Nothing is over until the final score says so! Although the Indiana Hoosiers are still a sizable favorite over the Alabama Crimson Tide in this year's Rose Bowl, the No. 1 seed in this year's College Football Playoff still needs to go out and take care of business vs. arguably the greatest college football program of all time. The winner will take on either Oregon or Texas Tech in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.
When looking at the Game on Paper, there is one non-obvious area where Indiana could take advantage of the Crimson Tide. Yes, everybody and their brother knows about how rough of a time it has been for Alabama to run the football with any confidence this year. However, they also seem to have a hard time of stopping explosive runs, especially vs. mobile quarterbacks. What does it mean?
With Alabama ranking in the 28th percentile in explosive run defense, Indiana's middle-of-the-road 51st percent explosive running game may have to take advantage. This may require Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza to use his legs a little bit more than expected to keep this game in check. He may still be able to win as a pocket passer, but as a dual-threat, it may come easy.
Could this be a reason why Indiana covers the 7.5-point spread to advance to the national semifinals?
Fernando Mendoza may need to be a bit more mobile to defeat Alabama
As a ball carrier, Mendoza has tucked it and ran a very nice 69 times this season for 240 yards and six touchdowns in 13 games. He may only be averaging 3.5 yards per attempt, but he might not be the statue he seems to be behind the line of scrimmage. Even though the casual public doubts Indiana, the Hoosiers knocking off Alabama here could serve as the ultimate tone-setter for them nationally.
Truth be told, Mendoza may not have to run for all that many yards to thwart Alabama's plans defensively. He can take a page out of Gunner Stockton and John Mateer's playbook on how to beat Alabama at their own game. You have to take care of the football, first and foremost, but you may need to use your legs a little bit more than expected. Look no further than Tommy Castellanos at FSU.
In the end, how the respective run games go will largely determine this national quarterfinals matchup more so than anything. Alabama may not be able to run the ball at all, but it can take the opposition's away on occasion. In the event that Mendoza and the rest of the backs behind the line of scrimmage can keep the chains moving on the ground for Indiana, the Hoosiers should win this one.
As long as Indiana is somewhat of a factor in running the football, it should help them beat Alabama.