Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti has the Hoosiers (10-0) in the Big Ten and college football spotlight with Ohio State up next.

Hoosier Hysteria: Out-of-nowhere Indiana basking in spotlight

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The college football world has spent the last couple of months trying to tell Curt Cignetti how to think.

“You can’t win at Indiana University.”

“The Hoosiers can’t be highly ranked in the college football polls.”

“IU can’t have a spot in the College Football Playoffs.”

“IU-Ohio State is the biggest game the Hoosiers have played since 1967… maybe ever.”

The Hoosiers’ head coach isn’t listening. In fact, he’s not all that interested in what you think.

It isn’t that he doesn’t hear the outside noise. It would be difficult not to, what with ESPN’s College GameDay and Fox Sports’ Big Noon Kickoff consistently buzzing around. Unparalleled success comes with national attention, and the Hoosiers are among the biggest stories of the 2024 college football season.

After nearly 140 years of frustration, the program that has lost more games in its history than any other finds itself in the white-hot spotlight vs. the No. 2-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus with a chance to silence all of its critics. Big Ten title hopes lie in the balance.

A big game? Cignetti isn’t having it.

“It’s a big game because it’s the next game,” Cignetti says. “We treat them all alike. If there were a better way to prepare for a certain team, we’d do that for every team.”

It’s coach-speak, but it’s also clear that Cignetti truly believes it.

His success not just at IU but at previous stops at James Madison and Elon has convinced him that his way of preparing for opponents and instilling belief in his players is the right way.

“It’s pretty simple,” Cignetti famously said after being hired at IU. “I win. Google me.”

Belief has been the bedrock of the Hoosiers’ historic season, from the belief the coaches have in one another to the belief the players have in their coaches and each other. Belief isn’t difficult to come by when the head man has delivered on everything he promised since Day One.

And the IU administration is buying into the belief, too. With multiple sellouts of Memorial Stadium this year and the promise of a lot more in the future, IU Athletics Director Scott Dolson made sure nobody was going to poach his head coach by using the bye week to sign Cignetti to an eight-year contract extension worth upwards of $72 million.

Even when his team wasn’t playing, Cignetti managed to win the weekend.

It’s the best of times for IU football, and it will never be better.

There were no expectations on the Hoosiers coming into this season, and nobody in their wildest dreams believed IU would be undefeated and ranked in the top five in the country come the final weeks of the regular season. For a program that consistently searches for just six wins in a season to reach an elusive bowl, one that won a total of nine games in the last three years, every game at this point is playing with house money.

Nobody can be disappointed with anything that happens from here on out because nobody expected to be here.

Consider IU never won more than nine games in a season until this season. The Hoosiers could lose every game the rest of the year and it would be the most successful season in their history.

In the future, there will be expectations.

IU fans have felt the warmth of success, and they’ll crave it with every fiber of their being. Disappointment and heartache are always a possibility. It has happened before.

But that’s in the future. Cignetti has completely changed the narrative for IU football, which is now playing big-boy football for the first time in its history.

There is the contract extension and the dream of renovations at 65-year-old Memorial Stadium. You need more room for more fans. Cignetti has allowed long-suffering Hoosier fans to dream of becoming a football power, and he’s certain this year isn’t a fluke. It’s just the beginning.

And you better believe it.

–Ken Bikoff, Field Level Media

Oct 19, 2024; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Tayven Jackson (2) prepares for a snap during the third quarter of a game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

No. 13 Indiana starting new QB with “College GameDay,” Washington visiting

Usually at this time of the year, Hoosiers are looking forward to the start of basketball season.

Not this fall.

Indiana’s football team has captured the state’s, if not the nation’s, imagination. ESPN’s “College GameDay” will be on campus Saturday in Bloomington, Ind., for only the second time ahead of the No. 13 Hoosiers (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) game against Washington (4-3, 2-2).

Indiana first hosted “College GameDay” back in 2017 ahead of a Thursday game against Ohio State.

Indiana thrashed Nebraska 56-7 last Saturday, leading to a headline in The Athletic early this week regarding the candidates for the 12-team College Football Playoff read: “Yes, Indiana has a better chance than Alabama.”

Of course, that was before Hoosiers starting quarterback Kurtis Rourke reportedly had thumb surgery Monday.

“Right off the bat, Kurtis Rourke will not play this week. We do expect Kurtis to return during the regular season. That’s all I’ll say about the injury,” Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti said.

Cignetti did say Rourke, a sixth-year transfer from Ohio, was taking the injury in stride.

