoosiers Smell the Roses in Rout of the #9 Crimson Tide 

By Nick Jenkinson/Excel H Sports

   Playing its first ever game as the number 1 ranked team in the nation in Football the Indiana Hoosiers continue to change the course of the College Football World with 38-3 rout of the # 9 Alabama Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California Thursday afternoon as the rain that has pounded Southern California the last two days went away before the game started.

  The Hoosiers are 14-0 and will face #5 Oregon in the College Football Playoff Semifinals at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta Georgia Next Friday night at 7:30 PM on ESPN. The Ducks shutout the #4 Texas Tech Red Raiders 23-0 in the Orange Bowl in Miami which is the site of the National Championship game on January 19. Indiana beat Oregon 30-20 on October 11th in Eugene which was the Ducks only loss of the season and now the two will meet for a chance to advance to the National Championship Game which means a Big Ten team will play in the National Championship.

  Indiana won its first College Football Playoff game in program history after losing to Notre Dame last season in the first round in South Bend a season ago. The Hoosiers snap a seven-game bowl losing streak and win a Postseason Bowl/Playoff game for the first time since the Copper Bowl in 1991 in Tucson, Arizona when they beat Baylor 24-0 as the Hoosiers are 4-11 now in the postseason. Curt Cignetti is 25-2 overall at Indiana and that is most wins ever by Big Ten Coach in their first two seasons at a Big Ten program. Indiana has won 21 of those 25 games under Cignetti by double digits. Indiana became the first team with a bye to win a game after all four teams lost a year ago and Texas Tech lost today in the 12 Team playoff format.

  The Hoosiers played in just their second ever Rose Bowl Game 58 years to the day that the Hoosiers lost to USC 14-3 in 1968. Alabama played in its 9th Rose Bowl Game and fell to 5-3-1 all time. This is the worst loss for the Crimson Tide since 1998 when they lost to Arkansas 42-6 in the regular season and 38-7 to Virginia Tech in the 1998 Music City Bowl. The Crimson Tide finish the season 10-3 and have lost two of their last three games after losing to Georgia in the SEC Championship game in Atlanta and beat Oklahoma in the first round of the college football playoff in Norman

  Heisman Trophy Winner Fernando Mendoza did not disappoint completing 14 of his 16 passes for 192 yards and 3 touchdown passes and no interceptions while running 8 times for 16 yards and sacked 3 times. Younger brother Alberto finished the game with 2 carries for 6 yards. Alabama starting quarterback Ty Simpson was 12-16 for 67 yards and knocked out the game in the second quarter when he scrambled 8 yards up the middle and D’Angelo Ponds knocked the ball out and Isaiah Jones recovered and Simpson was done for the remainder of the game.

  Austin Mack came in and completed 11 of his 16 passes for 103 yards with no touchdown passes and no interceptions replacing Simpson to start the third quarter. Indiana dominated the running game with 215 yards to just 23 for Alabama. Kaelon Black had 15 carries for 99 yards and Roman Hemby had 18 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown.

  Charlie Becker, Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt all caught a touchdown pass as six different receivers caught the ball for the Hoosiers. Alabama had six different receivers catch the ball as the Crimson Tide were held to a Connor Talty field goal. Indiana outgained Alabama 407-193 and had 22 first downs to 11. Indiana controlled the game after a scoreless first quarter and rough first drive in which Mendoza was sacked twice, and the Hoosiers had to punt.

  Indiana scored 17 points in the second quarter and outscored Alabama 21-3 in the second half as the Hoosiers win the first meeting between these two programs in Football and a game that Hoosier fans will never forget. Indiana continues to prove the doubters wrong and have 2 more games left to do what no one ever thought was possible and that is win a national championship in Football. Indiana has a rematch with Oregon next and no doubt after the team returns to Bloomington Curt Cignetti will have this team ready for a rematch with the Ducks. Hoosier Nation can enjoy this one and relish the fact that Indiana wins a Rose Bowl Game against one of the bluebloods in all of college football.