Kurtis Rourke Leads Hoosiers to 41-24 Win at Northwestern; Indiana is Nation’s First Bowl-Eligible Team

Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke threw for 380 yards and three touchdowns during the Hoosiers' 41-24 win at Northwestern. With a 6-0 start, Indiana became the nation's first bowl-eligible team.

Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke (9) drops back to pass against Northwestern. / David Banks-Imagn Images

EVANSTON, Ill. – Kurtis Rourke has been everything Indiana needed from a transfer portal quarterback, and then some.

After a turnover on downs and a punt on Indiana’s first two possessions, Rourke led the Hoosiers on seven straight scoring drives before kneeling to run out the final seconds of a 41-24 win over Northwestern – Indiana’s first in Evanston since 1993. 

“Today, we passed the test because it was a new kind of test on the road and some real back-and-forth momentum and adversity,” coach Curt Cignetti said. “We responded.”

With this win, Indiana is off to its first 6-0 start since 1967, when it started 8-0. It’s been a dominant run, too, as the Hoosiers have won six straight games by double digits for the first time since 1896.

Indiana became the first bowl-eligible team in the country on Saturday, triggering several monetary bonuses for Cignetti. Cignetti is also the first Big Ten coach not at Michigan or Ohio State to start his career 6-0 since World War II.

“When you take over a program, the number one thing you gotta do is change the way people think,” Cignetti said. “Change the way people think. The way you play the game, the expectation level, your standards, how you do things, the fan base, what to expect. You gotta change the way people think. So we have a blueprint. We have a way we play. We’ve got character. We’ve got some talent, right, and they’re playing like all of our other teams have played in those situations.”

Rourke completed 25 of 33 passes for 380 yards, three touchdowns and zero turnovers. Four Hoosiers receivers had at least four catches, led by Elijah Sarratt with seven receptions for 135 yards. Indiana also generated a balanced rushing attack, with three backs combining for 29 carries for 153 yards and two touchdowns.

“The quarterback’s been outstanding, and the offense, there’s so many playmakers,” Cignetti said. “It all starts up front with the offensive line, and Zach [Horton] does a great job. So it seems like every time the offense has needed to respond with a touchdown this season, they have. And we can play better on defense, and we will.”

Indiana Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti looks on from the sidelines against Northwestern. / David Banks-Imagn Images

Indiana was aggressive to begin the game. In windy conditions, Cignetti opted to go for it on 4th and 2 from the Northwestern 27-yard line, but Miles Cross was tackled just short of the chains on a quick pass to the outside. Northwestern went scoreless on its first possession, too, as Indiana cornerback D’Angelo Ponds broke up a pass on 3rd and 4.

After a three and out on its second possession, Indiana’s offense clicked on the third drive like it has for most of the season. Rourke completed four passes of 10-plus yards, and running back Justice Ellison set up his 5-yard touchdown run with a 17-yard burst on the previous play. 

That capped off a 10-play, 89-yard drive in 5:26 and gave Indiana an early 7-0 lead. It was a dominant first quarter for the Hoosiers, who outgained the Wildcats 144-10 in total yards and eight to one in first downs. 

Indiana’s first costly mistake of the game came early in the second quarter. On 4th and 1, a hard count from Northwestern quarterback Jack Lausch caused Ponds to jump offsides, giving the Wildcats a fresh set of downs on the Indiana 25-yard line. Three plays later, Northwestern leading rusher Cam Porter rushed left for an eight-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7-7. The Indiana sideline wanted a holding penalty, but it wasn’t called. 

Cignetti remained aggressive in the first half. On 4th and 1 from the Northwestern seven-yard line, Indiana faked a run up the middle. Rourke found Cross wide open in the back of the end zone, and Cross displayed impressive body control to get a foot down just inside the boundary and give Indiana a 14-7 lead. 

The Hoosiers had trouble against Northwestern’s run game on the following drive, allowing a 35-yard gain by Joseph Himon II on the first play. Lausch scrambled for a 13-yard gain two plays later, but Indiana forced him to throw the ball out of bounds on 3rd and 4. Northwestern would settle for a 32-yard field goal, trimming the deficit to 14-10.

Indiana took over with 1:08 before halftime. Running back Kaelon Black kept the drive alive with a 10-yard rush on 3rd and 6, juking a Northwestern defender angling to tackle him behind the line of scrimmage. But it was still no guarantee that Indiana would have time to score before the first-half clock ran out.

On his own 44-yard line, Rourke rolled left after his initial options were covered and found E.J. Williams Jr. down the sideline for a 37-yard gain. That was the former Clemson transfer’s first catch of the season, but it was a crucial one. After two incompletions from Rourke, the Hoosiers settled for a 37-yard field goal from Nico Radicic, which gave them a 17-10 lead going into halftime. 

“Just tried to give him a shot, and he made a hell of a catch,” Rourke said of his pass to Williams. 

Indiana came out of its first five games mostly injury-free, especially regarding its key players. But starting linebacker Jailin Walker left the game in the second quarter and did not return. He jogged into the halftime locker room without his shoulder pads or helmet, and emerged for the second half the same way.

That injury thrust Isaiah Jones and Rolijah Hardy into larger roles alongside starting linebacker and leading tackler Aiden Fisher. On the first drive of the second half, Indiana defensive end Mikail Kamara sacked Lausch on 3rd and 7 to force a punt.