“He’s a veteran guy, married guy,” Cignetti said. “He’s older, smart. Got a great attitude about it.”

Rourke, who was getting some Heisman Trophy consideration by leading the top-scoring offense in the nation (48.7 points per game), was injured during the first half against the Cornhuskers when he hit a helmet during a throw. Rourke has completed 135 of 181 passes for 1,941 yards, 15 touchdowns and three interceptions.

Rourke will be replaced by Tayven Jackson, who started five games for the Hoosiers as a freshman last season. He guided Indiana to four second-half touchdowns last weekend, completing 7 of 8 passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns.

“We have 100 percent confidence and the team has 100 percent confidence, I have confidence, the staff has confidence in Tayven Jackson,” Cignetti said. “I thought he played really well in the second half.”

Washington coach Jedd Fisch, whose team had a bye last week, and his assistants made sure to watch the second half of the Nebraska game carefully.

“If I was going off that small sample, I would say it doesn’t look too much different,” Fisch said of the switch from Rourke to Jackson.

After defeating visiting Michigan 27-17 on Oct. 5 in a rematch of last season’s College Football Playoff championship game, the Huskies traveled to Iowa the following week and lost 40-16.

“We had a lot of corrections we needed to make,” Fisch said. “Everybody needs to be better, but as we’re building it, and going through this process and learning how to handle big wins against Michigan, tough losses against Iowa, how is that team going to be able to respond in the future is really the key.”

Washington quarterback Will Rogers, a transfer from Mississippi State, has completed 153 of 212 passes (72.2 percent) for 1,820 yards with 13 touchdowns and two interceptions this season. Running back Jonah Coleman, a transfer from Arizona, has 681 yards on 99 carries (6.9 yards per rush) with five touchdowns.

–Field Level Media

Oct 19, 2024; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke (9) prepares to snap the ball during the first quarter against the Nebraska Cornhuskers  at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

Reports: Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke (thumb) expected to miss Washington game

A thumb injury is expected to keep Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke on the sidelines next weekend when the Hooisers host Washington in a Big Ten game, multiple outlets reported Sunday.

Rourke suffered the injury on his right (throwing) hand in the second quarter of Saturday’s 56-7 thrashing of Nebraska. The injury apparently occurred when his hand hit the helmet of a Nebraska player.

It was not clear Sunday how much time Rourke is expected to miss.

With the Hoosiers up 28-7 at the half, Rourke did not return to Saturday’s game after halftime and backup Tayven Jackson took over.

Before his departure, Rourke completed 17 of 21 pass attempts for 189 yards with one touchdown and one interception for undefeated Indiana (7-0).

Rourke, 23, is in his first season at Indiana after starting the past three seasons at Ohio. On the season, he is 135-of-181 passing (74.6 percent) for 1,941 yards with 15 touchdowns and three interceptions.

–Field Level Media

Indiana's Justice Ellison (6) runs during the Indiana versus Nebraska football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024.

No. 16 Indiana runs over Nebraska

Justice Ellison ran for 105 yards and two touchdowns Saturday as No. 16 Indiana rolled to a 56-7 Big Ten Conference blowout of Nebraska in Bloomington, Ind.

The Hoosiers (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) rolled up 495 yards of offense against a top-15 defense nationally despite losing starting quarterback Kurtis Rourke to a hand injury. Before departing at halftime, Rourke completed 17 of 21 passes for 189 yards with a touchdown.

Backup Tayven Jackson came in and the high-powered offense didn’t miss many beats. He was 7 of 8 for 91 yards and two scores in the second half as Indiana passed what some considered to be its toughest test to this point.

While the Hoosiers were sharp in every phase, the Cornhuskers (5-2, 2-2) weren’t. Freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola completed 28 of 44 passes for 234 yards but also tossed three interceptions, two of which turned into Indiana touchdown drives.

Not to be outdone by the offense, the Hoosiers’ defense forced five turnovers and logged seven tackles for loss. Nebraska managed only 70 yards on the ground.

Indiana set an immediate tone by marching 75 yards on the game’s opening drive, Ellison capping it with a 5-yard run. Rourke made it 14-0 with 13:37 left in the half on a 7-yard touchdown pass to Myles Price.

Jacory Barney Jr.’s 7-yard scoring jaunt drew the Cornhuskers within 14-7 at the 7:40 mark, but the Hoosiers took control with two touchdowns in the final 3:47 of the half. Ty Son Lawton scored on a 1-yard run to finish a 75-yard drive and Ellison made it 28-7 at the break on a 31-yard run.

