Indiana DC Reacts to Ty Simpson's 'Adorable' Recount of Rose Bowl
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A large majority of Alabama's losses over the last couple of decades were close battles that came down to the final drive. That's not what happened during the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day.
No. 1 Indiana blew out No. 9 Alabama 38-3 in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal. It was the Crimson Tide's worst losing margin since the 1998 Music City Bowl against Virginia Tech (38-7).
Ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson went on the Downs 2 Business podcast and recounted what it was like facing the defense of the eventual national champion.
"From my point of view, I was like, they don't do much," Simpson said. "I was like, they do the same thing every down. " So when I got the ball, I knew exactly what was going to happen. They just didn't mess up, bro. They were in the exact same spot they were supposed to be. They were so well-coached. It was so much different than the SEC. [The SEC] will play man, they'll do these unorthodox coverages because that's kind of how it is.
"That game was crazy to me, of course I got hurt, so that was a bummer. I just knew what they were going to do. We couldn't really run the ball. We didn't really throw. It was so crazy to me how it happened."
While Simpson seemed to be very complimentary of the Hoosiers, Indiana defensive coordinator Bryant Haines saw the video and responded on X (formerly known as Twitter).
"Adorable," Haines wrote. "We also, saw everything they were doing, on every single snap… It's just that we exploited those cues. And didn't get frozen and crushed by them."
Haines was the winner of the Broyles Award last season, which is given annually to the nation's top assistant coach.
Indiana's 11.7 points allowed per game were the second fewest in all of college football. IU finished the season with an undefeated record, allowing 20-plus points just four times – three of which came against top-10 opponents.
Haines has been an assistant under Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti for quite some time. Cignetti first hired Haines as his defensive line coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (2014-15). Haines has been a member of all four of Cignetti's head coaching staffs between Indiana, IUP, James Madison and Elon.
All this being said, Simpson didn't finish the game. Alabama was driving with the ball into Indiana territory, down 10-0 in the second quarter, when Simpson scrambled for a first down. He kept going for a few more yards when he got hit, fumbled and cracked a rib. Simpson was 12-of-16 for 67 yards in the game before being taken out for Austin Mack due to his injury.
As Simpson puts the Rose Bowl behind him, he is now eyeing the 2026 NFL Draft next weekend. The redshirt junior led the SEC in completions (305) and pass attempts (473) in 15 games this season, recording a completion percentage of 64.5. The Crimson Tide co-captain threw for 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns and five interceptions, while also rushing for 93 yards and two scores on 90 carries.
Simpson has been projected as a first or second-round pick. He is one of nearly 20 Crimson Tide products hoping to hear their name called.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/alabama as Indiana DC Reacts to Ty Simpson's 'Adorable' Recount of Rose Bowl.
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