What Has to Go Right for Alabama to Beat Indiana in the Rose Bowl?

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Gump Nation has been here before. The Rose Bowl. Underdogs.

Not only is it familiar for the fans, it’s a position that most notably quarterback Ty Simpson and left tackle Kadyn Proctor experienced.

The last time Alabama took this very field, it fell at the hands of Michigan in overtime, where the Wolverines went on to win the National Championship and marked Nick Saban’s final game as the program’s coach.

So there are a lot of memories that the Crimson Tide hold in that building, one that holds as much history as any in college football.

Similar to Alabama’s last appearance, its opponents are by no means an easy out. The Indiana Hoosiers were the country’s top-ranked program for a reason, with one of the better defenses assembled.

Let’s run through a set of keys to the game for the Rose Bowl.

What a novel concept!

However, if you’ve been in tune with social media, you’d read that Alabama doesn’t stand a solitary chance at making this game competitive.

So that’s how we’re going to start this. Just stay alive.

Because as Pete Carroll would always say, “you don’t win games in the first three quarters, you win them in the fourth quarter.”

The Crimson Tide have certainly been in their fair share of slugfests. From duking it out with South Carolina, to pulling away a win in between the hedges at Georgia.

If Alabama can keep this game close, anything is truly possible.

We won’t sugarcoat it. Wide receiver Ryan Williams has had a relatively disappointing season after dazzling everyone in his freshman season.

When Williams is on his game, he is a gamebreaker. The difference is, he hasn’t been the player that Alabama has needed.

His ability to create separation is elite and he’s incredibly slippery with the ability to dodge tacklers like Frogger swerving through oncoming traffic.

A lot of Williams’ problems have been tacked onto his struggles catching the ball. His hands are a clear weakness, and when we typically watch him make plays, it’s usually when he pulls the ball into his body.

Indiana will certainly hone in on him and veteran Germie Bernard, but a major key to an Alabama victory will be if Williams breaks out.

Alabama’s defense has been a major highlight all season. The Tide have some exceptional pass rushers in Yhonzae Pierre, Qua Russaw, Tim Keenan, and LT Overton is fully healthy.

The problem is Heisman Trophy winner, Fernando Mendoza, who has shown an unflappable ability to stay calm in the pocket.

When Mendoza has a clean pocket, he’s essentially unstoppable, completing passes at a 76% rate for over 2,400 yards.

Which is why Alabama needs to apply pressure at all times. When Mendoza is pressured, that completion rate drops to 51.5% and is more susceptible to turning the ball over.

Some quarterbacks thrive under pressure, and while Mendoza isn’t exactly unplayable when pressured, he’s more of a pocket passer than one on the run.

Not only that, you should expect Indiana to chuck the ball. Mendoza has a 9.5 aDOT which means he’s often looking to go long. For that, he’ll need plenty of time in the pocket to convert.

Defensive backs like Zabien Brown, Bray Hubbard, and Dijon Lee are more than capable to stick to receivers Omar Cooper and Elijah Sarratt, but they’ll need to prevent Mendoza the opportunity to get there.

All season, we’ve been clamoring for a competent run game. And while we’ve seen some progress, banking on the run is like eating soup with a fork.

Which is why this game mostly falls on Simpson, who was a catalyst in getting the Crimson Tide to this point.

Oklahoma’s defense had given Simpson fits in the first meetup, and it was even worse last season when Jalen Milroe was at the helm.

But in the first round of the playoffs, Simpson flourished.

One of the concerns about Simpson heading into the playoffs was that he was off his game. He seemed flustered easily, and throws that he usually completes was a lost cause.

If he can trust his reads, Alabama will have a decent shot at overtaking a suffocating Indiana defense.

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