Indiana Scores Most Points In Program History, Beats Western Illinois 77-3

Indiana football dominated all phases of Friday’s game against Western Illinois, improving to 2-0 with a 77-3 victory. The Hoosiers set a program record for total yards with 701 against the Leathernecks.

Indiana running back Justice Ellison (6) runs the ball for a touchdown against the Western Illinois Leathernecks at Memorial Stadium. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana quickly fulfilled, and later surpassed, the expectation of Friday’s game against Western Illinois. 

Favored by 44.5 points at kickoff, the Hoosiers put together a five-play, 68-yard opening drive in just under two minutes, capped off by a 38-yard touchdown pass from Kurtis Rourke to Andison Coby. On its first defensive possession, Indiana stuffed the run, knocked away two pass attempts and forced a quick three and out.

The rest of the game followed a similar script, ending in a 77-3 Indiana victory. Indiana set a program record for most points scored in a game on Friday night, breaking a record that stood since 1901, when Indiana defeated Franklin College 76-0.

Indiana also set a program record for total yards in a single game. The Hoosiers outgained the Leathernecks 279 to 22 in the first quarter, and that grew to a 701-to-121 advantage in total yards by the final buzzer. 

“It was a good night because I was pleased that our team played with an edge and an attitude at a high standard, the ones I’m talking about, didn’t play down to the competition,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said. “We emptied the bench pretty much and got a lot of people on the field, and I was happy for them, too, because we had a lot of young people make plays, create turnovers defensively.”

With this win, Indiana improves to 2-0 in its first season under Cignetti. Next up, the Hoosiers begin Big Ten play with a trip to the west coast, where they’ll play UCLA at 7:30 p.m. ET in the iconic Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif. UCLA won 16-13 at Hawaii in Week 1, and the Bruins have a bye week before hosting Indiana.

This loss extends Western Illinois’ losing streak to 26 games. The Leathernecks’ last win came on Oct. 30, 2021, and they went 0-11 each of the last two seasons. Western Illinois lost 54-15 in Week 1 against Northern Illinois, and Friday’s loss to Indiana was a continuation of its multi-year struggle.

Western Illinois gained just eight first downs on Friday, and it committed nine penalties for 56 yards. The Leathernecks converted 3-of-14 third down plays, and they turned the ball over three times, leading to 14 Indiana points.

Defensively, the Leathernecks struggled to limit Rourke through the air. Rourke had a solid debut last week in a 31-7 win over Florida International, but it didn’t take long for him to exceed his Week 1 numbers. 

A completion to Solomon Vanhorse at the 3:47 mark in the first quarter of Friday’s game gave Rourke 183 passing yards – already more than his 180 against FIU, when he played all but one drive.

Cignetti thought Rourke missed a couple reads against FIU, but he responded with a near-perfect game against Western Illinois. After an incompletion on the first play, Rourke rattled off nine straight completions. 

Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke (9) looks to pass against the Western Illinois Leathernecks at Memorial Stadium. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Perhaps Rourke’s best throw of the game occurred in the first quarter, when he lofted the ball down the middle to Elijah Sarratt for a 71-yard touchdown. He added a rushing touchdown late in the second quarter on a one-yard quarterback sneak.

Rourke started the second half, but his day was done after a 47-yard touchdown run from Justice Ellison on the Hoosiers’ first drive of the third quarter. The Ohio University transfer quarterback finished his second game as a Hoosier having completed 15-of-17 attempts for 268 yards, two touchdowns and zero turnovers.

“It felt great,” Sarratt said. “I always like getting involved early. … It’s always fun playing with [Rourke]. I’ve never not had fun playing with him. Y’all seen it, he’s on one right now, clicking on all cylinders. We just gotta keep that one up.”

Quarterback Tayven Jackson and the second-team offense entered the game with 4:48 left in the third quarter. He completed a 23-yard pass to Omar Cooper Jr. on his first attempt, then evaded the pass rush for a 12-yard completion on the run to Ke’Shawn Williams. 

