Standout Stats Midway Through The Indiana Football Season

Indiana is 6-0 heading into its first bye week of the season, so let’s reflect on the first half of the year with a statistical breakdown of the Hoosiers’ accomplishments and what lies ahead.

Indiana Hoosiers defensive lineman CJ West (8) and linebacker Aiden Fisher (4) celebrate after a defensive stop against Maryland at Memorial Stadium. / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana has a bye week following Saturday’s 41-24 win at Northwestern, which improved the Hoosiers’ record to 6-0 in coach Curt Cignetti’s first season.

No. 18 Indiana sits atop the Big Ten standings as the only 6-0 team overall and the only one with a 3-0 conference record, with wins over Northwestern, Maryland and UCLA. Now at the midway point of the 2024 season, Indiana’s first bye week comes at a favorable time with its toughest games of the season still ahead. The Hoosiers have a second bye week ahead of their trip to No. 2 Ohio State on Nov. 23, their 11th game of the season.

“Looking forward to the bye week,” Cignetti said Saturday. “Everyone could use a day off. I think for the players it’s a good time to get rejuvenated a little bit. We’ll use it constructively. 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. 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.”

Going into the bye week, here’s a breakdown of Indiana’s team and individual stats, where they rank in the program’s historical and national context, and what’s to come.

Indiana’s accomplishments in historical context

Indiana is 6-0 for the second time in program history, joining the 1967 team. It also had 5-0-1 starts in 1988 and 1945. This six-game win streak is Indiana’s longest since it opened the 1967 season 8-0.

The Hoosiers have won in dominant fashion, matching the longest streak of double-digit wins in program history, six, a record originally set during the 1905 and 1906 seasons. The offense has been particularly strong, scoring 40-plus points in five straight games for the first time in program history. 

Indiana Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti signals to his team against Maryland. / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Indiana has generated 500-plus total yards offense in each of the last three games, its longest run since a four-game streak at the end of the 2015 season. With nine scoring drives of 10-plus plays, Indiana has already tied its total from the entire 2023 season.

Cignetti’s 6-0 start puts him tied for the third-most wins by an Indiana head coach in his first full season. James M. Sheldon holds the record with eight in 1905, followed by Bill Lynch with seven in 2007. Cignetti is tied with Madison G. Gonteman, who won six games in 1896.

Indiana’s sixth win on Saturday made it the first bowl-eligible team in the country and triggered several bonuses in Cignetti’s contract. 

Where Indiana’s team stats rank nationally

Indiana is third among 134 FBS programs with 47.5 points per game. On a per-game basis, the Hoosiers also rank sixth in total yards (515.7), 11th in passing yards (315.3), 28th in rushing yards (200.3) and tied for 46th in yards per carry (4.7). Indiana has allowed just six sacks this season, tied for 29th fewest in the nation.

Defensively, Indiana ranks 14th in points allowed per game (14.8), seventh in total yards allowed (255.7), 25th in passing yards allowed (171.8), eighth in rushing yards allowed (83.8), tied for seventh in sacks (19) and tied for 12th in tackles for loss (41).

Indiana has been especially strong on third down, ranking sixth nationally in conversion rate (54%) and 26th in opponent conversion rate (31.6). The Hoosiers lead the nation in red zone attempts (37) and total red zone scores (30 touchdowns, four field goals), and their 91.9% scoring rate ranks 30th. 

Indiana’s plus-3 turnover margin is tied for 35th, which includes seven takeaways by the defense (37th most) and four offensive turnovers (17th fewest). It is one of 12 undefeated teams in the FBS.

Defensively, Indiana ranks 14th in points allowed per game (14.8), seventh in total yards allowed (255.7), 25th in passing yards allowed (171.8), eighth in rushing yards allowed (83.8), tied for seventh in sacks (19) and tied for 12th in tackles for loss (41).

On Sunday, Indiana moved up five spots to No. 18 in the AP Top 25 poll and up four spots to No. 20 in the coaches poll. Indiana ranks No. 14 in the ESPN Football Power Index (FPI), along with No. 5 in ESPN’s game control rankings, sixth in average in-game win probability and No. 9 in strength of record.

