This Indiana football player knows Alabama brings 'very different feeling' to Rose Bowl
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BLOOMINGTON — Alabama's talent is easy to see from watching film, but it's another thing to experience actually playing against a roster that features nine former five-star recruits in the starting lineup.
Former Wisconsin tight end Riley Nowakowski is one of the few players on Indiana football's team this season that has experienced the real thing.
"Obviously you can watch as much tape as possible, until you are in the game it's a very different feeling," Nowakowski said. "Just being able to see it live and see that game speed, on the field, feeling the coverages, how they come off the ball, how they play ball, is just vital."
The No. 1 Hoosiers (13-0) face No. 9 Alabama (11-3) for the first time in program history on New Year's Day in the Rose Bowl. The College Football Playoff quarterfinal will pit an IU offense that ranks near the top of the country in every statistical category against a top-15 defense.
Alabama comes into the game having held opposing teams to 17.9 points per game (No. 13 in the FBS), 288.9 total yards (No. 13) and 168.4 yards passing (No. 10). The Tide have only allowed four quarterbacks to throw for more than 200 yards this season and have been plenty disruptive with 30 sacks and 81 tackles for loss.
Nowakowski said Saturday that he's watched five full games along with countless cut-ups to prepare and can safety say that "Bama is still Bama" on the defensive side of the ball.
"They have a lot of guys that are big, strong and can fly around," he said. "That obviously presents a problem whenever you are going against a team like that."
The group of Indiana offensive players who each stepped up to the podium echoed those comments. Indiana starting center Pat Coogan praised Alabama's front seven filled with "really large individuals" up front — three of those former five-star recruits are starting on the defensive line — and nose tackle Tim Keenan anchoring the group.
"He's their captain, their guy," Coogan said. "Really stout run defender, plays with great leverage, he's going to be a huge challenge for all of us, me in particular, and they can rush the passer across the board."
Alabama is just as dangerous in the back end thanks to a secondary filled with elite athletes. The Tide's starting cornerback tandem of Zabien Brown and Domani Jones, have 48 combined starts under their belt while safety Bray Hubbard earned All-American honors this season.
Their talent at all three levels allows them to lean on the type of disguises that have become a trademark of IU's own defense.
"That will be one of our biggest challenges," Nowakowski said. "Seeing those bringing everybody looks and try to decipher exactly what is going on. Are they bringing that pressure? Or dropping out? That's one thing they do really well. They have the athletes to get out of it and hold that look for a long time."
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana vs Alabama football preview: Tide defense vs Hoosiers offense
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