PASADENA, Calif. — Curt Cignetti grabbed the microphone from ESPN’s Rece Davis, and after one of the greatest performances in Rose Bowl history, he had only one thing to say.
His top-ranked Indiana football team had just done something beyond any Bloomington native’s wildest dreams. The Hoosiers completely obliterated mighty Alabama, winners of six national championships in the last 15 years, in a 38-3 rout.
During the postgame trophy presentation, Cignetti clearly wanted to fire up the sea of Indiana fans packing the bleachers at Rose Bowl Stadium. So he took the microphone and belted out a familiar chant.
“HOO! HOO! HOO!”
The second he started yelling those three syllables ingrained in IU fans’ minds, the crowd perked up with excitement and anticipation. They knew what was coming.
“HOOSIERS!”
Cignetti shouted the reply along with the fans, who far overpowered Indiana’s head coach in the stadium. A crowd response so loud, it had to be heard on the San Gabriel mountains in the distance.
That chant, bellowing through an iconic football setting, was just one of many poignant moments for IU football on Thursday. New Year’s Eve may have had people ringing in 2026 on Wednesday night, but for the Hoosiers, the on-field scene after the Rose Bowl Game went final was the time to really celebrate.
“That felt like a VIP-only party, bro,” defensive end Mikail Kamara told The Daily Hoosier during the postgame open locker room period. “That felt crazy. I had to get my brothers down. I had to make sure I took pictures with everybody. It was an unreal feeling. And I can only imagine what it’s going to feel like when we win the natty.”
It isn’t hyperbole to suggest the cream and crimson party started well before the game ended.
Indiana’s Big Ten Championship Game victory over Ohio State was a nail-biter in Indianapolis, with closer to a 50-50 crowd split. When IU finished off that monumental victory, the celebration was just as jubilant as Thursday’s; but Lucas Oil Stadium emptied out more, and Hoosier fans exhaled as much as they rejoiced.
But the scene in Pasadena was different. IU held a 24-0 lead by the middle of the third quarter, and Alabama rarely mustered much of a response. The only life Kalen DeBoer’s group showed in the second half came after a quarterback change, when he benched Ty Simpson for Austin Mack, which led to the team’s only red zone trip of the game. But Indiana’s defense bowed up, and Alabama kicked a field goal that felt more like a white flag in the third quarter.
Perhaps the most excitement Crimson Tide fans showed all day came in the fourth quarter, when the stadium DJ played “Dixieland Delight” by Alabama, a tradition at home games in Tuscaloosa. But the Hoosiers even overpowered that moment — the DJ played John Mellencamp’s “Hurts So Good” during the next timeout, and IU fans turned that into a loud sing-along that, frankly, would be a big hit at Memorial Stadium.
“Indiana fans showed out,” tight end James Bomba told TDH. “I didn’t really know what to expect, but it was not that. And that was unbelievable.”
Indiana’s Rose Bowl victory is historic, undoubtedly.
This was IU’s first bowl victory since 1991, and only its fourth ever. The Hoosiers, longtime Big Ten afterthoughts, can now add Alabama to the list of traditional college football powerhouses they’ve beaten this year, along with Ohio State, Oregon, and Penn State.
The way the contest played out only adds to the significance. Only one other Rose Bowl Game in the last 31 years has finished with a 35-point margin or larger. Indiana dominated Alabama in all facets of the game, finishing with a 407-193 yardage advantage — Cignetti’s team finished with more rushing yards than the Tide had total yards.
IU fans spent the afternoon basking in the glory of that performance, and the players and coaches joined them once the game ended.
This wasn’t a coronation — Indiana has more football to play. The team advances to the College Football Playoff Semifinals at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. No. 5 Oregon will be seeking revenge for its 30-20 loss to IU in Eugene, Ore. in October. And should Indiana get through the Ducks, it would face either Ole Miss or Miami for the national championship.
But the Hoosiers turned this New Year’s Day into a party worth cherishing for a long time, no matter what happens the rest of the way.
“This was basically a home game for us,” Kamara told TDH. “We were hearing boos every time Alabama touched the ball. It was roaring when we was making plays. And the whole stadium was just Indiana-ing out. It was a beautiful scene, for sure.”
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