No. 1 Indiana became the first team in the brief history of the 12-team College Football Playoff to win a game after receiving a first-round bye, smothering Alabama 38-3 in a quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl on Thursday.
The Hoosiers (14-0; No. 1 AP, No. 1 CFP) ended a six-game losing streak for teams coming off an extended layoff, including second seed Ohio State falling to Miami in the Cotton Bowl on Wednesday and fourth seed Texas Tech being shutout by Oregon in the Orange Bowl earlier on Thursday.
An inauspicious start made it seem as if Indiana might continue the trend of teams unable to respond after a long layoff, going three-and-out on the opening possession with Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza taking two sacks. The Crimson Tide (11-4; No. 11 AP, No. 9 CFP) then found early success with two quick first downs into Hoosiers’ territory before the defense stepped up to force a punt.
From there, Indiana came to life, taking a 17-0 halftime lead on a 31-yard field goal by Nicolas Radicic and two touchdown passes from Mendoza. Avoiding an early deficit was crucial, as it had been something of a constant in the previous losses by idle teams.
The Buckeyes found themselves in a 14-0 hole at the break against the Hurricanes, and the Red Raiders allowed 104 yards to the Ducks while gaining minus-2 yards in the first quarter. In last year’s Granddaddy of Them All, Oregon gave up the first 34 points in a 41-21 loss to eventual national champion Ohio State.
Not spotting Alabama an early advantage allowed Indiana to continue playing to its strengths and eventually wear down the SEC at-large participant.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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