Indiana shocked the college football world on New Year’s Day.
How did one of the game’s titans get completely dominated by one of the worst programs in history?
That dynamic — traditional SEC power vs. traditional Big Ten doormat — might have contributed. Alabama linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green shed some light on his team’s mindset going into the game.
In short, it sounds like the team had been watching too much analysis by ESPN’s Paul Finebaum.
“I think there was a little bit of a sense of, this (Indiana) isn’t an SEC team,” Hill Green said on the Bama Standard Network. “To a point, there was a little bit of that, I think. Like that pre-conceived notion of they’re not gonna be as physical as us, because they’re not an SEC team.”
But Indiana came ready to play smashmouth football. The Hoosiers outgained the Tide 407-193, including 215-23 on the ground.
The 38-3 result on the scoreboard delivered Alabama its worst loss since 1998, and its worst-ever loss in a postseason game.
Hill-Green observed the Indiana players on the field and their sideline, and shared thoughts about the Hoosiers.
“What I seen on the other sideline, I’m going to just tell you what I seen. I’m going to be raw and uncut,” Hill-Green said. “I seen a very disciplined football team. I seen their leaders making the most plays. I didn’t see a lot of finger-pointing or anything out of the ordinary. I just seen their leaders stepping up, making plays.
“Their quarterback, who was supposed to be a big name Heisman, was doing the dirty work. Third and I don’t know what down and distance it was, but third and I think five or six. The play breaks down. I’m chasing him. A Heisman quarterback who’s going to go number one, he throws the ball out of bounds to just like not get hurt in that type of game. He dove head first forward for the first down. I just seen those little things playing against them and it wasn’t a surprise that they went undefeated and they won it all.”
Much has been of Indiana’s talented players.
And much has been made of how those players rarely make mistakes.
Less discussed but equally important — Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers are next-level prepared. They know what teams are going to see of Indiana on film, and how that will drive their preparation.
And the Hoosiers always come prepared with a counterpunch.
“Let’s not get it confused. They are 16-0 national champions for a reason. Schematically, they had a lot of answers. I’ve gotta give Cignetti his flowers,” Hill-Green said.
“They went the entire season, they love to insert the tight end. Wherever I went, he inserted inside of me. So I was always going to be wrong regardless. They had a lot of answers to what we did.”
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