Jackson capped off his first drive of the game with a 13-yard touchdown run, slipping past the defense and tip-toeing the sideline. He hit Cooper for a 69-yard touchdown on the following drive. Jackson completed 3 of 3 passes for 104 yards, one passing touchdown, one rushing touchdown, 19 rushing yards and no turnovers.

Alberto Mendoza was the third quarterback in the game, and he completed his lone passing attempt for six yards. Fellow true freshman Tyler Cherry also got in the game but did not attempt a pass.

Several Indiana receivers had big games on Friday. Sarratt led the Hoosiers with six receptions for 137 yards and a touchdown, followed by Cooper with four receptions for 131 yards and a touchdown.

And the run game? That was dominant as well. Indiana implemented a by-committee approach again, splitting 47 rushes between 11 Hoosiers. Ellison led the team with nine carries for 117 yards and two touchdowns, followed by Khobie Martin with 57 yards and Ty Son Lawton with 42 yards. As a team, Indiana gained 6.9 yards per carry.

Cignetti was frustrated by Indiana’s eight penalties for 90 yards against FIU, but Indiana cleaned that up, too. The Hoosiers finished with two penalties for 25 yards against Western Illinois. Indiana’s pass blocking put Rourke under pressure on several occasions last week, but the offensive line kept their quarterback upright on Friday, allowing zero sacks with Rourke under center.

Indiana defensive coordinator Bryant Haines’ previously built a James Madison defense that led the nation in tackles for loss and run defense in 2023, and he strives to generate similar pressure at the line of scrimmage while coaching the Hoosiers. His defense accomplished that on Friday, recording six sacks and eight tackles for loss.

Indiana's Aiden Fisher (4) and the defense celebrate against Western Illinois at Memorial Stadium. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

Indiana’s defense gave up its only score of the game on the final drive of the first half last week against FIU, and the same was true on Friday. Western Illinois quarterback Nathan Lamb beat the Indiana pass defense for completions of 16 and 30 yards, but the Hoosiers stepped up with a stop on 3rd and 10. The Leathernecks settled for a 31-yard field goal, which trimmed its deficit to 39 points at halftime.

“Maybe just a little bit of complacency,” Kamara said of those second quarter drives. “Guys just kind of settling down instead of keeping the foot on the pedal, that’s all.”

The first-team defense took the field to begin the third quarter, and a sack from defensive end Mikail Kamara shut down the Leathernecks’ drive. That would be all for Indiana’s defensive starters. 

For the second straight week, linebacker Aiden Fisher led the Hoosiers with nine total tackles. Kamara had two sacks and two tackles for loss. Indiana forced three turnovers in the second half: an interception from Ta’Derius Collins, a pick-six from Rolijah Hardy and a fumble recovery from Robby Harrison.

“I don’t know what you guys think about our defense now,” Kamara said. “But I expect us to blow all that out the water. I expect us to really show everyone what this defense is about.”

From a big-picture standpoint, this isn’t a game from which to draw major takeaways. Not only is Western Illinois an FCS opponent, it’s been one of the worst teams in the nation at that lower level for multiple years now. 

Indiana gets credit for dominating all phases, like it should have. But when it comes to future Big Ten games, anticipating that everything will carry over from this game would be shortsighted. So chalk this up as a win that helps the Hoosiers’ bowl-eligibility hopes, and get ready for their first real test next week at UCLA.

Sarratt said the first two games were good for Indiana to build some confidence and fine-tune the details. But regarding that type of ramp-up period before Big Ten play, Kamara feels the Hoosiers have been ready to go.

“I really don’t think we needed one, to be honest with you,” Kamara said. “I think we could have came in Week 1 and beat whoever. But I guess it’s cool to get the confidence going, get the fans going. That’s definitely important because we have so many home games. Go over to UCLA, win, and then come back with UNC-Charlotte, and hopefully our fans will come in here and fill the stands.”

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• WATCH COBY'S TOUCHDOWN: Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke connected with wide receiver Andison Coby for a 38-yard touchdown early in Friday's game against Western Illinois. CLICK HERE

• LIVE BLOG: Welcome to our live blog for Indiana versus Western Illinois, where we'll keep you updated with all the news and views in real time, with opinion and highlights thrown in as well, live from Memorial Stadium. CLICK HERE