Indiana dominates Alabama in Rose Bowl, 38-3

LOS ANGELES - Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw three touchdown passes as Indiana took another step toward solidifying its place among college football's elite with a 38-3 victory over Alabama in the 112th Rose Bowl Thursday.

The victory in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal advances the top-seeded and undefeated Hoosiers into the Jan. 9 semifinal at the Peach Bowl against fifth-seeded Oregon, a 23-0 winner over fourth-seeded Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl earlier Thursday.

The Peach Bowl winner will advance to the national championship game, which will be played Jan. 19 in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Game Play :

Mendoza completed 14 of 16 passes for 192 yards as Indiana (14-0) won its first Rose Bowl. It lost to USC, 14-3, on Jan. 1, 1968, in its only previous Rose Bowl appearance.

The Hoosiers outgained the Crimson Tide, 407 yards to 143, led 22-11 in first downs and 34:21-25:39 in time of possession in front of a crowd announced at 90,278.

Indiana opened the scoring on its second possession, with Nicolas Radicic kicking a 31-yard field goal with 14 minutes, 57 seconds left in the second quarter to culminate a 16-play, 84-yard drive that consumed 8:55.

Mendoza threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Becker on the Hoosiers' next possession, five plays after Alabama turned the ball over on downs when Germie Bernard was stopped for no gain by Isaiah Jones and Rolijah Hardy after catching a pass from running back Daniel Hill on a fouth-and-1 from the Crimson Tide's 34-yard line.

Indiana increased its lead to 17-0 with 17 seconds to go before halftime on Mendoza's 1-yard touchdown pass to Omar Cooper Jr., 11 plays after defensive back De'Angelo Ponds forced quarterback Ty Simpson to fumble after a 9-yard run that would have given Alabama a first down.

Linebacker Isaiah Jones recovered the ball at the Hoosiers' 42-yard line.

Ponds was selected as the defensive player of the game.

Mendoza threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Sarratt on Indiana's first possession of the second half.

Austin Mack replaced an injured Simpson at quarterback for the Crimson Tide on the ensuing possession and guided Alabama on its only scoring drive, getting a first-and-goal from the Hoosiers' 9-yard line, then settling for Connor Talty's 28-yard field goal, cutting the deficit to 24-3.

Kaelon Black ran 25 yards and Roman Hemby 18 for fourth-quarter touchdowns for Indiana.

Simpson completed 12 of 16 passes for 67 yards and Mack 11 for 16 for 103 yards for the Crimson Tide (11-4).

"Ty had an injury, obviously, and he really wanted to try to go out there," coach Kalen DeBoer said after Alabama suffered its most one-sided loss since a 42-6 loss to Arkansas in 1998. "We treated him there at halftime. He gave it a series. I know he feels like he let down the team, and there's no way that that's the case.  He went out there, tried to battle.

"(Mack) did some nice things when he got on the football field there tonight.  And just get put in a tough spot when you're trying to catch up and it's the third quarter already."

Hoosiers center Pat Coogan was selected the Offensive Player of the Game, the first offensive lineman to be selected as a Rose Bowl Player of the Game since USC guard Norman Verry in 1944.

Coogan called the award "a credit to my teammates and my coaching staff for, first of all, just believing in me and the ability to make my calls and diagnose a defense and fully entrusting in me and my abilities."

What we know:

Indiana’s rapid ascent began with the hiring of coach Curt Cignetti in late 2023, following a 3-9 season. 

The Hoosiers set a school record with 11 wins in 2024 before going 13-0 in 2025, capped by their first outright Big Ten title since 1945. 

Alabama reached this stage by overcoming a 17-0 deficit to defeat Oklahoma 34-24 in the playoff's first round on Dec. 19. 

Today’s game kicked off at 1 p.m., an hour earlier than the traditional window, to accommodate a tripleheader of New Year's Day playoff quarterfinals.

The backstory:

The matchup pits one of the winningest programs against one that recently held the record for most losses in FBS history. 

While Alabama has a .734 all-time winning percentage and eight Rose Bowl appearances, Indiana is making only its second appearance in "The Granddaddy of Them All." 

Their only previous trip was in 1968, a 14-3 loss to USC. 

This year’s appearance follows a historic 13-10 victory over defending champion Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship.

Dig deeper:

The game was broadcast on ESPN and ESPN LA 710AM. 

Oddsmakers have placed Indiana as a 7- to 7.5-point favorite, with analytics giving the Hoosiers a 71.4% chance of winning. 

Both teams are dealing with an unusual atmospheric factor: rain in Pasadena. 

This marks the first time since 1955 that rain is expected to fall during the Rose Bowl game, a significant departure from the stadium's traditionally picturesque sunsets.

What they're saying:

Coaches on both sides downplayed the weather's impact on their strategy. 

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti stated, "I don't expect it to be a real critical factor in the game, and I don't see it changing our game plan very much." 

Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer took a more observational approach, noting, "You just gotta see what it is in the moment." 

Meanwhile, CFP Executive Director Rich Clark described the earlier kickoff as a "thoughtful collaboration" to ensure each New Year's Day game has an ideal broadcast window.

Sports