Indiana announcer jabs ESPN's Paul Finebaum during Rose Bowl

Jeff Hauser

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Indiana announcer jabs ESPN's Paul Finebaum during Rose Bowl image

Indiana didn’t just silence Alabama on the field in the Rose Bowl, the Hoosiers also had a little fun with the noise coming from ESPN.

After the network's personality Paul Finebaum incorrectly picked Alabama to beat Indiana in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal, longtime Hoosiers announcer Don Fischer delivered a blow during the rout. 

As Indiana running back Kaelon Black scored a fourth quarter rushing touchdown in the Hoosiers’ 38-3 win Thursday, Fischer punctuated the moment on the radio call.

“What are you thinking now, Paul Finebaum?” Fischer said. The moment couldn't have been more fitting. 

Fischer, who has called Indiana athletics for 53 years, has long been the voice of the program and rarely passes up a moment that resonates with the fan base.

Finebaum had publicly backed the Crimson Tide earlier in the week, acknowledging on ESPN’s First Take that he was “swinging for the fences” with his pick. “I think there is so much to this,” Finebaum said. “Alabama is a hard team to love, but they’ve been resilient.”

That team never showed up in Pasadena. Indiana dominated from the opening kickoff, beating up Alabama in the trenches and cruising to one of the most one-sided losses in Tide postseason history.

Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer called the defeat a reminder of how thin the margin is at the highest level.

The win marked Indiana’s first Rose Bowl and CFP victory and sent the Hoosiers on to face Oregon Ducks in the CFP semifinal at the Peach Bowl on Jan. 9. 

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Editorial Team