‘It was like we were playing a home game’: IU football’s Rose Bowl takeover washes away decades of doubt
- Josh Pos
- 3h ago
PASADENA, Calif. — Inside The Hoosier Room under the west stands of Memorial Stadium, newly named Indiana football coach Terry Hoeppner stood at a podium with two items resting in front of him: a glass bowl and a red rose.
It was December 2004, and Indiana hadn’t even won a bowl game since 1991. Yet, the Indiana native eyed something bigger. He carefully grabbed the rose by its stem, lifted it in the air, and set seemingly far-fetched goals.
“Our goal is simple; the Rose Bowl,” he proclaimed. “We will shoot for perfection, and we can settle for excellence.”
The gesture became a sign of hope for a program known for its losing ways.
Fast-forward to Thursday night: Hoeppner, who passed away in 2007, saw his dream realized. No. 1 Indiana won its first-ever Rose Bowl in dominating fashion, defeating No. 9 Alabama 38-3.
As he watched a Rose Bowl stadium predominantly packed with Indiana gear, athletic director Scott Dolson couldn’t help but think about the beloved coach.
“I thought about Coach Hep today, I did,” Dolson said. “I know he’s really proud to see where the program is today.”
Indiana fans filled Los Angeles airports and hotels throughout the week, excited to witness history no matter the result. But when the gates to the Rose Bowl opened two hours before the game, a sea of cream and crimson sporting Indiana merchandise filled the 89,702-seat venue.
By the 1 p.m. kick, there were significantly more Indiana fans than Alabama. The chorus of boo’s when the Crimson Tide took the field established a tone. Indiana was bound to play in a home environment in Pasadena.
Deafening noise met the Alabama offense on its drives, especially on third down. Indiana’s defense motioned for more noise as they put together stop after stop.
“It got us going for sure,” Indiana safety Louis Moore said. “It was just a surreal feeling, and we appreciate the fans a lot.”
Pandemonium ensued when Charlie Becker acrobatically caught the game’s first touchdown pass in the second quarter. When the sophomore lept back onto his feet, he looked toward the north end zone stands and delivered fellow wideout Elijah Sarratt’s signature fist and blades touchdown celebration. Some fans mirrored Becker while others jumped up and down, hugging the fan next to them.
“To be able to get in the end zone and see all the Indiana fans was pretty cool,” Becker said. “It was like we were playing a home game.”
The same jubilation continued to reach a fever pitch after each of the next four touchdowns the Hoosiers scored on the Crimson Tide. Each one just a little bit louder than the other.
As the team that continues to fulfill their wildest dreams beat down a college football blue-blood on the sport’s grandest stage, Indiana fans turned the Rose Bowl into a party-like scene. They sang along to John Mellencamp’s ‘Hurts So Good’, started chanting “Hoo Hoo Hoosiers” and continued to cheer the team towards the finish line.
The team left no doubt, so by the time the clock hit zero, it turned into an after-party.
With the stage facing the Indiana sideline, fans witnessed Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti hoist the Leishman Trophy as Aiden Fisher and Elijah Sarrat doused him with a cooler of red roses.
Well after Cignetti closed his interview, leading his own ” Hoo Hoo Hoosiers” and the players left the field, the stands remained full with emotional fans who never thought they’d live to see the day.
When Indiana beat UCLA in the Rose Bowl last season to improve to 3-0 under Cignetti in year one, Dolson pointed to the fans who made the trip and thanked them for their support.
Little did he know that it was only the beginning.
Born and raised as an Indiana fan, Dolson once again was overcome with emotion on Thursday evening. Not because of the hire he made, but for those who stuck with the program.
“Our fans have been through so much thick and thin with us,” Dolson said. “And when I get to see them enjoy this, it means a lot to me. And it does get emotional, to be honest.”
Indiana football’s sudden surge into national power would be a tough sell to a Scorsese, a Spielberg or a Nolan. Cignetti himself admitted postgame that the last two seasons fit a Hollywood fairytale.
“It’d be one helluva movie,” he said to ESPN’s Reese Davis on the podium.
Though it may be impossible to replicate Thursday’s fan experience, Indiana’s story isn’t finished. The Hoosiers advanced to the College Football Playoff semifinal to play No. 5 Oregon in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta next Friday.
The scene of unapologetically joyous Indiana fans lives in infamy. It’s a reminder that belief, built over decades, can ultimately spill out in red-and-white confetti.
Hope continues to flood Bloomington as the program makes history. It’s a movement few could have imagined two years ago – let alone 22.
Hoeppner was far ahead of his time, and the traditions he restored now anchor a program that’s no longer chasing relevance but standing at the forefront of college football’s new era.
(Photo credit: IU Athletics)
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