“We’ll see how Jailin is on Monday,” Cignetti said. “He’s had some injuries in the past that medical staff didn’t think he’d play again, and he’s back there like two weeks later, so we’ll see.”

Indiana Hoosiers defensive lineman Mikail Kamara (6) celebrates a sack against Northwestern. / David Banks-Imagn Images

Indiana maintained its offensive momentum early in the second half. Running back Ty Son Lawton broke free for a 22-yard gain, and Rourke connected with Cross for an 11-yard gain and Elijah Sarratt for a 23-yard pickup over the middle. 

Rourke had perhaps his most impressive throw of the game as Indiana entered the red zone. The play didn’t look promising at first as Rourke held the ball and pressure came. But a flat-footed Rourke casually lofted a perfect ball over the Northwestern defense to Ke’Shawn Williams for a 13-yard touchdown, putting Indiana ahead 24-10.

Northwestern quickly responded with a 38-yard touchdown by A.J. Henning. Lausch hit Henning on an out-route, and Henning beat Josh Sanguinetti in coverage before turning up field and sprinting past the Indiana defense to make it a 24-17 game. 

Just before the third quarter ended, Williams set the Hoosiers up with first and goal after a 52-yard gain. What started with a screen pass turned into Willliams spinning past and dragging Northwestern defenders down the field. Rourke looked to Omar Cooper Jr. in one-on-one coverage on 3rd and goal from the 10-yard line, but it fell incomplete without a penalty. Indiana settled for a 28-yard field goal from Nico Radicic and extended its lead to 10 points with 14:54 to play. 

Indiana’s defense continued to look more vulnerable than it had in any game this season as the fourth quarter carried on. Lausch threw the ball deep into double coverage, but the pair of Indiana defenders appeared not to see the ball and instead allowed a 47-yard reception by Bryce Kirtz to the Indiana three-yard line. 

Four plays later, Henning shed the Indiana defense for a 2-yard touchdown on a screen pass from Lausch, cutting Indiana’s lead to 27-24 with 11:19 left in the game. That marked Indiana’s smallest lead in the fourth quarter this season.

Despite an off-day from the Indiana defense, the offense had its back. Rourke completed three passes of 10-plus yards on the following possession, and Lawton chugged 15 yards before being brought down a yard short of the goal line. He would finish the drive off on the next play with a one-yard touchdown run, putting Indiana ahead 34-24.

“Just respond, do what we do,” Rourke said of his message to the team at this point. “That’s kind of something we pride ourselves in is playing team football, just like I mentioned before, being able to have the defense’s back because they’ve had ours so many times this year.”

Indiana’s defense stepped up with a crucial stop on the following possession. On consecutive plays on third and fourth down with 10 yards to go, Jones and Lanell Carr Jr., respectively, hurried Lausch and forced incompletions and a turnover on downs. 

Rourke maintained his cool, calm and composed ways down the stretch. After an incompletion on third down, he evaded the pass rush on 4th and 5 and found Sarratt for a 27-yard gain to the Northwestern four-yard line with 4:08 to play. 

Cignetti credits Rourke and Sarratt’s connection to them being committed, dependable guys. But he thinks Rourke trusts a variety of receivers, which has led to Indiana’s success.

Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Elijah Sarratt (13) gestures for a first down against the Northwestern Wildcats. / David Banks-Imagn Images

“He’s the type of guy that gets open all the time. That’s his nickname, right?” Rourke said. “So just being able to have a guy like that that can win, whether that’s a go-ball, whether that’s inside, whether that’s making a scramble play, I trust him to be there, to have those sure hands. Glad he’s on our team.”

Indiana essentially iced the game on the next play, a touchdown reception by tight end Zach Horton, extending its lead to 41-24.  Indiana forced a turnover on downs on the next possession, securing its victory. Cignetti said it wasn’t the defense’s best game, but he was proud of their performance late. 

“I thought we finished the game like a championship team,” Cignetti said.

Defensive backs Amare Ferrell and Jamier Johnson finished as Indiana’s leading tacklers at six apiece. Kamara had a team-high two tackles for loss, part of an Indiana defense that totaled eight quarterback hurries, six tackles for loss, two sacks and two pass breakups.

The Hoosiers walked off the field through a tunnel of Indiana fans, who filled a large portion of the 12,023 seats at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium.

“It was awesome,” Rourke said.  “IU fans, we might have the best in the nation. They travel so well, just even when we went to the Rose Bowl against UCLA, they made it feel like a home game.”

Indiana Hoosiers running back Ty Son Lawton (17) runs alongside quarterback Kurtis Rourke against Northwestern. / David Banks-Imagn Images

Next up, Indiana has a bye week before its homecoming game against Nebraska on Oct. 19 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind. Game time and television information is to be determined.

Cignetti said it’s a good time for the players to get rejuvenated with a bye week, and he’s confident they’ll stay focused.

“We’ll use it constructively,” Cignetti said of the bye week. “We have an older team. I’m not really concerned about them so much reading about their accolades on social media and the paper because they’ve been around the block a little bit.” 

“And they’ll be reading a lot about how we aren’t good enough to do this and that. I want the chip on their shoulder to keep growing, is what I want.”

Kamara has big plans for the second half of the season.

“Being 6-0 isn’t necessarily the goal,” Kamara said. “The goal is to go and try to win a natty.”

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