How it Happened: No. 1 Indiana throttles No. 9 Alabama to win its first-ever Rose Bowl

For the first time in program history, the Indiana Hoosiers are Rose Bowl Game champions.

They defeated the No. 9-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, as No. 1 Indiana advanced to the next round of the College Football Playoff, where it’ll meet No. 5 Oregon in the semifinal at the Peach Bowl.

But as for this afternoon’s historic victory, Indiana’s defense was dominant, while the offense imposed its will through a strong rushing attack. Fernando Mendoza added several incredible throws as well, with the quarterback living up to his Heisman Trophy win.

Indiana totaled 407 yards, with 215 coming on the ground and 192 being added through the air. Alabama only mustered 170 yards, as the Crimson Tide were no match for Indiana’s defense.

Quarterback Ty Simpson was replaced by backup Austin Mack in the second half, with the Tide never forming any semblance of an offense outside of a couple of drives throughout the game.

With touchdown passes to Charlie Becker, Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt, Mendoza was clinical, and it all led to a Rose Bowl victory in Indiana’s first appearance in the historic game since 1968.

With that said, here’s how it happened from a historic afternoon in Pasadena.

Defense dominates early and often

From the get-go, Indiana’s defense dominated the Crimson Tide, as Bryant Haines’ group made several impact plays that led to the Hoosiers’ victory in the Rose Bowl.

On Alabama’s first drive of the ballgame, it moved the ball well, but two sacks pushed the Tide behind the sticks and forced a punt. A very solid start, considering a three-and-out began the ballgame for the Hoosiers on the offensive side of the ball.

After a field goal to get Indiana on the board, the Hoosiers picked up a major impact play on an Alabama fourth-and-1, as Isaiah Jones stopped Germie Bernard well short of the line to gain. This gave Indiana the ball in plus territory, and it didn’t take long for IU to cash in with a touchdown.

The Hoosiers’ defense wasn’t done just yet, though, as after back-to-back punts, they forced another turnover. This one was of the takeaway variety, as they followed up the turnover on downs with a fumble recovery.

D’Angelo Ponds forced it, and Isaiah Jones recovered it to swing the momentum further in Indiana’s favor. The offense scored another touchdown following the turnover, as IU’s defense set up opportunities to score points beautifully.

With a 17-0 lead courtesy of 14 points scored off turnovers, Indiana was able to control the action in the second half, with the defense continuing to impress after the break.

They say “defense wins championships,” and Indiana’s defense was able to secure a first-ever Rose Bowl victory, with just a field goal as its only blemish.

Rushing attack sets the tone for successful offense

Throughout the season, Indiana’s offense has been predicated on a strong rushing attack, and its Rose Bowl victory over Alabama was no different.

In all four quarters, the Hoosiers established the run before taking shots down the field, as the offensive line allowed Indiana to control the line of scrimmage. Indiana’s running backs took advantage of what the line was giving them and imposed their will on the Crimson Tide.

Indiana rushed for 86 total yards in the first half, not an incredible number by any means, but its running game allowed for the opening up of Mendoza and the air attack. That’s what the RPO, pro-style offense is based upon, and the Hoosiers executed it perfectly.

Roman Hemby was making play after play, while Kaelon Black was absorbing contact and excellent at picking up extra yards. With these two setting the foundation, Indiana’s offense was able to flourish throughout the entirety of the ballgame.

Black scored the touchdown to put the Hoosiers up 31-3, while Hemby followed him up to make it 38-3 in the fourth quarter. Both were breakaway rushes from over 15 yards out, cementing Indiana’s running game as elite against Alabama.

A conversation before the Rose Bowl was whether Indiana’s offensive line could match up with Alabama’s four- and five-stars on their defensive front, but that proved to be a fallacy.

The Hoosiers’ success on the ground proved that IU was the more physical team, as 215 rushing yards allowed IU to execute a successful offense in its historic Rose Bowl victory.

Mendoza shines in first game as Heisman

With the rushing game setting the tone, Mendoza was able to make several timely impact throws to put points on the board for the Hoosiers.

He managed the ballgame incredibly well, made impressive reads and was extremely accurate throwing the ball downfield. It wasn’t the greatest of starts for him, but once the Heisman winner settled in, it was rare to find a missed throw from him.

A 30-yard completion to Becker set up the field goal to begin the scoring, while his touchdown passes to Becker, Cooper Jr. and Sarratt were all beautifully thrown balls. It wasn’t just the accuracy of the passes, though, as his reads through the Alabama defense were impeccable, especially on play-action plays based upon Indiana’s strong run game.

Mendoza’s final line of 192 yards on 14-for-16 passing speaks for itself, but Mendoza’s performance went beyond the numbers. He didn’t make any fatal mistakes and executed the game plan to a tee.

It was a truly incredible showing from the entire Indiana roster, but with Mendoza as the leader of the offense, he deserved a ton of credit for the way he played in “The Granddaddy of Them All.”

In his first game as the Heisman, he certainly lived up to the name, leading the Hoosiers to their first-ever Rose Bowl victory and a date with Oregon in the CFP semifinal at the Peach Bowl.

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