Why Nick Saban Believes Alabama Cannot Be 'One-Dimensional' in Rose Bowl

The Indiana defense leads the Big Ten in interceptions.

Dec 30, 2023; Pasadena, CA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban during Rose Bowl media day at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

ESPN's "College GameDay" is on site in Pasadena, Calif., for the Rose Bowl (3:00 p.m. CT, ESPN) between No. 1 Indiana (13-0) and No. 9 Alabama. The College Football Playoff Quarterfinal matchup will send the victor to Atlanta for the Peach Bowl semifinal.

Alabama (11-3) has had serious difficulties establishing what it can do in the running game, so much so that the Crimson Tide registered -3 rushing yards in its SEC Championship Game defeat against Georgia. However, former Alabama coach Nick Saban is not of the mind that the team can unilaterally lean on the passing attack. To do that, in Saban's eyes, would open things up for the Indiana defense to make plays.

"If Alabama's gonna be one-dimensional, they're gonna have a hard time in this game," Saban said on the show. "They're gonna play against a very, very good defensive team. Indiana's like fourth in the BCS [FBS] in defense, which people don't really realize."

Crimson Tide redshirt junior quarterback Ty Simpson passed for 232 yards and a pair of touchdowns on Dec. 19 in a first-round College Football Playoff win at Oklahoma. That was the highest number of yards Simpson had thrown for in a game in more than a month. Alabama has multiple versatile receiving threats. Indiana has a potent defensive front and secondary.

"They've got 17 interceptions, which leads the Big Ten. They get off the field on third down 28 percent of the time. They got the best red-zone defense in the country. And they don't have anybody playing defense that was above a three-star when they were in high school," Saban said.

Saban was the Alabama head coach the last time the program appeared in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 2024. A 27-20 loss to Michigan in overtime proved to be the final game of his legendary coaching career. He never crossed paths with Indiana during his Alabama tenure; the two programs' meeting on Thursday will be the first one ever.

One of college sports' most prestigious games now falls upon the coaching matchup of second-year Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer and former Alabama wide receivers coach Curt Cignetti, who's transformed the Hoosiers program in his two seasons since taking over. Alabama did not make the College Football Playoff last year, but Indiana did, falling in the first round against in-state adversary Notre Dame on the road.