2024 In Review: Top Indiana Football Memories From An Unprecedented Season

Todd Golden looks back at his favorite Indiana football moments from an unforgettable 11-2 season.

Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Elijah Sarratt (13) celebrates a touchdown with quarterback Kurtis Rourke (9) in the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Memorial Stadium. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Hoosiers On SI’s year in review stories continue apace. Time to turn my attention to the phenomenon of the 2024 calendar year overall for Indiana athletics – the unprecedented success of the 2024 football team.

I don’t think a poll would be needed to determine that the gridiron Hoosiers were the overall best story of 2024. They are likely the best story of the decade of so far.

Coach Curt Cignetti backed up his early bluster with the best Indiana football season ever, one that saw the Hoosiers finish 11-2 overall, 8-1 in the Big Ten, and earn a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff field.

While many thought a kind schedule would help the Hoosiers improve in the win department, no one who was thinking objectively thought the College Football Playoff berth was a possibility.

It was a season that could have a transformative effect on Indiana athletics if the success can be replicated. Indiana has desired long-term football success for a long time. The 2024 season could be the season it was finally achieved. Time will tell, but Cignetti is off to an amazing start.

As for 2024 itself, what a ride. As mentioned with the women’s basketball review story, Todd Golden prefers to rank top five memories, rather than specific games or players.

Even if I did want to rank games? Indiana was so dominant that only one of its games – the 20-15 victory over Michigan on Nov. 9 – was dramatic in the least. Unfortunately, that was also true for Indiana’s losses at Ohio State and Notre Dame.

Here’s my top five memories of a season that will live long in the fond remembrances of Indiana fans.

5. Kurtis Rourke-Elijah Sarratt Connection Against Western Illinois

Indiana's Elijah Sarratt (13) runs for a touchdown during the Indiana versus Western Illinois football game at Memorial Stadium on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

This might seem like a weird one – a single play in a game against a poor FCS team in Western Illinois. A game that ended with a 77-3 Indiana rout.

However, the play in question was the sign for me that Indiana’s offense might be something special.

With 7:41 on the clock in the first quarter, Rourke stood in the pocket and waited for Sarratt to complete a post route. For Sarratt to complete the pattern, he couldn’t be impatient.

Rourke then dropped in a perfect deep pass to Sarratt, who had beaten his coverage and had a gap on the recovering Western Illinois defenders. It was a textbook 71-yard touchdown strike.

That touchdown stayed with me because it demonstrated several different things. One? Rourke was not going to be rushed in executing his job. Two? Rourke could throw an accurate deep ball, a hard job to master. Three? Rourke and Sarratt would have good on-field chemistry – it took the second game of the season to see it. Finally? Sarratt wasn’t going to squander chances when he got them.

All of the above would go on to be part of what defined Indiana’s success in 2024. I could have also picked any Rourke-to-Sarratt medium-long sideline pass, but this was the moment I realized those two could be special together.

Sarratt went on to amass 53 catches for 957 yards and eight touchdowns. Rourke threw for 3,042 yards, 29 touchdowns and was the most efficient quarterback in the country.

4. Indiana Hammers Nebraska 56-7

The scoreboard at Memorial Stadium demonstrates Indiana's dominance over Nebraska as the Hoosiers earned a 56-7 victory on Oct. 19, 2024. / Hoosiers On SI | Todd Golden

Don’t forget the narrative going into this game. Indiana was 6-0 but was coming off of a bye week. The Hoosiers had not beaten any quality teams yet. Indiana was in the top 25, but much of the college football world still wondered how legitimate the Hoosiers were.

Nebraska was not ranked in the AP Top 25, but the Cornhuskers were 5-1 and thought to be a real test for Indiana at Memorial Stadium on Oct. 19.

The Hoosiers passed the test with flying colors. Running up a 495-304 total yardage advantage and a pair of 28-point halves, Indiana destroyed Nebraska, 56-7.

Indiana’s pressure bothered Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola, and the Huskers couldn’t get on the scoreboard. Indiana’s rushing attack was never better in a 215-yard, five-touchdown effort.

The media makes its way to the field before the game ends to attend the press conference. I’ll never forget seeing that 56-7 on the scoreboard. Was this real? That was the first time I thought that any possibility seemed realistic for the Hoosiers.

