Overview
- Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza was ruthlessly efficient for No. 1 Indiana, going 14-of-16 for 192 yards and three touchdowns as Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black powered a balanced ground game.
- Alabama mustered only three points and 23 rushing yards, finished 3-for-11 on third down, and switched to Austin Mack in the second half after Ty Simpson opened at quarterback.
- The 35-point margin was Alabama’s widest since 1998 and its lowest-scoring College Football Playoff appearance, registering as the program’s worst bowl loss on record.
- Indiana advanced to a Jan. 9 CFP semifinal at the Peach Bowl to face Oregon.
- With the transfer portal window opening Friday through Jan. 16, local reports expect entries including Cam Calhoun and Roq Montgomery, and national broadcasters called the performance “embarrassing,” intensifying scrutiny of DeBoer.