Indiana football started its season 2-0 following a dominating 77-3 win over Western Illinois University, securing the most points an Indiana team has ever scored in a football game.
The Hoosiers have now put up 108 points through their first two games. For context, it took Indiana until game six last season for the Hoosiers to get to that point.
The main reason for this would be the phenomenal performances from their playmakers, who helped the Hoosiers accumulate 701 total yards of offense, a new program record. A lot of these playmakers came over in the transfer portal during the offseason, further showing the improvements head coach Curt Cignetti has made in just ten months.
“We threw and caught the ball well and protected well,” Cignetti said postgame. “That’s part of why we want to clean those penalties up and protect the quarterback better than we did last week.”
One of those transfers from Texas Tech University, senior Myles Price, caught a pass for 17 yards to start out the game, which was a sign of things to come throughout the night. Just a few plays later, senior receiver Andison Coby caught his first pass of the season for 38 yards and a touchdown. Sixth-year senior quarterback Kurtis Rourke placed the football in a beautiful spot for Coby, putting the Hoosiers up 7-0 just over two minutes into the game.
Things would only get worse for the Leathernecks from here.
Elijah Sarratt inserted himself into the box score after catching a pass for 23 yards. The junior transfer from James Madison had a solid game after only catching two passes for 12 yards a week ago against Florida International University. Friday night was different, as he finished with six receptions for 137 yards and a touchdown. Should Sarratt continue to produce in this fashion, the Indiana offense is only going to thrive.
Rourke had a near perfect showing, finishing 15-of-17 for 268 yards and two touchdowns, while also having a quarterback rating of 259.5. Rourke also found a way to get it done with his legs, rushing three times for 13 yards and a touchdown late in the second quarter.
While it was a weaker defensive opponent, Rourke flashed a lot of talent that was held back last week against FIU when the offense stagnated in the second half. It was uncertain if Rourke would be the guy to lead Indiana to a bowl game and beyond this season, but he is starting to earn trust from the fans.
Like last week, Price was one of Rourke’s favorite targets this game, as he caught all four passes thrown his way for 38 yards. He has proven to be one of the lead men for the Hoosiers after catching four passes a week ago. Price is a threat in space, which is where the bulk of his receptions come in the first two games.
Offensive Coordinator Mike Shannahan has focused on getting Price the ball behind the line of scrimmage and letting him use his speed to pick up yards. I have said it before and I will say it again, I fully expect Price to be the leader in receptions for the Hoosiers at the end of the season.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Tayven Jackson showed promise during his playing time in the second half, highlighted by a 69-yard touchdown pass to fellow redshirt sophomore Omar Cooper Jr. in the fourth quarter. This reception brought Cooper Jr. to 131 yards on four receptions.
Jackson finished a perfect 3-of-3 with 104 passing yards and a touchdown, while showing off how much talent he has on the ground as well. He would run the ball just twice for 19 yards and a touchdown in the third quarter. With the 2024 season being Rourke’s final year of college football, Jackson gave a potential look into the future for the Hoosiers at the quarterback position.
The running back room once again shined, combining for 323 yards and seven of the Hoosiers 11 touchdowns. This marks back-to-back weeks of the Hoosiers averaging six yards a carry or more, as they averaged seven against the Leathernecks.
“Some of it’s relative to who you play,” Cignetti said, “I hope we create those kinds of numbers later in the season, and then we’ll be a hot item on the clinic circuit.”
Senior Wake Forest University transfer Justice Ellison led the way for Indiana, tallying 117 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Those reps didn’t come in garbage time either, as Ellison was the lead back for most of the game. He led the Hoosiers in rushing attempts with nine and was the only player to get a carry on the second drive of the game that resulted in an Ellison touchdown from two yards out. This capped off a five play, 56-yard touchdown drive that only took two minutes and 22 seconds.
Senior JMU transfer Ty Son Lawton was the lead back for Indiana a week ago against FIU. This week, he saw a drop in his carries but still showed out in his six touches. He rushed for 42 yards while also finding his way into the end zone for a touchdown, giving him three after the first two games.
The leading rusher from a week ago was University of North Carolina transfer Elijah Green following a 51-yard rushing touchdown late in the game. This week, he received the same number of carries, but rushed for just 31 yards. He also scored a touchdown early in the second quarter.
Kaelon Black, a redshirt junior transfer from JMU finally got playing time after running the ball just one time a week ago. While he was dealing with a tight hamstring, he looked impressive tonight in his limited opportunities, carrying the ball five times for 30 yards.
Indiana looks to carry this explosiveness on offense into Big Ten play, which starts at 7:30 p.m. next Saturday, Sept. 14 in Pasadena, California as the Hoosiers take on UCLA on NBC and Peacock.
Follow reporters Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) and Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and columnist Jhett Garrett (@jhettgarrett) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
