Alabama football's decision to roll the dice and go for it on 4th-and-1 when trailing Indiana in the half came back to blow up in Kalen DeBoer's face during their lopsided 38-3 loss to the Hoosiers in the 2026 Rose Bowl.
This choice backfired in the worst way as Alabama turned the football over on downs and gave Indiana favorable field position as Indiana's Heisman-winning QB Fernando Mendoza made the Tide pay by quickly hooking up with wide out Charlie Becker for 21 yard touchdown to take an early 10-0 lead. DeBoer gave his explanation behind his thought process that led to the questionable decision in the second quarter in what was just a 3-0 deficit.
"I really felt like during that point, I was committed to going for it,” DeBoer told reporters. “That is where you got to be careful as a head coach when you make those decisions because it could go the other way. Looking at the game, we had to take advantage of every possession for it to end up the way we wanted it to."
Kalen DeBoer's gambles have often paid off - but not in the Rose Bowl
Of course, this confidence for DeBoer and Alabama's offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb comes after seeing the Crimson Tide offense pick up 22-of-34 on 4th down attempts during the 2025 regular season and first round of the College Football Playoff against Oklahoma. This production accumulates a staggering 64.7% converstion rate through 14 games.
DeBoer rolled the dice in key moments in wins during the regular season against Georgia, South Carolina, and Auburn, among others, and went back to the well against Oklahoma in the opening round of the playoff.
It didn't work out against an Indiana team that stood tall in a critical moment.
“It just felt like it was gonna be one of those games where you gotta take advantage of possessions, and obviously, when you fall short, it’s the wrong decision,” DeBoer said. “We don’t get the first down, give them a shorter field, they make a nice play on third down, nice throw and catch, and it’s a belief. It’s a belief in the guys on offense, belief in the guys on defense that, worst-case scenario, I can hold them to a field goal, and obviously it didn’t work out that way, but I try not to be reckless but try to be aggressive.”
This move was criticized heavily as Alabama ultimately ended its season with its biggest loss in 28 years, falling to Indiana by 35 to put a bow on DeBoer's second season in Tuscaloosa.