Hoosiers with the top individual numbers

Quarterback Kurtis Rourke has won at least a share of the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week award twice this season, following wins over UCLA and Northwestern. He ranks fifth nationally in passing yards (1,752), fourth in completion percentage (73.8%), 45th in pass attempts (160), ninth in passing touchdowns (14) and fourth in ESPN’s passer rating (192.1). He’s also one of six Big Ten quarterbacks with two interceptions or fewer.

Wide receiver Elijah Sarratt ranks second in the Big Ten and 16th nationally with 513 receiving yards, and his 80.9 receiving grade ranks 36th, per Pro Football Focus (PFF). Omar Cooper is 54th among FBS receivers and eighth in the Big Ten with 375 receiving yards. PFF grades Cooper ninth with an 86.7 receiving grade.

Ty Son Lawton and Justice Ellison have emerged from a deep running back room to lead the team with 68 and 64 carries, respectively. Ellison has 409 rushing yards compared to Lawton’s 329, placing Ellison eighth in the Big Ten and 45th nationally in total rushing yards. Along with Ellison and Lawton, Indiana running backs Kaelon Black, Elijah Green and Khobie Martin each average between 5.2 and and 9.2 yards per carry on 57 combined attempts.

Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Elijah Sarratt (13) runs the ball against UCLA. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Kicker Nico Radicic has been perfect for the Hoosiers. He’s made all 39 extra-point attempts and all four field goal attempts, though his distance hasn’t been tested much, with a season-long field goal of 37 yards at Northwestern in windy conditions. That speaks to Indiana’s 92.7 offensive efficiency, which ranks No. 1 in the FBS, per ESPN.

Indiana’s top-five players in PFF’s offense grade are Rourke (90.0), Ellison (86.3), Cooper (83.9), left tackle Carter Smith (82.7) and wide receiver Ke’Shawn Williams (82.4).

Defensively, linebacker Aiden Fisher is tied for sixth in the country with 55 total tackles. Defensive lineman Mikail Kamara’s five sacks puts him in an eight-way tie for eighth place nationally and a three-way tie for first in the Big Ten. Kamara is also third in the Big Ten and tied for 16th in the country with 7.5 tackles for loss. 

Indiana cornerbacks D’Angelo Ponds and Jamari Sharpe have five passes defended apiece, good for second most in the Big Ten and a 32-way tie for 14th in the country. Amare Ferrell, who plays Indiana’s versatile Rover position, leads the team with two interceptions. 

Among players who have appeared in all six games, the top-five Hoosiers in PFF’s defense grade are Kamara (84.1), defensive lineman Tyrique Tucker (83.1), defensive lineman CJ West (77.1), safety Josh Sanguinetti (75.8) and Ponds (73.8).

Program records to monitor

Indiana has already won six games this season, a benchmark it has reached just 26 times since 1899. A 3-3 finish would give the Hoosiers nine wins, something it has accomplished twice in program history, in 1967 and 1945. Indiana has never won 10 games in a season, but that’s in play this year. 

Indiana has made just 13 bowl games in program history, but it became the first bowl-eligible team in the nation this year. The Hoosiers are 3-10 in bowl games and have not won one since the 1991 Copper Bowl. Most recently, Indiana lost the Outback Bowl and Gator Bowl under former head coach Tom Allen during the 2020 and 2019 seasons. 

Rourke has a reasonable chance to set the Indiana single-season passing record this season. In 2015, Nate Sudfeld set the record with 3,573 passing yards in 12 games. Rourke has already thrown for 1,752 yards in six games, putting him on pace for 3,504 yards in 12 games. 

Add Rourke’s 44 rushing yards, and he is on pace for 3,592 total yards in 12 games. The program record for total offense in a season is 3,779, set by Kellen Lewis in 2007. He could pass Sudfeld for passing yards and Lewis for total yards during Indiana’s bowl game or the College Football Playoffs. 

Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke (9) throws a pass against Maryland. / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

If Rourke maintains his 73.8% completion percentage, he would set Indiana’s single-season record. Michael Penix Jr. holds the record with a 68.8% completion percentage across 160 attempts in 2019, followed by Peyton Ramsey’s 68.0% completion percentage in 300 attempts during the same season. 