The game was a rout with two more Indiana scores in the third quarter. Jackson converted a short field after an interception, finding Miles Cross for a 2-yard touchdown pass, and then connected with Elijah Sarratt on a 15-yard strike with 1:46 left.

Kaelon Black added a 10-yard touchdown run less than two minutes into the fourth quarter, and Elijah Green capped the scoring on a 1-yard run with 3:45 remaining.

–Field Level Media

Indiana's Kurtis Rourke (9) passes during the Indiana versus Maryland football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024.

Indiana tops Maryland for best start (5-0) since 1967

Kurtis Rourke threw three touchdowns to help Indiana secure its best start in almost six decades with a 42-28 win over Big Ten-rival Maryland on a rainy Saturday in Bloomington, Ind.

Six different players scored touchdowns for the Hoosiers, who are 5-0 for the first time since 1967. Indiana is 2-0 in conference play.

Elijah Sarratt, Omar Cooper Jr. and Donaven McCulley each caught a score from Rourke, who finished 22 of 33 for 359 yards and two interceptions. Justice Ellison, Myles Price and Ty Son Lawton each added a rushing touchdown.

The Hoosiers outgained the Terrapins 510-401 and overcame four turnovers.

Billy Edwards Jr. completed 26 of 41 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns for Maryland (3-2, 0-2), which had won three straight against Indiana.

Terrapins receiver Kaden Prather caught five passes for 66 yards and a touchdown. Roman Hemby scored on a 75-yard run and had a game-high 117 rushing yards on 10 carries. Hemby also caught a 12-yard touchdown to close the scoring.

Tai Felton managed five catches for 38 yards in limited action for Maryland as he sat most of the second half with an unspecified injury. Felton entered Saturday third in Division I with 604 receiving yards.

Prather had a 30-yard touchdown catch overturned with the Terrapins trailing 35-21 in the fourth quarter. Maryland failed on fourth down three plays later with 8:07 left.

Lawton iced the win on a 14-yard run at the 4:09 mark.

Indiana went up two scores with 12:24 left on McCulley’s 12-yard score, his only catch of the game.

The Hoosiers entered the fourth quarter ahead 28-21 after both teams scored two touchdowns in the third.

The Terrapins pulled even at 14 when Dylan Wade tipped a pass to himself for an acrobatic 6-yard touchdown catch. Ellison responded with a 19-yard run on Indiana’s ensuing drive before Hemby raced 75 yards on Maryland’s next play.

Rourke hit Sarratt for a 13-yard score with 40 seconds left in the quarter.

The Hoosiers outgained Maryland 237-110 in the first half but led just 14-7 after committing three turnovers.

After Rourke was intercepted on Indiana’s first two drives, Price delivered the game’s first score on a 1-yard run to open the second quarter.

Maryland responded when Edwards connected with Prather for a 33-yard score. Cooper caught a 27-yard touchdown with 38 seconds left in the half.

–Field Level Media

Sep 14, 2024; Pasadena, California, USA; Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Elijah Sarratt (13) carries the ball against UCLA Bruins defensive back Kanye Clark (1) in the first half at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

UCLA’s Big Ten era begins with lopsided loss to Indiana at home

Kurtis Rourke went 25-of-33 passing for 307 yards and four touchdowns as Indiana gave host UCLA a rude welcome to the Big Ten Conference in a 42-13 rout on Saturday in Pasadena, Calif.

Indiana (3-0, 1-0 Big Ten) wasted little time taking control in its first visit to Rose Bowl Stadium since 1968. Rourke threw touchdown passes of three yards to Miles Cross and 14 yards to Ke’Shawn Williams just 63 seconds apart midway through the first quarter.

The Hoosiers’ advantage never dipped below double digits the rest of the way.

Rourke was electric, spreading the ball around to seven different pass-catchers, four of whom hauled in at least four receptions. Cross led Indiana with six catches for 90 yards, and Williams scored touchdowns on two of his three catches.

The second scoring connection between Rourke and Williams came in the third quarter to effectively put UCLA away.

After Indiana’s lead rose to 21-0 on Justice Ellison’s goal-line touchdown carry, capping a 12-play, 90-yard scoring drive, the Bruins scored 10 unanswered points. T.J. Harden accounted for the lone UCLA touchdown with a one-yard plunge just before halftime.

