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No. 1 Indiana booked its ticket to the College Football Playoff quarterfinals on Dec. 6 after defeating Ohio State 13-10 in the Big Ten championship game. With such a long gap before its New Year’s Day matchup against No. 9 Alabama in the Rose Bowl, Indiana offensive lineman Carter Smith said the Hoosiers are seeking a balance in preparing while still practicing with intensity.
“It’s all about keeping the speed of the game,” Smith said Saturday. “The biggest thing for us in the offensive line room has been going like it’s a game, every single breath, because we know that being away from the game for so long can affect that.”
The first two weeks of preparation were lighter workouts as the Hoosiers recovered from the season, tight end Riley Nowakowski said. Without knowing their opponent, the Hoosiers didn’t want to overwork older players. Instead the coaching staff gave younger players opportunities to get reps during practice.
But after Alabama punched its ticket to the Rose Bowl, the mentality changed.
“We really got into game prep and I think that’s kind of how you do it. … You start to really lock in and get back into normal game-speed stuff and game type of practices,” Nowakowski said. “I think it’s important to stay locked in mentally.”
Even with the bright lights of the Rose Bowl, Indiana offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan said the pressure will not be overwhelming.
“There might be a slight adjustment early in the game, but I feel like our guys will be ready to go and the experience within our group will help us there as well,” he said.
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Tide use underdog role as motivation
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Entering this season the Hoosiers were the program with the most losses in college football history, with more than 700. Their opponents at the Rose Bowl have won three national championships in the last 10 years.
The Rose Bowl will match an ultimate upstart program in Indiana against a blue blood in Alabama. Yet the experienced program enters the contest as an underdog — perfect motivation for the team, quarterback Ty Simpson said.
“Nobody expected us to make it to the playoffs,” Simpson said. “Forget the world, it’s all about Alabama. [That’s] going to be the mindset forever.”
Alabama receiver Germie Bernard added: “It adds an extra fuel to our fire knowing that everybody is doubting us and nobody wants to see ‘Bama win. We put that on our shoulders and work harder.”
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Crimson Tide will roll with respect
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Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy after leading the Hoosiers to an undefeated season. Since coach Curt Cignetti took over the Hoosiers, he’s won every home game and posted a 24-2 record.
The last time Indiana had won a conference championship was 1967. The Hoosiers are new to the top ranks of college football, but Alabama will not take them lightly.
“They play very disciplined, [their defense is] exactly where they’re supposed to be,” Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said. “They execute their system at a really, really high level. They tackle well.
“Just a good, smash-mouth team that you can tell is very well-coached.”
The margin of error is small.
“We have to be careful with our decision-making,” Grubb said. “Anybody that touches the football, we just have to tell them to imagine that’s the whole state of Alabama handing them the ball.”
The post Indiana pushes to remain sharp after long layoff before Rose Bowl showdown with Alabama appeared first on Los Angeles Times.