3. The Hype Ratchets Up For Washington

Signs are a popular feature on ESPN College GameDay. Indiana students were ready for it. / Hoosiers On SI | Todd Golden

The following week Washington visited Memorial Stadium. The dominant victory over Nebraska captured more national attention, and this was the week that ESPN College GameDay came to Bloomington.

FOX Big Noon Kickoff had been at the Nebraska game, but College GameDay – with the Lee Corso connection providing a link to Indiana’s past – was an important milestone in terms of putting Indiana on the national map.

The pregame atmosphere at Memorial Stadium was unlike any that had come before it. Students gathered the night before to get a prime spot in the viewing pits near the GameDay stages. The buzz was intoxicating. Cignetti himself appeared on the show as Indiana hogged the national spotlight for the day.

The game outcome had doubt cast on it when Rourke hurt his thumb the week before against Nebraska. Washington may have fallen from its national championship runner-up heights, but the Huskies were still a capable foe. However, quarterback Tayven Jackson took the wheel and led Indiana to a 31-17 victory that kept the good vibes flowing.

2. UCLA Trip Sets The Table

Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti reacts after the game against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Before the national hype came in earnest, Indiana had to win over its own fans first. Wins against Florida International and Western Illinois weren’t going to get that accomplished, but a high-profile Sept. 14 trip to UCLA would turn the heads of Indiana fans if the Hoosiers could go out West and get a victory.

Part of the allure was the first trip to the Rose Bowl for Indiana since 1967. No this wasn’t the Grand Daddy Of Them All, and no, this wasn’t a vintage UCLA team, but it was still a big deal, a hurdle to clear.

The Hoosiers cleared that hurdle as Indiana prevailed, 42-13. The Hoosiers overcame 127 penalty yards – 22% of their season total – and outscored the Bruins 21-6 in the second half to pull away.

The game demonstrated Indiana’s quality, but it was the postgame scene that I’ll never forget. Indiana fans who were based on the West Coast or who made the trip to Pasadena gathered above the Indiana tunnel and serenaded the Hoosiers off the field. The now famous picture of Cignetti raising his arms in triumph came in this moment.

I was right in the middle of it and it was fun to be part of it. For the first time, the thought that these Hoosiers just might be for real entered my mind and the minds of many Hoosiers fans. It’s a wonderful feeling when you first have that sensation.

1. The Michigan State Game - The Zenith Of The Season

Michigan State's Tommy Schuster, right, is sacked by Indiana's Mikail Kamara during the third quarter on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Some might say Indiana’s 66-0 victory over Purdue in the regular season finale was where the Hoosiers peaked, but the Boilermakers were a poor team ripe for that kind of picking. To me, Indiana reached its top level of performance in its Nov. 2 road trip at Michigan State.

Some observers thought Indiana might struggle against a decent opponent in their stadium. Those thoughts seemed to be confirmed when the Spartans took a 10-0 lead – the first time Indiana had been behind all season.

Indiana responded with 47 unanswered points and stunned Spartan Stadium into silence. Indiana had better offensive displays – the Hoosiers had 385 total yards – but Rourke was his usual efficient self and the Indiana running game accounted for 122 yards.

However, this was the game where I felt Indiana’s defense earned the respect it deserved. It was an awe-inspiring performance. Michigan State had minus-36 rushing yards.

Solid Spartans running backs Nate Carter and Kay’ron Adams were held to a combined rushing total of 16 yards, but the rushing number also reflected Indiana’s dominant pass rush.

Indiana had seven sacks – defensive end Mikail Kamara had 2.5 himself – and 15 tackles for loss. The total yardage allowed by quarter was 128, 50, 27 and zero.

“That’s really impressive. I don’t know if I’ve seen those kinds of numbers from a team. That’s a great credit to our defensive players and staff. They got after ‘em up front. You’ve got to win up front to win games. I know we knocked the quarterback out, but … wow. It was pretty dominant. It got pretty dominant,” Cignetti said after the game.

Indeed it did. To me, this game defined Indiana’s amazing season, but you wouldn’t argue with fans who might have a different choice. There was so much quality to choose from.

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• INDIANA HIRES WHITMER TO HANDLE QBs: Indiana hired Chandler Whitmer to coach quarterbacks. CLICK HERE.

• MENDOZA TO IU: Following a sophomore season with 3,004 passing yards at California, quarterback Fernando Mendoza is transferring to Indiana and teaming up with his brother, Alberto. CLICK HERE