Pasadena, CA- Heisman trophy winner Fernando Mendoza threw three touchdowns to lead No. 1 Indiana to a 38-3 win over Alabama in the College Football Playoffs quarterfinals on Thursday at the Rose Bowl.
This is Indiana’s first Rose Bowl victory and now they are headed to a matchup in the semifinals against No. 5 Oregon in the Peach Bowl.
“Coach Cignetti did a fantastic job with the trickle down effect of really making sure there’s no complacency because we had 26 days off and that’s very tough,” Mendoza said. “In the first drive as an offense, myself included, we got into a slow start but we overcame that challenge.”
This is the first scoreless first quarter since the year 2000. Nico Radicic made a 31-yard field goal to get Indiana on the board. After Alabama turned the ball over on downs, Mendoza hit Charlie Becker down the middle for a 21-yard touchdown and a 10- lead in the second quarter.
Alabama was driving down the field when Ty Simpson scrambled for nine yards but was hit and fumbled. Indiana recovered the fumble and capitalized on the turnover with a Mendoza 1-yard touchdown pass to Omar Cooper Jr. The Hoosiers took a 17-0 lead into halftime.
Indiana extended their lead in the third quarter when Mendoza connected with Elijah Sarratt for a 24-yard touchdown. Alabama drove down the field on the ensuing drive with Austin Mack at the helm but managed to only get a field goal to cut the lead, 24-3. On defense, the Hoosiers dominated the Crimson Tide, holding them to 193 total yards.
The Hoosiers came right back with a 25-yard touchdown run by Kaelon Black in the third quarter. Roman Hemby scored on an 18-yard to give Indiana a 38-3 lead. Black finished with 99 rushing yards.
“It was a hard fought game early. Alabama made some plays,” Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti said. “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.”
Oregon gets the rematch with Indiana, who beat the Ducks during the regular season 30-20. Oregon defeated Texas Tech 23–0 to advance to the semifinals.
“It’s hard to beat a team twice,” Mendoza said. “Those guys are legit. This is going to be a great matchup. They are a tough opponent.”