With the Bruins (1-1, 0-1) threatening, Indiana went on a nine-play, 87-yard drive that culminated in Rourke’s three-yard touchdown toss to Williams. Indiana piled on further with a 23-yard Rourke scoring pass to Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Green’s 14-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

The Hoosiers’ defense did its part to contribute to the blowout, holding UCLA to 238 total yards and forcing a pair of turnovers. The first came when Mikail Kamara recovered an Ethan Garbers fumble deep in Bruins territory, setting up Indiana’s second touchdown of the evening.

Amare Ferrell intercepted Garbers in the fourth quarter to put an exclamation point on Indiana’s emphatic conference win.

Garbers finished 14-of-23 for 137 yards. Harden led the Bruins in both rushing and receiving, gaining 48 yards on 12 carries and 41 yards on four receptions.

UCLA linebacker Kain Medrano made three tackles for loss.

–Field Level Media

Indiana's Andison Coby (0) catches a touchdown pass during the Indiana versus Western Illinois football game at Memorial Stadium on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024.

Indiana scores school-record 77 points in rout of Western Illinois

Kurtis Rourke passed for 268 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score, and Justice Ellison rushed for 117 yards and two TDs, lifting host Indiana to a 77-3 rout of Western Illinois on Friday in Bloomington, Ind.

Indiana established a program record for most points in a game, surpassing the previous standard set against Franklin College in 1901. The Hoosiers also set a program best with 701 yards of offense.

Elijah Sarratt (six catches, 137 yards) and Omar Cooper Jr. (four catches, 131 yards) each had touchdown receptions for the Hoosiers.

Indiana (2-0) limited Western Illinois to 121 yards.

Western Illinois, which surrendered 706 yards in last week’s season opener at Northern Illinois, lost for a program-record 26th consecutive time.

Leathernecks quarterback Nathan Lamb was 13-for-25 passing for 109 yards and two interceptions. Christian Anaya had five catches for 56 yards.

Indiana visited the end zone on six straight possessions to open the game, failing to score when it had the ball moments before the first half ended with the hosts on top 42-3.

Quick, explosive drives proved the norm for the Hoosiers, who needed 1:58, 2:22 and nine seconds, respectively, to score their first three touchdowns. The last in that sequence was a 71-yard scoring pass from Rourke to Sarratt.

The Hoosiers slowed things down a bit after that, swallowing at least 4:11 of clock time on their next three TD drives.

Western Illinois (0-2) avoided a shutout when Antonio Chadha connected on a 31-yard field goal with 30 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

The Leathernecks moved the ball 69 yards in 12 plays during their most complete drive of the night. A 30-yard pass from Lamb to Demari Davis brought Western Illinois inside the red zone.

Rourke played a sterling first half for the Hoosiers, going 14-for-16 passing for 260 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for a 1-yard score.

Indiana outgained Western Illinois 415-98 before halftime while boasting a 21-4 edge in first downs.

The Hoosiers, who hadn’t faced the Leathernecks before Friday, improved to 18-1 against FCS schools, including a 15-game winning streak.

Indiana tight end James Bomba was helped off the field in the first half with an apparent
leg injury.

–Field Level Media

Aug 31, 2024; Bloomington, Indiana, USA;  Indiana Hoosiers running back Ty Son Lawton (17) celebrates after running for a touchdown against the Florida International Panthers during the first half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

Western Illinois brings 25-game losing streak to Indiana

After thumping Florida International in its home and season opener on Saturday, Indiana is bracing for the challenge of hosting Western Illinois on a short week.

The Hoosiers (1-0) will face the Leathernecks (0-1) in a non-conference game Friday night in Bloomington, Ind., in the teams’ lone non-Saturday game of the season.

“I’ve played Thursday. I’ve played Friday. I’ve played Saturday,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said. “We just get ready to play when we’re asked to play.”

Indiana looked prepared in the program’s first game under Cignetti, defeating FIU 31-7 behind a stout ground game that saw the Hoosiers gain 234 yards on 40 carries.

Ty Son Lawton sparked the attack, rushing 16 times for 74 yards and two touchdowns. Justice Ellison added 10 carries for 68 yards, and Elijah Green had a 51-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter to seal the season-opening romp.

The Hoosiers scored on three of their first four possessions, with quarterback Kurtis Rourke adding a touchdown pass to Zach Horton and finishing with 180 yards on 15-of-24 passing.

Cignetti praised the team’s effort on both sides of the ball and said he’s looking for more of the same against the Leathernecks, who are coming off a 54-15 loss to Northern Illinois.

