Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke Does It Again: He Is Big Ten Co-Offensive Player Of The Week

Kurtis Rourke earned the honor for the second time this season as he threw for 380 yards and three touchdown passes against Northwestern.

Todd Golden | Oct 7, 2024

Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke (9) drops back to pass against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium. / David Banks-Imagn Images

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Indiana Hoosiers

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke is on a historic run of success in leading the Hoosiers to a 6-0 record. The Big Ten Conference has taken notice of his exploits and feted him accordingly.

Rourke earned his second Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honor in the 2024 season. Rourke was co-Offensive Player of the Week as he shared the Week 6 honor with Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka, who had three touchdown catches in the Buckeyes' win over Iowa.

Rourke passed for 380 yards, 3 touchdown passes and no interceptions in Indiana’s 41-24 victory at Northwestern Saturday.

After Indiana didn’t reach the end zone in its first two offensive series, Rourke led seven straight scoring drives for the Hoosiers.

“(I) just needed to take a deep breath and just do what we practiced, do what we’ve done. One of the biggest emphases moving forward for myself especially is to start faster, start better and kind of have those drives that we had in the last seven and hopefully make them all touchdown drives,” Rourke said.

Rourke became the first Indiana player to win multiple Offensive Player of the Week honors since Ty Fryfogle won the honor in consecutive weeks in 202. Nate Sudfeld was the last Indiana quarterback to win a pair of Offensive Player of the Week honors in a single season as he did it in 2015.

Rourke’s 380-yard effort was the ninth-most passing yards by an Indiana quarterback against a Big Ten opponent. It was Indiana’s 14th-best single-game passing effort in school history.

Rourke has thrown at least three touchdown passes in each of Indiana three Big Ten victories, a feat not accomplished since Harry Gonso did the same in 1967.

Rourke currently leads the Big Ten in touchdown passes (14), passing yards (1,752), yards per attempts (10.9) and passer rating (192.1).

Nationally, Rourke is fourth in passing efficiency, fifth in passing yards, ninth in touchdown passes, 11th in passing yards per game (292) and 12th in passing yards per completion (14.85 yards).

Rourke was the highest-rated starting quarterback in the Big Ten per Pro Football Focus. According to Indiana sports information, Rourke was the only 300-yard passer in a Power Four conference to throw multiple touchdown passes and zero interceptions during the sixth week of the season.

Indiana has a bye this week. Rourke wants to make sure complacency doesn’t set in.

“Coach (Curt) Cignetti talked about keeping that chip on your shoulder, and I think that’s very important. We’ve had a great first half of the season, but we have a big second half as well. So we’ve got to keep that chip on, know that there’s gonna be doubters no matter what and continue to come out ready to work and not get complacent,” Rourke said.

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