Indiana football knocked off Maryland 42-28 in its first Big Ten home matchup of the Curt Cignetti era. Even though the score board showed a two-touchdown victory, the Hoosiers had to battle through adversity to get to 5-0 for the first time since 1967.
Despite ending the non-conference schedule, the Indiana offense looked better than ever following the early blunders of quarterback Kurtis Rourke. The sixth-year senior threw his first two interceptions of the year on the first two drives of the game.
It was the first time this season Indiana had been in a position where it needed to go make a play. It has yet to trail in a game this season, but after its first six drives resulted in three turnovers and two punts, pressure was applied.
The running back room also got off to a slow start, which is where previous Indiana teams would have folded. However, Rourke pushed through early struggles and proved to be the leader of this Hoosier team.
Following those early mistakes, Indiana punted just twice, scoring five touchdowns and turning the ball over once. Rourke was a huge part of this turnaround, going 20-of-27 for 332 yards and three touchdowns after the two interceptions. This was a game where the Hoosiers needed someone at the helm to lead them past a slow start, and Rourke did just that.
Junior receiver Elijah Sarratt was Rourke’s favorite target of the day as he caught seven passes for 128 yards and a touchdown. Sarratt was one of 10 different players with a reception, including five with two or more.
Even with the running back room having a slower day than normal, senior Ty Son Lawton and redshirt-junior Justice Ellison got the job done, combining for 144 yards and two touchdowns.
Performances like today’s prove why the Indiana offense is going to be able to compete in the upcoming tough matches of the Big Ten regular season. Averaging 513 yards per game following their second Big Ten game of the season, the Hoosiers are now ranked third in the conference in that stat.
They proved they can handle misfortunes not only on offense, but also on defense.
Playing in weather that isn’t ideal coupled with two early turnovers isn’t a position that any player wants to be in. Indiana was one of three teams in the country entering the game that hadn’t turned the ball over in 2024, which is why it was so impressive how the defense battled.
Fortunately for the defense, all four turnovers took place in Maryland territory which gave the Hoosiers more breathing room. Regardless, the Indiana defense allowed –3 yards and zero points on those four drives.
It seemed to play better with this sense of motivation with this being the first time the Indiana offense has turned the ball over, showing a great sense of maturity. They finished with five sacks and eight tackles for loss as the Hoosiers now lead the conference in both categories with 17 and 35, respectively.
Junior defensive lineman Mikail Kamara picked up his fourth sack of the season, tying him for the lead in the Big Ten with Michigan senior Josaiah Stewart. After picking up 1.5 tackles for loss, Kamara is also tied for fourth in TFLs with Purdue senior Kydran Jenkins.
Cignetti called it ‘‘rat poison” in the locker room during this past Monday’s press conference, but the hype is real around this Indiana football squad. They not only proved they could continue to go out and put these numbers up against two Big Ten teams, but they proved they can handle any adversity that comes with it.
Rourke very well could have dwelled on the early picks in the game, and instead, he decided to move forward and win the first home conference bout of the season. The defense, which was put in bad positions on multiple occasions, had every chance to use excuses — but instead, it battled and never faced a deficit. Beyond the talent that everyone already knew was on this team, they proved their fight and maturity in Saturday’s win.
Follow reporters Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) and Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and columnist Jhett Garrett (@jhettgarrett) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
