Despite what the final scoreboard read in Pasadena at the 2026 Rose Bowl, Alabama safety Bray Hubbard didn't walk away feeling like the Crimson Tide defense was outmatched from a physicality standpoint after being trounced 38-3 by No.1 Indiana on Thursday.
"I really think we matched their physicality really well," Hubbard said to reporters. "We played really physical; there were just some things like a misfit in gaps that opened up the seam, and that's what they hit."
Hubbard is referring back to Indiana's quick 22-yard strike from Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza to a wide-open Charlie Becker for a touchdown, a few plays after the Crimson Tide offense failed to convert a critical 4th-and-1, turning the ball over on downs at their own 34-yard line. This resulted in Indiana pushing its lead to 10-0, before putting the hammer down on the way to a 35-point win. The safety continued his remarks, crediting Alabama's physicality but highlighting small issues as to why the Tide defense faltered as a whole.
Bray Hubbard believes the "little things" cost Alabama in the Rose Bowl
"But overall, defensively, I think we played really physical," Hubbard said. "Obviously, the score doesn't show it, but I mean, at the end of the day, I felt like we played really good upfront. But there was some things, and that's what you've gotta get corrected is the little things. And that's what hurt us, we played really well at times, and then somebody gets out of their gap, and it pops. So, it's just playing gap sound."
To Hubbard's point, Alabama's defense had been playing at an exceptionally high level under defensive coordinator Kane Wommack, holding opponents to under 17.9 points and 288.9 yards per contest on the year prior to Thursday. Unfortunately, this production took a turn for the worse with the Tide defense notably missing several key tackles, while Indiana out-gained Alabama (407 to 193) in total yards, along with being outmatched (34:21 to 25:39) in time of possession.
The Hoosiers' defense also created two turnovers to the Tide's zero, matching just the 4th time all season that Alabama did not record a stat in this department. For Alabama and Hubbard, these factors, alongside their struggles on offense is why the Crimson Tide's 2025-26 postseason run has officially come to a disappointing end.