Indiana Football Plans to Stop Alabama's Rushing Offense. Can Ty Simpson Do Enough?

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana football defensive coordinator Bryant Haines learned a valuable lesson about Alabama's culture and character during the Crimson Tide's comeback victory over Oklahoma to open the College Football Playoff.

Trailing 17-0 in the second quarter, No. 9 Alabama (11-3) scored 27 unanswered points en route to a 34-24 victory Dec. 19, clinching a battle in the Rose Bowl with No. 1 Indiana (13-0) at 4 p.m. ET on Jan 1 in Pasadena, Calif., during the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.

"They're very well coached. They're adaptable — I think we saw that in their last game," Haines said in a press conference Sunday. "They found a way to will themselves back. That's through execution. That's through scheme and adaptability to what Oklahoma was giving them. So, it is a strong offensive unit."

Haines and several of Indiana's defenders touted Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, the Crimson Tide's newfound running game and a wealth of playmakers on the perimeter as key challenges entering Thursday's bout.

"Definitely have our work cut out for us," senior linebacker Aiden Fisher said Sunday. "Definitely going to be a challenge for us. A really good football team."

Here's a look at Alabama's offense, from national ranks to position-by-position breakdowns of the Hoosiers' Rose Bowl opponent.

Where Alabama's offense ranks nationally

Total offense: No. 76 (380.1 yards per game)
Passing offense: No. 23 (270.2 yards per game)
Rushing offense: No. 120 (109.9 yards per game)
Scoring offense: No. 34 (31.4 points per game)

Meet Alabama QB Ty Simpson

For the first two months of the regular season, Simpson appeared a legitimate candidate for the Heisman Trophy.

But a difficult final two games — a 58.8% completion rate and 269 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions in wins over Eastern Illinois and Auburn — carried into a rough outing in the SEC title game, during which he went 19-for-39 passing for 212 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Simpson appeared to right the ship against Oklahoma, completing 18-of-29 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He's long been lauded for his accuracy and ability to operate the Crimson Tide's offense at an efficient level, and he's a projected first-round NFL draft pick.

The 6-foot-2, 208-pound redshirt junior has completed 64.1% of his passes for 3,500 yards, 28 touchdowns and five interceptions this season while adding a pair of rushing scores. Indiana expects Simpson to pose a challenge with his arm, legs and intellect, redshirt junior linebacker Isaiah Jones told reporters Sunday.

"He's a pretty talented player," Jones said. "His key reads are really well. He knows how to get from one to two to three down to a checkdown pretty quick. And then, again, he also can (make) key plays a lot with his legs. That's something he's special with is he can run and then he can also create plays downfield when he does that.

"So, just trying to take away that extra time he has with his legs and maybe try to lie to him with coverages or rotations or try not to let him see the shell pre-snap. And that also speeds up his clock in the backfield. I feel like that's what we're going to have to do to try to stop his ability to read defenses and throw in zones."

Alabama's run game substandard

When Indiana coach Curt Cignetti was an assistant at Alabama from 2007-10, he witnessed running back Mark Ingram's Heisman Trophy-winning season in 2009. Another Crimson Tide running back, Derrick Henry, won the award in 2015. Several other Alabama ball-carriers have enjoyed standout college careers and been early-round draft picks.

But the Crimson Tide have struggled getting the ground game rolling this season. Alabama enters the Rose Bowl ranked in the bottom 20 nationally in rushing yards per game.

Senior running back Jam Miller, who's toted 130 carries for 504 yards and three touchdowns, is the Crimson Tide's leader rushing. He forms a backfield tandem with sophomore Daniel Hill, a 6-foot-1, 244-pounder who's rushed 70 times for 271 yards and six scores.

Alabama also involves senior receiver Germie Bernard in the run game. Bernard has taken 18 handoffs for 101 yards and two scores this season.

Indiana has the nation's third-best run defense, holding opponents to 77.6 rushing yards per game. Math favors the Hoosiers, and Jones said the team's defense is steadfast on continuing its ground-game dominance.

"We pride ourselves on stopping the run," Jones said. "And we plan to do that. It all starts up front with our base plan of stopping the run and then try to dictate the game from there."

Talented, explosive pass catchers

Alabama is a pass-heavy team, in part because of its rushing struggles but also due to its volume of high-level weapons. The Crimson Tide have five different players with more than 30 receptions, and three with 40-plus.

Bernard, a potential first-round draft pick, leads the group with 60 catches for 802 yards while adding seven touchdowns. Redshirt junior Isaiah Horton leads Alabama with eight receiving scores, and the 6-foot-4, 208-pounder has caught 40 passes for 495 yards after spending the first three years of his career at Miami.

Sophomore wideout Ryan Williams has notched 43 receptions for 636 yards and four touchdowns this season, while redshirt senior tight end Josh Cuevas, who stands 6-foot-3 and 256 pounds, has logged 33 receptions for 376 yards and four scores.

None led the Crimson Tide in receiving against Oklahoma.

That honor belongs to true freshman receiver Lotzeir Brooks, who made five catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns in the Crimson Tide's victory. The 5-foot-9, 191-pound Brooks has caught 32 passes for 441 yards and two scores this season.

Haines said Alabama's receivers are "very, very skilled" from top to bottom on the depth chart.

"They have a lot of depth on the perimeter," Haines said. "I think probably more so than anybody we've played this year — maybe not in terms of, like, the ceiling of potential of the outside guys, relative to Ohio State maybe or something like that, but, like, just the depth of guys.

"Four, five, six guys that come in and, like, they're a problem."

Meet Alabama's 'humongous' offensive line

Alabama has one of the nation's largest left tackles in junior Kadyn Proctor, who stands 6-foot-7 and 366 pounds. He's a potential first-round draft pick, while redshirt junior center Parker Brailsford, a 6-foot-2, 290-pounder, is a potential Day 2 pick.

The Crimson Tide started 6-foot-7, 324-pound redshirt sophomore Wilkin Formby at right tackle early this season, though 6-foot-6, 321-pound freshman Michael Carroll started against Oklahoma.

Alabama has also rotated quite a bit on the interior. Senior Kam Dewberry has started 12 games at left guard, while redshirt senior Geno VanDeMark has started nine contests — six at right guard, two at left guard and one at center. Dewberry stands 6-foot-4 and 332 pounds, and VanDeMark measures 6-foot-5 and 326 pounds.

The Crimson Tide's rotating offensive line has surrendered 29 sacks this season, tied for the fourth-worst mark in the SEC. Indiana respects Alabama's size and athleticism up front, and the Hoosiers anticipate a battle in the trenches.

"They're humongous up front," Haines said, "and they move really well, too."