The annual Ice Castles — Minnesota attraction made its earliest-ever opening last week, just in time for News Year’s Day visitors to explore the frozen spectacle at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in Falcon Heights.

Promoters have staged the event at various locations in the Twin Cities, including Stillwater, before last year’s debut in Falcon Heights. Work on the illuminated castles, which include ice slides, tunnels, caverns and intricate ice sculptures, began in early December.

For ticketing information, go to icecastles.com/minnesota.

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PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Fernando Mendoza threw three touchdown passes, Indiana’s defense thoroughly throttled Alabama, and the top-seeded Hoosiers roared into the College Football Playoff semifinals with a 38-3 victory in the 112th Rose Bowl on Thursday.

Mendoza passed for 192 yards in his first game since winning his school’s first Heisman Trophy, but the hard-nosed Hoosiers (14-0, No. 1 CFP seed) won the Rose Bowl for the first time in school history by dominating the Crimson Tide (11-4, No. 9 CFP seed) at the line of scrimmage.

Indiana scored the game’s first 24 points before pouring it on with fourth-quarter rushing TDs from Kaelon Black and Roman Hemby, wrapping up a jubilant win in the 112th edition of the Granddaddy of Them All.

Charlie Becker, Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt caught TD passes, while Black rushed for 99 yards. Indiana outgained Alabama 407-193, steadily delighting a decidedly pro-Indiana crowd that celebrated its long-struggling team’s first Rose Bowl game appearance since 1968 with chants of “Hoosier Daddy?” in the final minutes.

Indiana had not won any bowl game since the Copper Bowl in 1991, but history has been no match for Curt Cignetti and his dominant Hoosiers during the coach’s two transcendent seasons.

The Hoosiers are headed to the Peach Bowl on Jan. 9 for a CFP semifinal rematch with fifth-seeded Oregon, which routed Texas Tech 23-0 earlier Thursday in the Orange Bowl. Indiana beat the then-No. 3 Ducks 30-20 in Eugene last October in one of Cignetti’s most impressive Big Ten victories.

Indiana is two wins away from the first national championship in school history after becoming the first team to advance following a first-round bye in the current 12-team playoff format.

The first six bye teams — including the first two this season — couldn’t come back strong from an extra-long layoff, but the Hoosiers took care of business while improving to 25-2 under Cignetti.

The Crimson Tide’s second season under Kalen DeBoer ended in the same venue as their final season under Nick Saban two years ago. Alabama was outclassed one week after an impressive road win over Oklahoma, managing just 151 yards before the meaningless final minutes of this blowout.

Ty Simpson passed for 67 yards before backup Austin Mack replaced him in the third quarter. Mack immediately got the Tide rolling on a 65-yard drive leading to a short field goal, but the Hoosiers responded with two unstoppable TD drives.

Indiana dominated the famous Rose Bowl turf, which stayed pristine despite nearly 24 hours of steady rain before kickoff. The storms dissipated while the Hoosiers took their first-half lead, and blue skies appeared in the second half.

After the first scoreless first quarter in a Rose Bowl in 26 years, Indiana’s second drive stretched 84 yards and 16 plays over nearly nine minutes before Nicolas Radicic’s 31-yard field goal on the first snap of the second quarter.

Indiana’s defense then stopped Alabama on fourth and 1 at the Tide 34, and Mendoza fired a long, high pass to the leaping Becker four plays later for a 21-yard touchdown.

Simpson fumbled in Indiana territory after a courageous first-down scramble late in the first half, and the Hoosiers methodically drove for Mendoza’s 1-yard TD pass with 17 seconds left to Cooper, the hero of Indiana’s dramatic victory over Penn State.

After halftime, Mendoza led a steady 79-yard drive ending in his 24-yard TD pass to the leaping Sarratt.

The victory is the latest step in the monumental two-season turnaround of what was the losingest program in college football when Cignetti took charge. After winning 11 games and reaching the CFP last season, the Hoosiers steamrolled through their schedule this fall before beating defending national champion Ohio State for the Big Ten title and ascending to the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 for the first time.

Takeaways

Alabama: It was remarkable to see the most successful program of the 21st century get dominated up front. The Tide’s inability to run the ball was a season-long problem, but it was particularly painful in Pasadena. Whether through personnel or scheme, DeBoer’s offense must take a step forward next year to reach the standard expected at Bama.

Indiana: The Hoosiers acted like they’ve been here before, even though they haven’t. Cignetti’s group has a businesslike demeanor that wasn’t remotely altered by Alabama’s reputation and history.

Up next

Alabama: Host East Carolina on Sept. 5.

Indiana: A trip to Atlanta to face the powerhouse Ducks, who lost last season’s Rose Bowl to Ohio State as the No. 1 seed.

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Stearns County prosecutors plan to seek an aggravated sentence and an additional offense in a case involving a Catholic priest charged with stalking, criminal sexual conduct and violence against a woman.

Joseph Paul Herzing, 61, of Milaca, is charged with one count of stalking, one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct and three counts of threats of violence, according to court records.

However Assistant Stearns County Attorney Jamie Reinschmidt filed a Dec. 3 motion to offer an additional third-degree criminal sexual conduct charge at trial, saying that Herzing “engaged in numerous instances of sexual penetration and sexual contact from 2014-18 in Hennepin and Stearns counties while being a member of the clergy.” An intent to seek an aggravated sentence was filed on Nov. 26.

