Colin LaveryFri, January 2, 2026 at 1:39 AM UTC·2 min readFor the eighth time this season, Curt Cignetti’s Indiana Hoosiers got out to a big enough lead to bring in Alberto Mendoza and the the rest of the second-team players for some second half reps.
This time, it came against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl, helping Indiana advance to the College Football Playoff Semifinals.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAlabama won the toss, giving Indiana the opening possession in the game. Starting quarterback Fernando Mendoza was sacked twice on that drive, with the Hoosiers losing five yards over the course of two minutes and promptly punting the ball away.
From there, it was mostly smooth sailing for Indiana on both sides of the ball. The defense allowed a couple of first downs on the first Crimson Tide drive, but ultimately forced the punt that set up Indiana’s first scoring drive.
The lone hiccups in the game came on that drive, with an apparent technical failure preventing Fernando from receiving play calls on the field. What looked like a dominant drive fizzled out, and Indiana was forced to settle for a field goal.
The Hoosiers would go on to score two touchdowns in the first half on a couple of well-designed and executed plays through the air. Charlie Becker was on the receiving end of the first, hauling in a 21-yard pass from Fernando that gave Indiana a 10-0 lead.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThen Omar Cooper Jr., newly healthy, found the end zone right before the end of the second quarter to give Indiana a 17-0 lead going into the break.
The Tide had come back from a 17-point deficit the week before against Oklahoma, but the way Indiana’s defense played in the first half made that lead look insurmountable. Bryant Haines’ group came up with a huge fourth down stop to set up Indiana’s first touchdown, then D’Angelo Ponds forced a fumble from Ty Simpson that set up the second score.
Whether due to injury or looking for a spark that his offense lacked all day, Kalen DeBoer pulled Simpson in the second half. His backup, Austin Mack, did give the team a little juice, but Indiana’s defense once again locked in and forced a field goal on Bama’s most promising drive of the game.
Meanwhile, Indiana’s offense didn’t slow down in the second half. Mendoza found Elijah Sarratt for a long touchdown, then the backfield broke free with both Kaelon Black and Roman Hemby scoring in the fourth quarter to give the Hoosiers a 38-3 lead.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFrom there, both coaches knew it was over. Indiana’s backups came in, and Bama’s starters watched the Hoosiers run the clock down. Cignetti is now 1-1 in CFP games, and his Hoosiers will get a rematch with the Oregon Ducks in the national semifinals.
The dream season lives on.
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