Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza has received numerous deserved awards, but the Hoosiers pass the ball on less than 40% of offensive plays. They are a run-first team, and that is a good fact for the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Going back to the Tennessee game in October, the Alabama Crimson Tide defense has become effective at stopping the run. In the seven games against FBS teams, Alabama allowed a rushing average of only 3.14 yards.
In all 2025 games, the Hoosiers have rushed for a 5.49-yard average, which is 13th among all FBS teams. The stat is misleading. Against one good and two not-so-good run defenses, the Hoosiers struggled to run the ball.
Measured by games against FBS teams with winning records, Ohio State is No. 5 among all FBS teams at an average of 2.82 opponent rushing yards. The Hoosiers ran for a 3.5-yard average against the Buckeyes.
Against Oregon, Iowa, and Penn State, the Indiana rushing attack was far less effective. Using the same sample of FBS opponents with winning records, the rush defenses for the three teams are: Oregon No. 22, Penn State, and Iowa tied at No. 44. The Hoosiers rushed for a three-yard average against the Ducks, 2.7 yards against the Hawkeyes, and just two yards against the Nittany Lions. For the record, these are not sack-adjusted rushing yards, so IU's run game was slightly more effective than the stats indicate.
Alabama Crimson Tide can handle Indiana rushing attack
The point is that the Alabama Crimson Tide's current ability to stop the run is better than either Penn State or Iowa, and arguably equal to Oregon. The Hoosiers should have a tough time sustaining drives on the ground. If so, Indiana would have to rely more on its passing game.
Against unranked teams, the Hoosiers' pass completion rate was 72.6%. Against ranked teams, the percentage was good, not great, dropping to 64.8%. Indiana played only two ranked teams (based on the current AP Poll), so the sample is small. By comparison, Alabama had six games against four ranked teams.
Perhaps Fernando Mendoza truly is the best quarterback Alabama will face this season. If Kane Wommack's defense can neutralize Indiana's run game, Mendoza will have to be outstanding. As Alabama did in the second half against the Sooners, playing more man than zone could ramp up pressure on Mendoza. The game might come down to which side wins that chess game.
Note: Player and team stats provided by Sports Reference and cfbstats.com