The Alabama Crimson Tide had no answers for the Indiana Hoosiers as the Big Ten team ran all over Kalen DeBoer and his team in a 38-3 Rose Bowl loss on January 1 in the College Football Playoff.
It was a scoreless first quarter, but after those initial minutes, it was all Hoosiers. Fernando Mendoza and Co. recorded 17 points in the second quarter and then piled on 21 more points coming out of halftime.
Moreover, starting Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson left midway through the game due to injury, prompting backup Austin Mack to take over as the starter. What could go wrong for the Crimson Tide went wrong as it was a miserable experience in Pasadena.
After the loss, DeBoer spoke to the media and shared his thoughts on his team’s brutal performance.
“Yeah, got to give a tip of the hat to Indiana and everything they did today,” DeBoer said (h/t Alabama Crimson Tide on SI ). “For us, it’s a lot of emotions right now. We can be upset because losing doesn’t sit well with us. We can be frustrated about it. That’s what our program’s going to be. We’ve got to use that emotion moving forward, but we’re also proud. Proud of what we accomplished.”
Kalen DeBoer Credits Fernando Mendoza for Alabama Loss
Furthermore, DeBoer credited Mendoza for his performance, as the Alabama defense couldn’t stop the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. The Indiana star went 14-for-16 on his pass attempts for 192 passing yards and three touchdowns.
“They’re very good,” DeBoer added. “Their trigger man made all the throws and they continued to wear us down. They executed at a high level on both sides of the ball. You’ve got to tip your cap to coach Cignetti. They’re all aligned in execution and that’s what they did today.”
The Hoosiers didn’t have to lean heavily on Mendoza, as the Crimson Tide also struggled to stop the run game. Indiana recorded 215 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground, too. Moreover, the Hoosiers’ defense smothered the Alabama offense, as the Crimson Tide couldn’t get anything going, tallying 193 total yards and 3.9 yards per play.
Kalen DeBoer Appears to Be Returning to Alabama for 2026
While there will be calls for DeBoer’s job, the Alabama head coach appears to believe he’ll be back to coach the Crimson Tide in 2026, as he spoke about the group that will see several players depart.
“You’ve got guys who are moving on and it’s the last game they play here,” DeBoer said. “You’ve got guys you’re laying the groundwork for the future for. The fine line in preparing and moving on is such a fine line.
“You’ve got to start over from scratch and commit to a common goal together. It may not feel like a fine line, but it’s a fine line to being here and being at the top. You’ve got to put the work it and we’ll get back to work and start all over again.”
It will be interesting to see how Alabama improves this offseason as they look to find their way back to the College Football Playoff and redeem themselves after their performance in the 2026 Rose Bowl.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us .
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Kalen DeBoer Gets Blunt About Alabama’s Brutal Rose Bowl Loss appeared first on Heavy Sports .