Indiana football head coach Curt Cignetti hoisted the Rose Bowl trophy\u00a0on stage\u00a0alongside nine of his players\u00a0following\u00a0Indiana\u2019s blowout win\u00a0against the University of Alabama\u00a0on Thursday\u00a0in Pasadena, California. He\u00a0ignited a\u00a0\u201cHoo-Hoo-Hoo-Hoosiers” chant\u00a0as the Cream and Crimson awaited the presentation of the game\u2019s offensive MVP.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza was one of the nine players on the stage. The\u00a0redshirt\u00a0junior quarterback\u00a0was\u00a014 for 16 for\u00a0192 yards\u00a0and\u00a0had\u00a0three touchdowns against\u00a0Alabama.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Mendoza did not take home the offensive award.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instead, ESPN\u2019s Rece Davis called Pat Coogan\u2019s name. The redshirt senior offensive lineman was hounded by Mendoza and teammates as he made his way to accept the honor.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Coogan anchored an Indiana offensive line that helped generate 215 rushing yards on the day \u2014 22 more than Alabama produced in total offense. This effort up front drove the Hoosiers to a\u00a038-3 Rose Bowl<\/a>\u00a0victory over the Crimson Tide \u2014 their first Rose Bowl win in program history and their first bowl game victory since 1991.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all a credit to my teammates and my coaching staff for,\u00a0first 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,\u201d Coogan said postgame.\u00a0<\/p>\n While\u00a0the end result\u00a0showed a dominant outing for Indiana\u2019s offensive line, the game did not start\u00a0smooth\u00a0for the unit up front.\u00a0<\/p>\n Alabama dialed up blitzes on the Hoosiers\u2019 first drive, sacking Mendoza twice. Rather than folding, Indiana\u2019s\u00a0offensive line adjusted and stabilized its pass protection, allowing just one\u00a0sack\u00a0the rest of the game.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The unit also consistently opened rushing lanes. Redshirt senior running back Kaelon Black led the Hoosiers in rushing Thursday, totaling 15 carries for 99 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Meanwhile, redshirt senior running back Roman Hemby rushed 18 times for 89 yards\u00a0and\u00a0a fourth-quarter touchdown.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAnytime that the offensive line gets as much push as they get, and we’re able to kind of run the plays on our board the way we want to, it’s a big advantage,\u201d Hemby said\u00a0postgame.\u00a0\u201cAnd we knew that to win these big games, we got to\u00a0establish\u00a0that physical presence up front. And I thought we were able to do it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Indiana\u2019s\u00a0coaching staff regularly brought in jumbo packages, featuring an extra offensive lineman to help power the running game. For the Hoosiers, this success on the ground game was crucial in tiring out the Crimson Tide.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWell,\u00a0I think that\u2019s what you\u00a0would\u00a0always\u00a0love to see as the head coach,\u201d\u00a0Cignetti\u00a0said\u00a0postgame. \u201cThings we used to preach when I was\u00a0at\u00a0Alabama about changing the way they think, breaking their will. And\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0the best way to do it\u00a0\u2014\u00a0running the football.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Indiana had not played a game since\u00a0its Big Ten Championship win over\u00a0Ohio State<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0Dec. 6, dealing with\u00a0a\u00a0more than\u00a0three-week layoff before the game. Before the Hoosiers\u2019 victory Thursday, teams who earned\u00a0a first-round bye in the College Football\u00a0Playoff were\u00a00-6 in the\u00a0quarterfinals since the start of the 12-team\u00a0CFP\u00a0format in 2024.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Alabama was coming off a\u00a034-24\u00a0win over\u00a0the University of\u00a0Oklahoma on Dec. 19.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Cignetti expressed concern about his team\u2019s\u00a0preparation\u00a0leading up to the Rose Bowl,\u00a0but the Hoosiers did not miss a beat in the trenches \u2013\u2013 both offensively and defensively.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Alabama struggled to run the ball against Indiana\u2019s defensive front,\u00a0recording\u00a0just 23 yards on the ground. The Hoosiers added six tackles for loss and three sacks, limiting the Crimson Tide to 193 total yards of offense.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n