There is a lot at stake when Alabama takes on Indiana in the Rose Bowl. With the Hoosiers looking to go deeper into the playoffs, Curt Cignetti’s team has been trying to avoid giving bulletin board material to the Tide. That message didn’t reach one of the members of his coaching staff. The Rose Bowl always has a way of pulling personalities into the spotlight, and Indiana’s DC, Bryant Haines, didn’t shy away from it.

“Ha! I apologize for cooking you the last time, Nick. Appreciate you & your work. However, this time… it’s true… just can’t hold up against their magnificent size & strength. Or. Or…. maybe, just maybe, we EAT, ” Haines wrote in a December 25 post.

The coach was replying in a thread where Alabama and Indiana fans were exchanging barbs with each other. It started with a post by a Crimson Tide fan, who sarcastically called out the analysis that Indiana is too strong for Kalen DeBoer’s team. Nick Rodecap, an Indiana faithful, reminded the fans that the Hoosiers’ coaching staff is active on X.

Nick illustrated this by sharing a tweet by Bryant Haines from October, in which the coach had called out Nick for his rather flawed analysis that Oregon is bigger on the line of scrimmage before the game between the Ducks and the Hoosiers.

You can sense the confidence in Bryant Haines’ words. And there’s a reason for it. After agreeing to a new three-year contract, Haines is now among the highest-paid assistants in the nation. He is in charge of the country’s second-best scoring defense and a team that lives in opponents’ backfields. They finished in the top five nationally in both scoring offense (39.3 points per game) and scoring defense (11.8 points per game), a rare level of balance on both sides of the ball. The “maybe we eat” mentality of Haines is backed by the Hoosiers’ dominance against Alabama in sacks, tackles for loss, takeaways, and total defensive disruption.

Curt Cignetti made it apparent that Indiana still has faith in Haines despite the probable absence of defensive lineman Stephen Daley, calling him the stabilizer as the team looks for answers. “Bryant Haines does a great job coordinating our defense. We have a lot of confidence in our players, and we’ll find the best solution that gives us the best chance to be successful.”

That confidence is aimed directly at what Alabama has struggled with all season. Because while Indiana is powered by belief and defensive muscle, the Crimson Tide arrives carrying questions they haven’t fully answered yet.

Alabama faces a harsh reality against Indiana

This playoff season, Alabama has already used up its get-out-of-jail card once. It was dramatic to go behind by 17 against Oklahoma and then rally, but it also brought up a recurring dilemma under Kalen DeBoer: how many sluggish starts can the Crimson Tide make before the margin for error fades away?

Next up in the Rose Bowl is No. 1 Indiana, a squad that doesn’t falter when provided with the opportunity. Joey Galloway and Kirk Herbstreit of ESPN didn’t sugarcoat it either: get started quickly, or don’t bother coming up. Asking Ty Simpson to play Superman once again is more of a risk than a strategy.

That’s what makes this matchup feel heavier than just another playoff game. Throughout the season, Alabama’s offense has relied heavily on the throw. Nobody has been intimidated by the run game, and things get tense quickly when defenses realize Simpson has to carry the night. Indiana is built to punish that imbalance, which almost ended the season against Oklahoma. Bryant Haines’ defense thrives on confusion and pressure, waiting for quarterbacks to force throws that aren’t there. The Rose Bowl won’t offer the same escape route if Alabama fails again.

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For this reason, a few names come under more scrutiny. Ryan Williams needs to be consistent. In the face of an unrelenting front, Michael Carroll must develop quickly on the right edge. Fernando Mendoza won’t give Alabama more opportunities, so LT Overton must look as though he has never missed a game. For the Tide, it’s a blunt reminder that slow starts don’t get forgiven every time, especially not on college football’s biggest stage.