As for the Hoosiers, they tallied eight tackles for loss and four sacks against FIU while allowing just 53 yards on the ground.

“That’s kind of how we pride ourselves on playing defense,” Cignetti said.

Friday will mark the first meeting between Indiana and Western Illinois. The Hoosiers boast a 14-game winning streak against FCS opponents and are 17-1 overall against such schools.

Western Illinois has lost a program-record 25 straight games. To end that skid, first-year coach Joe Davis said “we’re going to have to shore up” a defense that allowed too many “explosive plays” against Northern Illinois, which gained 706 yards.

The Leathernecks had no turnovers behind senior quarterback Nathan Lamb and had a special-teams highlight when Fredrik Greenhoward recovered a blocked NIU extra point and returned it 100-plus yards for a two-point conversion.

–Field Level Media

Oct 14, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin, USA;  Wisconsin Badgers running back Jackson Acker (34) during the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Banged-up Wisconsin tries to keep up in division race, faces Indiana

Already hampered by injuries on offense, Wisconsin might be missing two more key pieces when it travels to Bloomington, Ind., to face Indiana on Saturday with hopes of remaining in the Big Ten West race.

Wisconsin (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) is coming off a 24-10 home loss to third-ranked Ohio State that dropped the Badgers into a four-way tie atop the West division with Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska.

Indiana (2-6, 0-5) lost 33-24 to then-No. 10 Penn State after being tied at 24 with just under three minutes to play. The Hoosiers have to win their last four games to become bowl-eligible.

Already without starting quarterback Tanner Mordecai and running back Chez Mellusi, the Badgers suffered two more key injuries vs. the Buckeyes. Leading rusher Braelon Allen suffered a leg injury just before the half and returned to the sideline in a walking boot. Senior wideout Chimere Dike, also the team’s leading punt and kickoff returner, also left with a leg injury.

“Don’t know a whole lot,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said. “They were out at practice on Sunday. Didn’t do a whole lot, but it’s only Monday. We’ll have to find some things out during the week.”

Redshirt freshman Braedyn Locke, in his second career start, completed 18 of 39 passes for 165 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions against Ohio State. Redshirt sophomore Jackson Acker had nine carries for 34 yards after Allen went out.

Wisconsin, which was tied 10-10 early in the third quarter against the Buckeyes, managed just 259 yards of total offense.

Indiana outgained the Nittany Lions 349-342 with redshirt freshman Brendan Sorsby passing for 269 yards. Sorsby, in his third career start, tossed three touchdown passes, including a 90-yarder and another for 69 yards.

Sorsby, who replaced Tennessee transfer Tayven Jackson as the starter, is 58-of-108 passing for 689 yards with six touchdowns and one pick in six games.

“You just want to see whoever takes over to take it and then just start growing, and take the position and run with it,” Indiana coach Tom Allen said Monday. “And I think we’ve seen the last few weeks the growth with Brendan.”

Indiana averages 316.4 yards per game while allowing 363.1. The Hoosiers average 18.6 points per game, while giving up 29.8, each ranking 13th in the 14-team conference.

Indiana won the last meeting between the teams 14-6 at Wisconsin in 2020, snapping the Badgers’ 10-game winning streak vs. the Hoosiers. Wisconsin leads the all-time series 41-19-2.

–Field Level Media

Oct 14, 2023; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Brendan Sorsby (15) passes in the first half against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Indiana still deciding on QB1 for Rutgers game

Indiana coach Tom Allen has not named a starting quarterback for this weekend’s home game against Rutgers.

The Hoosiers (2-4, 0-3 Big Ten) rotated Tayven Jackson and Brendan Sorsby in Saturday’s 52-7 loss at No. 2 Michigan.

Allen said Monday that the coaching staff is still evaluating who will start against the Scarlet Knights (5-2, 2-2).

He added that whoever starts this Saturday will be under center for the rest of the season.

“This person will be the guy,” Allen said, per the Indianapolis Star. “I’m not going to rotate them back and forth.”

Jackson completed 7 of 13 passes for 52 yards and two interceptions against the Wolverines, while Sorsby threw for 44 yards on 6-of-15 passing and was sacked three times.

“Both of them did some good things on Saturday, both of them made mistakes, but it’s about protecting the football, it’s about running the offense and being effective with that,” Allen said.

Jackson, a redshirt freshman, has completed 60.9 percent of his passes for 914 yards, two TDs and five picks in six games.

Sorsby, also a redshirt freshman, has completed 51.7 percent of his throws for 294 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in four games.

–Field Level Media