DeBoer tells why Alabama went for it on 4th Down in first half of Rose Bowl

Jan 1, 2026; Pasadena, CA, USA; Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Charlie Becker (80) celebrates scoring a touchdown against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the first half of the 2026 Rose Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Alabama football went for it on 4th and 1 in the second quarter of the Rose Bowl in its own territory and was stopped by the Indiana defense.

The Indiana Hoosiers’ defense is straight-up suffocating Alabama on 4th down in the Rose Bowl! #IUFB #Hoosiers #RollTide #RoseBowl #CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/YnTBumz7wb

— Aristotle (@goLoko77) January 1, 2026

The turnover on downs put the Hoosiers in position to go up 10-0. Fernando Mendoza found Charlie Becker in the end zone for a 21-yard scoring strike to extend the Hoosiers’ lead to ten points on the following drive. Kalen DeBoer was asked bout Alabama’s decision to go for it on fourth down early after the game.

“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.”

Before going for it, Alabama showed a look where Daniel Hill was at wildcat quarterback, but a timeout was called before the ball was snapped. The Tide then came out in a punt look, where Ty Simpson was a protector. The Tide shifted the look to a quarterback sneak look and attempted to get Indiana to jump offside. The Hoosiers did not, and Alabama called a timeout.

Alabama returned to the look where Hill was a wildcat quarterback when it returned to the field.

“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.

Alabama’s season came to an end with a 38-3 loss to Indiana.