Cignetti Says Rourke Had Good Debut, Wants To Clean Up Missed Opportunities

Indiana’s new quarterback went 15 for 24 with 180 yards, a touchdown and zero turnovers in his debut victory. Cignetti had several positive takeaways but strives for perfection.

Jack Ankony | Sep 2, 2024

Indiana's Kurtis Rourke (9) looks downfield during the second half against Florida International at Memorial Stadium. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Indiana Hoosiers

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Longtime Ohio quarterback Kurtis Rourke wore the cream and crimson for the first time Saturday and helped Indiana defeat Florida International 31-7.

Rourke and the Hoosiers were at their best in the first half, jumping out to a 21-0 lead midway through the second quarter. A scoring lull in the second half left much to be desired from coach Curt Cignetti, but the quick start put the final outcome out of question.

Overall, Cignetti said, it was a good debut for the quarterback.

“I thought he did a nice job,” Cignetti said of Rourke at Monday’s press conference. “He made some plays when he was under pressure, getting out of the pocket and made a throw or two and threw the ball fairly well. He missed a couple reads, but I thought it was a good first time out for him.”

Rourke’s finished 15 for 24 with 180 yards and a touchdown, and he took care of the ball through the air with zero interceptions.

Most of Rourke’s success came in the short- and mid-range passing game. He was perfect on passes at or behind the line of scrimmage, and he completed 73.7% of his attempts from within 20 yards.

Indiana’s run game averaged 5.9 yards per carry, and it had a comfortable lead throughout the afternoon. Rourke didn’t need to take many deep shots down the field to secure the win. But when he did, his accuracy waned. Rourke went 1 for 5 on pass attempts 20 yards or longer, including two scoring opportunities.

“We should have had two post [route] touchdowns,” Cignetti said. “The one, we hit [Omar] Cooper on the deep cross, probably should have gone to the post. He's open. We didn't throw it.”

Cignetti is referring to Rourke’s 26-yard completion to Cooper late in the first quarter, when Andison Coby was also open deep down the field. Still, that play helped set up Indiana’s second touchdown three plays later.

Rourke led the Hoosiers to a third touchdown his next time out, this time churning 8:05 off the clock on a 16-play, 93-yard drive. That drive included Indiana’s biggest highlight-reel play of the game, as Rourke ducked a pass rusher and threw on the move to wide receiver Miles Cross, who made a one-handed catch in traffic.

That play earned the No. 3 ranking on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays, but the drive also included a few potentially costly mistakes.

👀 #SCTop10 @MilesCross10 | #IUFB pic.twitter.com/ktGteC5SeP
— Indiana Football (@IndianaFootball) September 1, 2024

Rourke coughed up the ball when pressured off the edge, and he fumbled seven plays later when pulling the ball away from his running back on a play-action fake. He quickly jumped on the ball both times – so no harm, no foul. But those details, including a holding penalty on wide receiver Elijah Sarratt on that drive, are what Cignetti wants the Hoosiers to clean up.

After claiming a 21-7 halftime lead, Indiana threatened to score again on its first drive of the third quarter. Rourke completed his first three pass attempts of the drive, but running back Ty Son Lawton left a likely touchdown pass short on a trick play. On Monday, Cignetti mentioned that drive as one where Indiana should have scored a touchdown instead of settling for a field goal.

Indiana committed three penalties on its final drive of the third quarter: illegal formation, holding on left guard Drew Evans and delay of game. A holding penalty on Cooper during Indiana’s first drive of the fourth quarter contributed to a three-and-out.

Rourke took a deep shot to Coby late in the fourth quarter, perhaps learning from Cignetti’s previous critique, but he missed his receiver and another scoring opportunity.

“We did throw the post later in the game to Andison Coby, who's open. We got to use the field and lay it out there,” Cignetti said. “That should have been a touchdown, too. We had some other down the field opportunity chunks that we just didn't convert on.”

Cross was whistled for holding four plays later, and two incompletions from Rourke brought up 4th and 13. Despite leading 24-7 with less than six minutes left when that drive began, Indiana remained aggressive.

“We were still in attack mode,” Cignetti said. “At that point, we weren't really satisfied with how we had played since really our last touchdown drive. Even the one we went down and kicked the field goal, we weren't pleased we had to settle for the field goal. There were some missed opportunities out there, and sometimes we got behind the sticks because of penalties. So we wanted to keep attacking.”

Indiana's Kurtis Rourke (9) passes during the second half against Florida International. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

But on 4th and 13, Rourke’s day ended with a sack. Indiana put its second-team offense in when it got the ball back with 1:55 remaining, and running back Elijah Green burst through the defense for a 51-yard touchdown run.

Recapping Rourke’s debut, Cignetti was intrigued by the plays he made scrambling out of the pocket when protection broke down. He thought the quarterback missed two-to-four reads, but said that can happen due to his first-game familiarity with the scheme.

Indiana hosts Western Illinois on Friday at Memorial Stadium, and Cignetti is looking for a more consistent performance throughout the game from Rourke and the rest of the Hoosiers.

“But offense, just too many opportunities squandered,” Cignetti said. “And then protection, and just gotta get better there. Gotta learn to play the lead. Gotta learn to play the lead. Jump up to 21-nothing, man, gotta keep the edge.”

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