‘Championship Preparation’ – Top-Seed IU Embraces Alabama Challenge
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
LOS ANGELES - Rose Bowl hype hits hard -- ninth-seed Alabama (11-3) and its national title tradition against top-seed Indiana (13-0) and its newly emerged powerhouse status -- and the Hoosiers, linebacker Aiden Fisher says, hit back harder with the perfect anecdote, and if you’ve heard it before, that doesn’t make it any less effective.
“For us, it’s just another game,” Fisher says about the Jan 1 quarterfinal matchup. “It’s a one-game season. I tell the guys every day in practice, it has to be championship preparation every day.”
A national championship for IU will require three playoff victories in three weeks. IU hasn’t won a bowl game since its 1991 Copper Bowl victory against Baylor, and lost in its only previous Rose Bowl opportunity, 14-3 to top-ranked USC in the 1968 game, but these Hoosiers under head coach Curt Cignetti keep shattering the norm.
“We’re all fighting for our lives to play one more game after this,” Fisher says. “It’s a big game to be a part of. It has a special tradition. When we get there, we’ll maybe give ourselves 10 minutes to soak it all in, but it’s better to come out on the winning side.”
Alabama thrives behind quarterback Ty Simpson, who has thrown for 3,500 yards and 28 touchdowns against five interceptions. The Crimson Tide averages 110 rushing yards a game on 3.4 yards per carry.
IU’s defense holds opponents to a Big Ten-best 77.6 rushing yards a game.
“We pride ourselves in stopping the run,” linebacker Isaiah Jones says. “We plan to do that. They have a lot of great athletes on the outside with their receivers. Their quarterback can run. That’s something that adds to what you have to prepare for.
“We have to stop the quarterback run, stop their receivers on the outside, don’t let them downfield. It all starts with our base plan of stopping the run and trying to dictate the game.”
While Simpson has only run for 76 yards this season, his ability to keep plays alive has led to difference-making pass plays to dynamic receivers such as Germie Bernard (60 catches, 802 yards, seven touchdowns) and Ryan Williams (43, 636, four).
They were instrumental in Alabama rallying from a 17-0 deficit at Oklahoma to win 34-24 in the playoff opening round.
“For us, stopping the run is always priority number one,” Fisher says. “They did a great job in the pass game during the Oklahoma game, especially Ty Simpson did a great job extending plays, letting his receivers get down field and get open. He did a lot of scrambling. He did a good job running the ball when he had to.
“It's just about staying disciplined when he is on the move. We have to do a great job sticking to guys and making sure they are not getting open down the field, then contain the quarterback when it comes down to needing to keep him in the pocket.”
Overall, the Crimson Tide average 31.4 points per game. IU ranks among the nation’s best by giving up just 10.8 points. It has 112 tackles for loss and 39 sacks.
“They have a really good offensive line, big and physical,” Fisher says. “They have a lot of playmakers on the edge and really good running backs, as well. We definitely have our work cut out for us.
“The last couple of weeks, they've been able to get their running game going and I think that has helped them a lot. They obviously, have a quarterback that is playing at a really high level. He’s a smart player that knows what to do, how to get in and out of checks, does a really good job identifying blitzes and things like that. It’s going to be a challenge for us. They are a really good team.”