Rourke is on pace for 320 passing attempts, which would not crack the top 10 in program history. But his 118 completions across six games puts him on pace for 236, which would rank eighth and pass Connor Bazelak’s mark of 235 in 2022. If Rourke replicates his 14 passing touchdowns from the first six games during the final six, he would tie Kellen Lewis’ single-season passing touchdowns record of 28, set in 2007.

Sarratt’s 513 receiving yards put him on pace to pass 2019 Hoosier Whop Philyor for seventh place on Indiana’s single-season receiving leaderboard. Cooper is also pacing a top-20 receiving yardage season in program history. With four touchdowns, Williams is on pace to crack the top 10 for single-season receiving touchdowns.

Indiana kicker Nico Radicic has 51 total points this season, between extra-points and field goals. If he replicates that in the final six games, he would rank sixth in single-season scoring, behind 111 points from Indiana kicker Austin Starr in 2007. Radicic has been limited to four field goal attempts this season, but his 39 extra points put him well ahead of the program record of 56 extra points made by Mitch Ewald in 2013.

Kamara is on pace for 10 sacks, which would tie for fifth in program history with Adewale Ogunleye in 1997.

Indiana’s single-season record for total points is 475 in 2015, but the 2024 Hoosiers are on their way to surpassing that with 285 points through six games, a 570-point pace. From a yardage standpoint, they’re also chasing the 2015 team, which totaled 6,556 yards. Indiana has 3,094 total yards this season. 

What’s next?

Indiana hosts Nebraska (5-1) for its homecoming game on Oct. 19 at Noon ET. The game will be broadcast on FOX and could be the setting for the FOX Big Noon Kickoff pregame show, though that has not been officially announced. 

With bowl eligibility clinched, Indiana is currently projected to face No. 15 Texas A&M in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla., according to Brett McMurphy’s predictions on Action Network. In ESPN’s postseason predictions following Week 6, two of the 12 analysts projected Indiana to reach the College Football Playoffs as the No. 8 seed, setting up a home game against No. 9 seed Alabama. 

The ESPN FPI projects a 10.2-2.1 record for Indiana, the seventh-highest win total projection among FBS teams. It also gives Indiana a 51.3% chance to make the College Football Playoffs, a 9.4% chance to win the Big Ten, a 4.1% chance to make the national championship and a 1.3% chance to win the national championship.

With wins over Florida International, Western Illinois, UCLA, Charlotte, Maryland and Northwestern and zero losses, Indiana ranks No. 9 nationally in strength of record, per ESPN. The Hoosiers have the No. 108 strength of schedule, accounting only for games already played.  The top-four teams in this week’s AP Top 25 poll have played similar schedules to Indiana, including No. 1 Texas (101st SOS), No. 2 Ohio State (109th SOS), No. 3 Oregon (94th SOS) and No. 4 Penn State (95th SOS). 

Indiana’s schedule is back loaded with its most challenging opponents in the second half of the season. The Hoosiers’ remaining strength of schedule ranks 27th nationally.

After Nebraska, the Hoosiers host Washington (4-2) on. Oct. 26, followed by a trip to Michigan State (3-3) on Nov. 2. Indiana may not play a top-25 team until its Nov. 9 home game against No. 24 Michigan or its game at No. 2 Ohio State on Nov. 23. As always, the Hoosiers conclude the 2024 season against Purdue (1-4) in the Old Oaken Bucket game. 

Indiana is off to a strong start, and it has a chance to become a truly special season in program history.

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• CIGNETTI RECEIVES BONUSES: Indiana's 6-0 start triggered several bonuses to Curt Cignetti's contract. CLICK HERE

• INDIANA MOVES TO NO. 18: Indiana is in a three-way tie for 18th in the latest Associated Press football poll. CLICK HERE.

• INDIANA WINS 41-24 OVER NORTHWESTERN: Game story as Indiana improves to 6-0 for the first time since 1967. CLICK HERE.

• TODD'S TAKE: Curt Cignetti refused to put a governor on what Indiana could achieve in 2024. The benefits of that approach are apparent in a historic football season. CLICK HERE

• WHAT CIGNETTI HAD TO SAY: Read all of Curt Cignetti's comments from his post-Northwestern press conference on Saturday. CLICK HERE.