Inside the pick-six play that kickstarted Indiana's destruction of Oregon in CFP semifinals

ATLANTA -- D'Angelo Ponds saw it in Dante Moore's eyes. 

As the Oregon quarterback dropped back on the first offensive play of the game, Ponds recognized what he was about to do. As Moore stared down receiver Malik Benson and released the ball, Ponds decided to go for it. He jumped the route, intercepted Moore's pass and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown.

All of 11 seconds into Friday's College Football Playoff semifinal, Oregon was down 7-0 and a Mercedes-Benz Stadium full of Indiana fans was ecstatic. In just an instant all of Oregon's national title hopes seemed to dissipate. It would only get worse from there in Indiana's impressively lopsided 56-22 Peach Bowl win over the Ducks. 

"Coming out I kind of knew it was a RPO type of deal," Ponds said. "I played off so I could break on the ball. Kind of read his eyes and got a jump on it. It was an amazing feeling walking into the end zone."

Ponds has been so terrific for Indiana this season. In Indiana's last two blowout wins over Alabama and Oregon, Ponds was the defensive player of the game. He may not have the prototypical cornerback size, but he's so instinctive and intelligent that his play more than makes up for his 5-foot-9 stature. 

He has flourished under defensive coordinator Bryant Haines' top-flight defense. With head coach Curt Cignetti leading the way, this Indiana program is defined by its work ethic, its relentless pursuit of perfection and its preparation. Cignetti, Haines, offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan and the rest of the coaching staff are grinders. They tirelessly review game film to find any little advantage they can utilize about their opponent. With that as the established culture, it should be no surprise Ponds knew what to expect on the very first offensive play of the game. 

Indiana flirting with all-time great status as Hoosiers plow through Oregon, into CFP National Championship

John Talty

"There are tells," Haines said. "Every offense has tells, whether it be a split, whether it be a formation, whether it be a release. These are things that (cornerbacks coach) Rod Ojong and D'Angelo Ponds study in the same way that I study run fits and different blitz patterns. D'Angelo Ponds knew that was going to happen and he took a shot at it, and I'm glad that he did."

In his Friday morning meeting with his group before the game, Haines referenced a quote Moore had given a few days prior about the first time the two teams met, a 30-20 Indiana win in Eugene. "You can say I was kind of seeing ghosts out there," Moore told reporters. Haines latched on to that idea and told his defensive players that's exactly what they should be against the Ducks Friday night in Atlanta. "We are ghosts," Haines told them. "The gameplan is deception." 

While Moore rallied for a touchdown on his second offensive drive, he clearly never got comfortable against the Hoosiers. He seemed to be pressing, a product of that early mistake and missing his usual running backs. "They have a great defense, great disguise and different looks, but you can't win football games if you're causing turnovers," Moore said. 

The 40-year old Haines has a credible argument as the nation's best defensive coordinator. He should be this year's Broyles Award winner for the nation's best assistant for what he's done with a Hoosiers defense that ranks top three nationally in almost every important statistical category. Haines is a maniac in the best way, never satisfied with what he's already accomplished. 

After a thoroughly dominant win over Oregon in which his defense forced three turnovers and played a huge role in the win, Haines wasn't crowing about his performance. In fact, in a dead serious tone, the Indiana defensive coordinator said he called a "bad" game against the Ducks. 

"It doesn't always happen but as a playcaller you look back at certain calls and wish you had it back," he said. "That happened to me a couple times today. I'll get better."

Just as Haines and Ponds were able to uncover an Oregon tell that led to that pick six, he's obsessed with preventing an opponent doing the same to him. He's constantly reviewing his tendencies to, well, prevent them from being tendencies. 

"I spend a lot of time chasing my own ghosts," the Indiana DC said. "I want to avoid who I was last week. I spent a lot of time with that. I do have a quality control coach that's in charge of my call sheet, and I feel bad for the guy because I don't know how many times I put down a call that I use, I'm like, 'No, I don't want to do it that way. I want to do it a different way.' So we use a lot of white out. But I want to break my own tendencies. I want to be an elusive target in the same way I want my defense to be elusive."

Good luck with that, Miami. 

The Hurricanes are the final obstacle for this remarkable Indiana team. The Hoosiers crushed Alabama, they crushed Oregon and now they hope to crush Miami in the College Football Playoff national championship game. 

And over the next 10 days, Haines, Ponds and the rest of that Indiana defense will be in the film room, digging deep for any little advantage they can find.