Tony Thomas
Writer
A 25-day layoff since Championship Saturday did not seem to affect the Indiana Hoosiers or the Oregon Ducks in their respective quarterfinal games in the College Football Playoff.
In the Rose Bowl, the Crimson Tide had a serious case of the “red ass” after the Indiana defense put boots to ass in a dominating 38-3 beat down over Alabama.
The Orange Bowl in Miami saw Oregon shut out a Texas Tech team 23-0. The Red Raiders averaged 42 points per game going into that game, while the vaunted Texas Tech defense picked the worst time to allow the most points scored against them all season.
Indiana and Oregon will now face off for the second time this season in the College Football Playoff national semifinals at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
Date: Friday, January 9
Time: 6:30 P.M. CST
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Location: Atlanta, GA.
TV: ESPN
Betting Odds: Indiana -4
The Ducks have won eight consecutive games since a 30-20 home loss to Indiana in October. In that loss to the Hoosiers, Oregon rushed for just 81 yards and zero TDs. From that point until the Orange Bowl, Oregon rushed for 100+ yards in each of the next seven games and scored 19 touchdowns on the ground.
After traveling from Eugene, Oregon, to Miami, Florida, for the quarterfinals, the Ducks will have traveled coast to coast yet again to Atlanta for this semifinal matchup.
In the Granddaddy of them all, the Rose Bowl, the Indiana football squad appeared in the game for just the second time in school history. The Hoosiers were seeing red and charged out of the tunnel.
In the SEC, where it just means more, Indiana just wanted it more. The Hoosiers planted their cleated foot firmly in the backside of the Alabama team for a 35-point victory.
Curt Cignetti’s mantra is complementary football. The Hoosiers passed for 192 yards and three TDs and rushed for 215 yards and two scores.
The matchup to watch is Indiana’s run defense vs. the vaunted Oregon rushing attack. The Hoosiers’ defense held Alabama to just 23 yards on the ground for a 1.35-yard average. As a team, Indiana has allowed 1,032 yards on the ground through 14 games and five rushing TDs (just two in the last nine games) and 2.82 yards per carry.
The Oregon rushing attack has gained 2,886 yards on the ground and scored 34 rushing touchdowns. They average 5.50 yards per carry.
Will Oregon suffer from jet lag after traveling 6,000 miles in back-to-back weeks? Can Indiana keep the defensive pressure at the point of attack and stop the Ducks’ rushing game, making Oregon one-dimensional? We shall see.
Cody Croy
Writer
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