Alabama can't stage another CFP comeback, has no answers for Indiana in Rose Bowl rout

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PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Alabama rallied from a 17-point deficit once in the College Football Playoff, but there would not be a repeat performance against No. 1 Indiana in a quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl on Thursday.

The Crimson Tide (11-4; No. 11 AP, No. 9 CFP) tried everything possible to stage a historic comeback on the site of so many memorable moments for the program, from a 1926 win that marked the arrival of southern football as a powerhouse on par with the rest of the country, to a 2024 overtime loss that would be legendary head coach Nick Saban's final game. Star quarterback Ty Simpson having to take himself out of the game in the second half because of a cracked rib did not help matters in what ended up a 38-3 loss to the Hoosiers.

“We fought, we were resilient, we showed some fight within this team, and there's nobody I'd rather go to war with than these guys in the locker room, but the goal at the end of the day was a national championship, and we just came up short. And anything short of a national championship isn't a successful season here,” tight end Josh Cuevas said.

The cracks that had been evident throughout a tumultuous season, from the shock opening loss to Florida State that only got more stupefying as the year went on to the circumstances which necessitated a comeback against Oklahoma in the first round on Dec. 19, finally came to the inevitable conclusion for a talented, but flawed, Alabama team.

Without the benefit of any semblance of a running game, Simpson struggled to create big plays against Indiana's stout defense, going 12 of 16 for 67 yards and rushing for 17 yards with a lost fumble. It was that turnover which ultimately forced Simpson, a fourth-year junior who could be a top draft prospect, out of the game after taking a helmet to the ribs.

Simpson had scrambled earlier in the second quarter, sliding shy of the line to gain a first down on third down. Alabama then went for it on fourth down from its own 34, choosing to run an odd Wildcat pop pass that was stopped short, which in turn set up Indiana's first touchdown following the turnover on downs.

With a chance to make up for that sequence, Simpson did too much.

“The competitor in me wanted to make sure I got the first down,” he said. "Got more than the first down, and then should have been smart and just got down.”

After getting an X-ray at halftime, Simpson returned for the first drive of the third quarter but ultimately decided third-year sophomore Austin Mack gave Alabama the best chance to win and should come in.

Mack, who followed head coach Kalen DeBoer from Washington to Alabama before the 2024 season, took over late in the third quarter and managed a field goal on his first drive. That was as much as Mack could muster, ending up 11 of 16 for 103 yards with three sacks, struggling in the same one-sided conditions Simpson had dealt with.

Alabama finished with 48 yards rushing after removing yardage lost on sacks. Mack had the team's longest run, a 13-yard gain. Top running back Jam Miller did not have a carry and barely saw the field.

Counting the sacks, Alabama netted just 23 yards on the ground on 17 carries, its third straight game with fewer than 30 yards rushing. The Tide were held under 100 yards running eight times.

“I know that it’s just definitely something that we’re going to have to put a lot of work into in the summer and this offseason, and just knowing that we have that ability to be the best offense in the country," Mack said. "And, obviously, today was not that day for us, but all we can do is go back to the lab and just keep working.”

In spite of those issues, plus the intense spotlight that comes with being arguably the highest-profile program in college football, Alabama was one of the last eight teams playing for a national title. To Mack, who could be Simpson's successor should he depart for the NFL, that represents a fulfilling season.

“It’s not the showing that us as a team wanted to put out on that stage, but thinking about the whole season as a whole, there’s a ton of things to be proud of," Mack said. "We were resilient as heck and just kept on fighting, kept on swinging, no matter what.”

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