Indiana Earns Largest Big Ten Road Win Since 2001, Crushes UCLA 42-13

Third down effectiveness was one of many things Indiana’s football team did right as the Hoosiers prevailed in the Rose Bowl against UCLA.

Indiana Hoosiers running back Justice Ellison (6) celebrates with offensive lineman Bray Lynch (74) after scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run in the first half against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

PASADENA, Calif. – Indiana’s football team faced eight third-down situations in the first half during its Big Ten Conference opener on Saturday against UCLA at the Rose Bowl.

Eight third downs might seem like a high number. It might also seem like it put the Hoosiers in a bad spot against the Bruins.

It was quite the opposite.

Indiana thrived when the pressure was placed on them. The Hoosiers converted six of those eight third down plays. On one they didn’t convert, UCLA jumped offsides on fourth down to bail the Hoosiers out. Indiana would convert 9 of 12 on third down in the game overall.

It was all part of Indiana’s comprehensive dominance as the Hoosiers jumped on UCLA early and never let up in a 42-13 victory that gave Indiana a big leg up in the Big Ten race at the first hurdle.

“I know it’ll get a lot of people’s attention. I’m proud of our guys. We went in there and we wanted to play physical, tough and nasty and we did,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said.

Indiana started Big Ten play with its biggest road win in a Big Ten game since its 63-32 triumph at Wisconsin in 2001. There were plenty of stars to go around.

Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke (9) leaves the field after the game against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke completed 25 of 33 passes for 307 yards and four touchdowns. Miles Cross led the way with 6 catches for 90 yards and a touchdown, one of four Indiana receivers who had at least four receptions in the contest.

That third-down conversion rate was what helped Indiana forge its dominance on the offensive side. It helped that Rourke was a cool customer on third down.

“The atmosphere raises, but you’ve got to be able to stay calm and be able to go through your reads like normal,” Rouke said.

Cross noted that third down is an emphasis in practice.

“We’re very confident in third down situations. We practice a lot of that. We drill that a lot and take that seriously in practice,” Cross said.

UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers completed 14 of 23 passes for 137 yards, but he was rarely comfortable as Indiana’s aggressive defense forced him into mistakes in equal measure to his successes. He was responsible for two Bruins turnovers.

Indiana (3-0, 1-0) established its third down prowess on the first series of the game. Starting from their own 25, Indiana converted three third downs to keep their series going – including a 24-yard catch by Elijah Sarratt on a 3rd-and-16 conversion. Cross would finish the 12-play series with a 3-yard touchdown catch to put the Hoosiers on top 7-0.

“We converted a few (on the first series) and that was important to score and get momentum,” Cignetti said.

It didn’t take long for Indiana to double its lead. On the Bruins’ first play from scrimmage, Garbers ran into his running back while dropping back to pass. The ball came loose and Indiana defensive end Mikail Kamara recovered the fumble to set Indiana up at the UCLA 17-yard line.

Three plays later, Ke’Shawn Williams caught a pass over the middle and raced 14 yards for Indiana’s second touchdown of the game. With 7:28 elapsed in the first quarter, Indiana had a 14-0 lead in the Rose Bowl.

UCLA (1-1, 0-1) just couldn’t get a grasp of the game. Its best first quarter series ended with a missed field goal. After stopping Indiana deep in UCLA territory on the Hoosiers’ first second-quarter drive, the Bruins made another mistake to keep an Indiana drive alive.

The Hoosiers faced 4th and 3 at the UCLA 46-yard line and lined up to go for it. UCLA defensive end Jacob Busic jumped offsides before the snap and Indiana’s drive was kept alive.

Indiana doesn’t let those opportunities slide. On 3rd-and-3 from the UCLA 34, Rourke lobbed a pass over the top to Cross. The Ohio University transfer deftly hauled in a one-handed grab to set the Hoosiers up at the UCLA 1-yard line. Justice Ellison’s second effort one play later staked Indiana to a 21-0 lead with 4:21 left in the second quarter.

The one downer in an otherwise sunny Indiana first half was the inability of the defense to keep UCLA off the board before halftime.

T.J. Harden’s 1-yard touchdown run with 42 seconds left in the first half continued the pattern of Indiana’s defense giving up a score just before halftime. Still, it was an impressive first half as Indiana led 21-7 at halftime.

Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Amare Ferrell (25) celebrates with defensive back Shawn Asbury II (1) and defensive back Josh Sanguinetti (19) after intercepting a pass in the second half against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

A turbulent second half – there were a combined 151 penalty yards assessed against both teams, including three 15-yarders docked against Indiana in one UCLA series.

Two Indiana defensive players – defensive tackle C.J. West and cornerback D’Angelo Ponds were both ejected for targeting. It could have rattled the Hoosiers, but they stayed calm.

“Me and (linebacker Aiden) Fisher, we’re the captains of the defense, we have to tell the guys to keep our control and go out and play the next play,” Indiana linebacker Jailin Walker said.

It helped that Indiana put together its best offensive series of the game in the midst of the penalty flag blizzard.

After UCLA cut its deficit to 21-10 with a field goal, Rourke completed all six of his passes in a 9-play, 87-yard scoring drive. Indiana didn’t face a third down on the series until its final play, when Rourke found Williams for his second touchdown catch of the contest – a 3-yarder – as Indiana took a commanding 28-10 lead with 4:55 left in the third quarter.

After the Bruins had to settle for another field goal on a penalty-marred series that had a total of 80 combined penalty yards assessed, Indiana put the stake in the heart of the Bruins. The Hoosiers marched 75 yards in 10 plays, a series completed by a 23-yard Omar Cooper Jr. touchdown catch.

After an Amare Ferrell interception in the fourth quarter, Indiana running back Elijah Green provided the final touch for the Hoosiers with a 14-yard touchdown run to put the Hoosiers over the 40-point mark.

Indiana Hoosiers running back Elijah Green (21) scores on a 14-yard touchdown run in the second half against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

At games’ end, a large contingent of Indiana fans celebrated with the jubilant Hoosiers and Cignetti as they came off the field. Cignetti refuses to give in to the notion that the Hoosiers are a big surprise.

“I’m not about to say we’re further ahead than I thought because I thought we could be competitive and win games,” Cignetti said.

Indiana, 3-0 for the first time in two seasons, next hosts Charlotte at Noon ET next Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

Related stories on Indiana football

• LIVE BLOG: Read about Indiana's 42-13 win over UCLA as it unfolded. CLICK HERE.

• INJURY REPORT: Who is out and who is healthy for both teams in the Indiana-UCLA matchup. CLICK HERE.

• CROSS DOES IT AGAIN: Indiana wide receiver Miles Cross had a one-handed catch to keep a key Indiana series alive. Watch it here. CLICK HERE.