3 Takeaways From Indiana Football Spring Game

Curt Cignetti had his first spring game as Indiana's head football coach on Thursday, providing fans with their first look at an overhauled roster. Here are three takeaways from the game.

Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Tayven Jackson (2) throws a pass during the Indiana football spring game. / Bobby Goddin/Herald-Times / USA TODAY

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana began the Curt Cignetti era Thursday night with its spring football game at Memorial Stadium.

While it didn’t have the feel of a real Big Ten game due to an altered scoring system, no punts, no sacks and a shorter clock, it offered fans a glimpse into Cignetti’s team. The crimson team, represented by Indiana’s offense, beat the cream team, or the defense, 34-25 in two 15-minute periods. 

Here are three takeaways.

“Healthy competition” at quarterback

Ohio transfer Kurtis Rourke led the first-team offense onto the field to start Thursday’s game. He joined Indiana for spring practice after four seasons at Ohio, where he earned second-team All-Mid-American Conference (MAC) honors as a fifth-year senior in 2023. At 6-foot-5 and 222 pounds completed 195-of-307 passes (63.5%) for 2,207 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions that season.

Indiana’s defense stopped Rourke on his first two drives, which featured two incompletions and an intentional grounding penalty. After some early misses, Rourke finished the night strong, leading Indiana on a touchdown drive that proved to be the game-winner. He excelled mostly at short passes, completing eight for seven yards or fewer on the final drive, including a 3-yard touchdown pass to Andison Coby in the corner. But Rourke also hit James Madison transfer Elijah Sarratt on two passes of 11 and 15 yards, showing some longer-distance accuracy.

Unofficially, Rourke finished the night completing 19-of-30 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown. Cignetti thought Rourke was the victim of a couple dropped passes that could have kept drives alive.

Returning redshirt sophomore Tayven Jackson played with the second-team offense, and he had an accurate night. Jackson went 7-for-7 on his first drive, highlighted by a 39-yard completion to Coby and an 11-yard touchdown pass to Donaven McCulley across the middle. A 64-yard completion from Jackson to Coby set up Wake Forest running back transfer Justice Ellison for a two-yard touchdown on Jackson’s next drive. 

Indiana played true freshman Tyler Cherry for two drives, and he completed 1-of-3 passes for eight yards. Jackson went back in the game late, and he ran into some trouble. He threw an interception to Old Dominion defensive back transfer Terry Jones Jr., then back-to-back incompletions on the following drive meant a three and out. 

Jackson finished the night completing 10-of-14 pass attempts for 160 yards, one touchdown and one interception. 

“I was trying to figure out if our two offense was that good or our two defense was that bad,” Cignetti said. “But Tayven made some nice throws, and Andison [Coby] made a play or two. But we then turn around and drop a ball, could have been a big play, throw an interception.” 

Though Rourke joined the Hoosiers with more experience than Jackson or Cherry, Cignetti has insisted this spring the job simply won’t be handed to Rourke. He must earn it, and that still seems to be the case moving forward.

“I think there's a healthy competition there heading into summer and fall camp,” Cignetti said. “Competition is a great thing. We need more competition at all positions.”

Aiden Fisher leads the defense

Indiana had a void at linebacker after first-team All-Big Ten team captain Aaron Casey graduated, and it appears that will be filled by Aiden Fisher, a transfer from James Madison. In 2023, Fisher led James Madison with 108 total tackles, and he made the All-Sun Belt third team as a sophomore. Cignetti also brought defensive coordinator Bryant Haines with him from James Madison, which led the nation in run defense, ranked 18th in points allowed per game (18.5) and 29th in total yards allowed per game (328.6) in 2023.

Fisher was all over the field on Thursday, seemingly involved with every defensive stop. No official game stats were provided, but it’d be no surprise to see Fisher have more than 10 tackles in the spring game. 

“I think Bryant Haines sleeps a lot better at night with him. He's like a quarterback of the defense,” Cingetti said of Fisher. “Knows it inside out, really studies, really respected by his teammates too, helps get others lined up. So making progress, good football player.”

Receivers have combination of size, speed

Indiana returned leading receiver Donaven McCulley from last season, and Cignetti reinforced that group with transfers Elijah Sarratt (James Madison), Myles Price (Texas Tech), Miles Cross (Ohio) and Ke’Shawn Williams (Wake Forest). But it was returning senior Andison Coby who led the Hoosiers with 114 receiving yards and a touchdown on Thursday.

With that group, Indiana has a huge red zone target in the 6-foot-5 McCulley, who developed into a dominant receiver last season after beginning his career as a quarterback. Price and Cross, both shorter at 5-foot-10 and 6-foot-1, respectively, flashed their speed on Thursday. Sarratt appears to have a solid combination of both, and he consistently created separation on his receivers, hauling in four receptions for 34 yards. 

Along with returners like E.J. Williams Jr. and Omar Cooper Jr., wide receiver is shaping up to be a strength of the 2024 Hoosiers.

Cignetti said earlier in the spring that McCulley “needs to pick it up a bit,” but he’s seen him respond since then. Jackson smartly threw the ball high to McCulley in the end zone, where only he could get it, and it led to a touchdown.

“I thought he made a really nice catch that first touchdown on the post,” Cignetti said of McCulley. “I saw him really respond. I don't do that a lot. I did it once last fall with our quarterback, and he really responded about the middle of the season.”

“He still has some improving. Everybody's got to improve. I know what his goals are, to be a great player, and it starts with the way you practice, your attention to detail, how you study off the field, how you prepare. Those are some of the areas he's got to improve in. But I'm glad we got him.”