The Rose Bowl head coaches, IU’s Curt Cignetti and Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer, praised each other’s team Monday ahead of their quarterfinal game in the College Football Playoff.
The teams meet in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 in Pasadena, Calif. The Hoosiers are a 6.5-point favorite over the Crimson Tide.
DeBoer was an assistant coach at IU in 2019. He said the current Hoosiers are indomitable. The Hoosiers are 13-0, ranked first nationally, and won the Big Ten Championship.
“When the opportunities are there, they get it done," DeBoer said. "And there's great coaching that you can see to put them in spots to succeed. But also, the guys. You can see they play with a swagger, with the confidence, as they should, with the success they've had.”
Cignetti was an assistant coach at Alabama for four seasons. He said the Crimson Tide’s first-round playoff victory at Oklahoma speaks volumes. That improved Alabama's record to 11-3.
“To come back from 17 points down and come out with a win, I think it tells you a lot about the character of their football team," Cignetti said. "They got a lot of great players, are extremely well coached. They're really good team, and it will be a tremendous challenge.”
DeBoer said that during his one season in Bloomington, he sensed IU was getting more serious about success in football.
IU had an 8-5 record that year, including a one-point loss to Tennessee in the Gator Bowl.
"But you know, coach Cignetti, he's done a great job providing the spark, which leads to people continuing to be all in," DeBoer said. "And as you get more people all in, you get the the moments that you're in right now. And so I think it works off of each other, the energy and the commitment to the success."