What Oregon Can Learn From Indiana's Rose Bowl Win Over Alabama

The No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers dominated the No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl, and the No. 5 Oregon Ducks can learn a thing or two as they prepare to face Indiana in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl with a trip to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on the line.

The Ducks defense pitched a shutout in the CFP Quarterfinals against No. 3 Texas Tech, but Oregon will have their hands full trying to slow down Indiana's offense, led by Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza at quarterback. While the Ducks will look to turn up the heat on Mendoza, the Hoosiers passer thrived under pressure in the Rose Bowl.

Indiana Hoosiers fernando mendoza oregon ducks college football playoff rose bowl alabama crimson tide curt cignetti big ten — Jan 1, 2026; Pasadena, CA, USA; Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) speaks in a press conference after defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2026 Rose Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at Rose Bowl Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Alabama blitzed Fernando Mendoza a season-high 12 times.

He was 8-8 for 161 yards and 3 TD against 5 or more pass rushers, the first QB with 3 pass TD vs the Alabama blitz since Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel in 2013 👏 pic.twitter.com/PK5ALouwUE
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) January 2, 2026

According to ESPN Insights, Alabama blitzed Mendoza 12 times, the most blitzes the Crimson Tide ran all season. The strategy was ineffective whenever Alabama brought five or more rushers, though, with Mendoza going 8 for 8 with three touchdown passes and 161 yards against the blitz. He finished the game completing 14 of 16 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns.

Mendoza was sacked three times by the Crimson Tide defense, but the pressure didn't make a dent in the Hoosiers' 38-3 win in the Rose Bowl. Indiana's offense seemingly broke Alabama's will, rushing for 129 yards in the second half, with two touchdowns and 101 rushing yards coming in the fourth quarter alone.

On the other side of the ball, Indiana's defense suffocating the Crimson Tide and ultimately knocked Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson out of the game. When Simpson exited early in the third quarter, Indiana already held a 24-0 lead.

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Curt Cignetti Calls Oregon Ducks 'A Really Good Football Team'

After Indiana's win, Curt Cignetti appeared on The Big Ten Network and was asked about the upcoming matchup against Oregon.

"It's easy for me to assume we've had a lot of big wins this year, and we know how to bounce back, but it's a process. So, I mean we'll have a nice flight tomorrow. Everybody's off, and the next day will be the Sunday for the staff and Monday for the players the following day. We got to get ourselves ready to go, because we're playing great football team. It's hard to beat a really good football team twice, and Oregon's a really good football team. So it will be a tremendous challenge, but I'm going to enjoy this one tonight," Cignetti said.

While Indiana certainly looked impressive in the Rose Bowl, the Ducks defense turned heads on Thursday, shutting down Texas Tech entirely. As a unit, Oregon forced four turnovers, including two interceptions from freshman defensive back Brandon Finney Jr., and the Ducks sacked Red Raiders quarterback Behren Morton four times. Oregon stopped Texas Tech three times on fourth down en route to securing the shutout win.

The Ducks offense had its hands full against the Texas Tech defense, but Oregon quarterback Dante Moore and his group did enough to get the win. The Red Raiders' front seven was as good as advertised, totaling two sacks and nine tackles for loss in the Orange Bowl. Still, if the Ducks want to continue their run in the CFP, the offense will likely have to clean some things up.