Herzing appeared in court virtually on Monday for a bond hearing. Conditions include not leaving the state nor engaging in pastoral duties. A future court date has not been set.

Herzing is accused of abuse that occurred while providing spiritual advice, aid and comfort while serving as a priest in Little Falls and St. Cloud between May 2018 and October 2022. According to the criminal complaint, there were multiple violent interactions in 2022, including where Herzing choked, physically assaulted and threatened to kill the victim.

The criminal complaint also said that Herzing took the woman to an event in Milaca on his motorcycle in August 2022 and threatened to kill them both by crashing into a tree. The woman told investigators Herzing had made similar threats in the past.

He was ordained at St. Mary’s Cathedral in St. Cloud in 1999, and later was appointed as pastor of Christ the King in Browerville; St. Joseph in Clarissa; St. Joseph in Grey Eagle; St. Mary of Mount Carmel in Long Prairie, and St. John the Baptist in Swanville in June 2024, according to the Diocese of St. Cloud. Herzing was put on leave following the filing of charges in Stearns County District Court, St. Cloud Bishop Patrick Neary said in a Nov. 27 statement.

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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The first thing that Oregon quarterback Dante Moore did after winning the Orange Bowl was salute the thousands of fans who made the cross-country trip to South Florida.

If the Ducks’ defense keeps playing like this, those fans might be back in Miami before long.

Matayo Uiagalelei caused a fumble to set up an Oregon touchdown, freshman Brandon Finney Jr. had three takeaways — two interceptions and a fumble recovery — and the fifth-seeded Ducks silenced No. 4 Texas Tech’s offense for a 23-0 win in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Orange Bowl on Thursday.

“They’ve earned this opportunity,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “I told them go get their pound of flesh today. They did that today.”

Jordon Davison rushed for two scores, Moore threw for 234 yards and Atticus Sappington kicked three field goals for Oregon (13-1), which will play No. 1 Indiana (14-0) in the Peach Bowl — a CFP semifinal — on Jan. 9. It’s a rematch of a game from Oct. 11, when the Hoosiers beat Oregon 30-20.

The Oregon-Indiana winner will be in Miami Gardens for the national title game on Jan. 19.

“I believe we have the best defense in the country,” Finney said.

Texas Tech probably wouldn’t argue with that.

Texas Tech — which finished at 12-2 — came into the day second nationally in points per game (42.5) and fifth nationally in yards per game (480.3) but got absolutely nothing going. The Red Raiders turned the ball over four times, were stopped on fourth downs three other times and had four three-and-outs.

“Texas Tech fans, I’m sorry that we let you down,” coach Joey McGuire said. “I hope you’ve enjoyed every second of this year. Man, this was such a special team and I’m so proud of them. Hats off to Dan Lanning. Hats off to the Oregon Ducks. Just an incredible football team … and I told Dan after the game I hope he wins the whole damn thing.”

Tech quarterback Behren Morton — who finished 18 of 32 passing for just 137 yards — was stripped by Uiagalelei early in the third quarter in Red Raider territory. Uiagalelei rumbled deep into the red zone and Davison scored one play later to make it 13-0.

Morton threw a red-zone interception early in the fourth quarter and a fourth-down stop from their own 30 midway through the fourth quarter doomed whatever comeback chances existed for the Red Raiders. Davison plunged in from the 1 with 16 seconds left to cap the scoring.

“We had a great game plan,” Morton said. “We just didn’t execute base plays.”

And once again, a CFP bye meant a team went bye-bye.

It was the sixth quarterfinal under this 12-team tournament format that started last year and the sixth time that the team coming off an extended break lost to a team that played a first-round game. That odd streak ended later Thursday, when Indiana — which had a first-round bye — rolled past Alabama 38-3 in another quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl.

In 2024, Boise State (against Penn State), Arizona State (against Texas), Georgia (against Notre Dame) and Oregon (against Ohio State) all went out in the quarterfinals after first-round byes. Miami added to that list Wednesday night, beating Ohio State in a quarterfinal at the Cotton Bowl. In those six games, including Thursday, the team with the bye has held the lead for less than five minutes — combined — of regulation.

Texas Tech thought it could avoid that fate. It could not, and Oregon finished off its first shutout of an AP-ranked opponent since 2012. Oregon was playing a top-10 team for the 113th time — and for the first time, allowed zero points.

“In this program you don’t make excuses,” McGuire said, “and you don’t let anybody make them for you.”

Oregon played James Madison in Round 1 this year, winning 51-34, and generally was unhappy afterward with how it played defensively.

There wasn’t anything to not like from that side of the ball on Thursday.

“Last week a lot of people talked about our defense,” Lanning said. “They showed up today.”

Takeaways

Oregon: The Ducks are flying home to Eugene, instead of staying in the Eastern time zone to prepare for the Peach Bowl in Atlanta next week. It was a decision the Ducks made not long after seeing how the CFP bracket could shake out.

Texas Tech: It simply was an uncharacteristic offensive showing from the Red Raiders, who had scored at least 10 points before halftime in 26 of their last 27 games going back to 2023. “That was the best defense we have faced this year,” McGuire said.

Up next

Oregon: The Ducks, who have tied the school record for wins in a season, get a rematch with Indiana.

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders are scheduled to open the 2026 season at home against Abilene Christian on Sept. 5.

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