4 Takeaways From Indiana's Rose Bowl Demolition of Alabama in CFP Quarterfinal

Rose Bowl Stadium (Pasadena, Calif.) — Still undefeated, clearly No. 1 and keeping a magical season alive, the Indiana Hoosiers are moving on to the College Football Playoff semifinals after wrecking No. 9 Alabama, 38-3, in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal Thursday.

Fast, physical and relentless is the motto of Curt Cignetti and his Hoosiers. That was overwhelmingly evident in the first quarterfinal game under the 12-team CFP format where the team with the first-round bye won.

A slow start to the highly anticipated matchup led to an offensive explosion from the Hoosiers, who had a 17-0 halftime lead that they never came close to giving up. Indiana quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza put up a stunning performance after not playing since the Big Ten title game on Dec. 6, and the Crimson Tide ran out of steam early in a game where they were already out-matched.

"We're just a bunch of fighters, and we just scratch and crawl for everything," Indiana center Pat Coogan — named the Rose Bowl offensive MVP — said Tuesday at media day. "We've earned the right to be here."

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The clear underdog, Alabama, fell to another disadvantage when quarterback Ty Simpson exited the game midway through the third quarter with an injury, leaving backup Austin Mack to lead a second straight 17-point comeback attempt. But Indiana was unstoppable and is off to the Peach Bowl semifinal. 

Here are four key takeaways from the Hoosiers' demolition of Alabama in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal: 

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

With the way he’s played all season, Mendoza was crowned the Heisman Trophy winner for a reason. But there will always be