Todd’s Take: Everywhere You Turn With Indiana Football, There’s Someone Who Can Make An Opponent Pay

The sheer amount of productive options Indiana football has amassed is impressive and makes the Hoosiers scary for opposing defenses.

Todd Golden | Sep 22, 2024

Indiana's Elijah Green (21) runs for a touchdown during the Indiana versus Charlotte football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – What’s it been like to watch the Indiana offense during the Hoosiers’ 4-0 start so far?

One metaphor that jumped into my mind comes from the 2008 comedy film “Pineapple Express.” Near the conclusion of the film, there’s a gunfight. Seth Rogen’s character, Dale Denton, is a target in the battle. After he broke free from being imprisoned in an underground cell, he began finding weapons seemingly everywhere he turned to keep himself alive in the fight.

The comedic effect of the scene was to parody how easily everyone is armed to the teeth in action movies. In the case of Indiana football and quarterback Kurtis Rourke, the sheer amount of options everywhere he turns is the football version of the same thing.

Unlike the movie scene, it’s not funny for the defenses that have to face the embarrassment of riches Indiana puts on the field offensively.

“It’s awesome,” Rourke said. “Having that abundance of talent around me, it helps in every aspect just being able to hand the ball off or throw the ball to athletes on the outside and knowing we have a good chance to get yardage and touchdowns.”

Where do you start with this Indiana offense? On Saturday, in its 52-14 win over Charlotte, Indiana amassed 510 yards of total offense, its best total against FBS competition, but it’s not too far ahead of the Hoosiers’ 414 yards against Florida International and 430 yards at UCLA. Indiana’s high-water mark is 701 yards of total offense against FCS Western Illinois.

You can marvel at the wonders of the Hoosiers’ potency by picking any position first, but let’s start with the running backs.

If you know your “Star Trek”, you know about the monolithic villain, the Borg. The Borg assimilates victims into a hive mind of near-invincible collective strength.

That’s essentially what Indiana’s running backs are doing.

Indiana's Kaelon Black (8) leaps during the Indiana versus Charlotte football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

No one Indiana running back put up eye-popping individual numbers. Justice Ellison led the way with 58 yards. Kaelon Black added 55 yards, Ty Son Lawton had 35 yards and Elijah Green had 32 yards. This is in addition to quarterback Rourke’s 32 rushing yards.

All of them scored rushing touchdowns with Lawton getting two of them. Collectively, they rushed for 222 yards and averaged 5.4 yards per carry. None of the backs had more than nine carries, so the physical toll is minimal while the production remains high.

Black said he’s used to the shared production from his time with Indiana coach Curt Cignetti at James Madison.

“It’s a blessing. Being at JMU, it was pretty much the same thing since I was a freshman. Everyone is talented and we’re going to keep this thing rolling,” Black said.

I can’t imagine what kind of nightmares Indiana’s receivers cause for opposing defensive coordinators. The Hoosiers’ pass-catchers also balanced out their production on Saturday.

Indiana's Ke'Shawn Williams (5) runs during the Indiana versus Charlotte football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Miles Cross led the way with 5 catches for 46 yards. However, defenses have to account for Ke’Shawn Williams (4 catches, 46 yards, 1 TD), Myles Price (3 catches, 77 yards), Elijah Sarratt (3 catches, 47 yards), Andison Coby (1 catch, 24 yards) and Omar Cooper Jr. (1 catch, 11 yards).

These are just the receivers, mind you. Add in tight end Zach Horton – who didn’t have a catch on Saturday, but who is very capable in his own right – and the firepower from the Indiana passing offense alone is downright scary for the opposition.

It says a lot that wide receiver Donaven McCulley, very often the only legitimate weapon on the field for the Hoosiers in the 2023 season, is lying in wait to get his turn to get in on the action.

McCulley, who was injured in the first game, is an unwitting demonstration of how far this Indiana offense has come in such a short time. A year ago, his loss would have been devastating. Now? There’s plenty of quality teammates who produce in his absence.

“Our ability to move the ball down the field? I don’t want to say it’s been easy, but almost, it’s been easy to move the ball up and down the field. I’m really happy about that. Everybody is doing their job,” Price said.

Indiana's Kurtis Rourke (9) passes during the Indiana versus Charlotte football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Then, of course, there’s Rourke, who is a human metronome. It was a shock to see him miss a pair of receivers high in the end zone on Indiana’s lone failed red zone drive in the first half. Even a routine incomplete pass comes off as weird considering the high bar he’s set for himself.

A bar he still cleared with ease on Saturday. Rourke completed 16 of 20 passes for 258 yards and a touchdown.

What’s one way to illustrate his unflappable production? He’s only thrown 23 incomplete passes in four games all season. His 25 completions against UCLA tops that total by itself, and he would have topped it in the other three games, too, if he wasn’t removed from the game for Tayven Jackson due to the score being settled.

It raises the question of what adversity has Rourke faced this season? Certainly very little of his own making.

“It comes in small bits. It may not be very noticeable, but maybe a play didn’t go the right way or a mistake here and there you want back. I’m sure there’s a bunch of little things that everyone can take away. Adversity is going to come in a bigger scale. We just have to forget about it and move on,” Rourke said.

The offensive line doesn’t get the same publicity, but they deserve the same credit for keeping this potent offense moving. Rourke was sacked once on Saturday, but he has been well-protected. The running backs are taking advantage of sizable holes to get their yards too

Center Mike Katic, guards Drew Evans and Bray Lynch and tackles Carter Smith and Trey Wedig have formed a cohesive bond. Remember, the offensive line was a question mark going into the season after Nick Kidwell’s injury, but they’ve answered the bell.

Indiana, now 4-0, will only face Big Ten foes the rest of the way with Maryland coming to Memorial Stadium at Noon ET next Saturday.

The games will get more challenging, but the sheer array of firepower Indiana possesses raises the degree of difficulty for opponents in equal measure.

Everywhere you turn with these Hoosiers, there’s someone who can make an opponent pay. It’s a beautiful place to be.

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