Curt Cignetti Knows Indiana Pass Protection Has To Improve

Curt Cignetti cited hits on Kurtis Rourke as a concern during his weekly press conference on Monday.

Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke (9) is sacked by the Ohio State Buckeye defense in the second quarter at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio. / Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – During his Monday press conference, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti stated the obvious as far as one of the biggest problems the Hoosiers had in their 38-15 loss at Ohio State last Saturday.

“We've got to shore our pass protection up. We had some missed assignments, a couple physical errors. One time got beat one-on-one,” Cignetti said.

The numbers bore out the problems that the Hoosiers had. According to Pro Football Focus, there were eight pressures allowed by Indiana blockers. Right tackle Trey Wedig gave up three, center Mike Katic conceded two, left tackle Carter Smith, right guard Bray Lynch and running back Justice Ellison gave up one each. Officially, Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke was sacked five times.

“Missed assignments and poor technique would be the themes. Five sacks against Ohio State, we had three missed assignments, routine stuff, communication stuff,” Cignetti said.

“Most of our problems Saturday were assignment errors, like when they went protection, certain lineman is supposed to go to the left and he doesn't,” Cignetti added. “I mean, there were three five-man pressures and two four-man pressures. One was a simulated pressure. All routine stuff. We didn't do a good job of handling it.”

The stakes for the Hoosiers are obvious. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke has not been able to execute the Hoosiers’ pass game while under duress. On Saturday, he completed a season-low eight passes for just 68 passing yards. Rourke topped 60.7% in Indiana’s first 10 games, but even the most efficient quarterback will struggle against the kind of pressure he endured.

Which brings to mind another reason why Indiana has to figure its pass protection out.

“We've got to take the hits off the quarterback,” Cignetti said. “If he gets hit over and over again, (he will) lose (his) effectiveness.”

Cignetti went into further detail about what Rourke had to contend with against the Buckeyes.

“We protected really well the first series. We protected well the last series. But in between – we had that 3rd-and-1 play where we got called for the false start, put us in 3rd-and-6,” Cignetti explained.

“They brought a blitz, we didn't block it right. Quarterback got hit. He got hit four of the next five passes, sacked,” Cignetti continued. “So when he did have the opportunity to throw the football, he wasn't quite as effective with his reads or his accuracy, and when you get rocked like that, not many guys are.”

Indiana’s next opponent – Purdue – may be winless in the Big Ten, but the Boilermakers can bring some pressure to bear on passers. Purdue ranks 10th in the conference with 20 sacks.

Linebacker Kydran Jenkins (6.5 sacks) and defensive end Will Heldt (5 sacks) have both demonstrated that they can get to the quarterback with regularity.

Another reason to avoid hits on Rourke is his injured thumb on his throwing hand. By all accounts, Rourke is handling his thumb injury as well as could be expected, but the more protected Rourke is, the better that thumb feels – especially when it's forecast to be a cold day when throwing the football won’t be easy in any case.

“The thumb has really progressed well. It's not an issue. We've got to do a better job of protecting the quarterback. I'm confident that we will,” Cignetti said.

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