Rourke passes for 4 touchdowns as Indiana spoils UCLA's Big Ten debut
Published
PASADENA, Calif. -- — Kurtis Rourke passed for 307 yards and four touchdowns as Indiana spoiled UCLA's Big Ten debut, 42-13 on Saturday.
Rourke completed 25 of 33 passes for Indiana (3-0, 1-0 Big Ten) as Curt Cignetti became the first Hoosiers coach to begin his tenure with three straight wins since Bill Lynch in 2007.
It is the 10th 300-yard game of Rourke’s career, with the previous nine coming at Ohio University, where he was the Mid-American Conference's Offensive Player of the Year in 2022. It was also his fourth game with at least four touchdown passes.
The 29-point victory is the Hoosiers' largest in the Big Ten since they beat Northwestern 34-3 in 2019.
UCLA (1-1, 0-1) struggled for the second straight game under first-year coach DeShaun Foster. After rallying for a 16-13 win at Hawaii on Aug. 31, the Bruins again found themselves in a double-digit hole in the first half, but this time couldn't recover.
Senior quarterback Ethan Garbers was 14 of 23 for 137 yards and a pair of turnovers (one fumble, one interception).
Two of Rourke's TD passes went to Ke’Shawn Williams. The senior transfer from Wake Forest, who had three receptions for 31 yards, gave the Hoosiers a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter when he caught a short flare from Rourke on a crossing route and went 14 yards.
Williams then caught a 2-yard pass on third-and-goal with 4:55 remaining in the third quarter to extend Indiana's lead to 28-10.
Indiana scored on its opening possession for the second straight game when Miles Cross caught a 2-yard touchdown pass in the back of the end zone to complete a 75-yard, 12-play drive.
UCLA quickly turned it over when Ethan Garbers fumbled and Indiana defensive lineman Mikail Kamara recovered at the Bruins 17.
Cross had six receptions for 90 yards, including a one-handed grab for 33 yards while being covered by UCLA's Devin Kirkwood during the second quarter. On the next play, Justice Ellison had his third straight game with a touchdown when his 1-yard carry up the middle extended IU's lead to 21-0.
After UCLA's Mateen Bhaghani kicked his second field goal early in the fourth quarter, Rourke threw his fourth touchdown on the ensuing possession — a 23-yard strike to Omar Cooper Jr.
Elijah Greene then capped the scoring with a 14-yard run.
The Bruins only touchdown came in the second quarter when T.J. Harden's 1-yard run with 42 seconds remaining got them within 21-7 at halftime.
The Takeaway
Indiana: The Hoosiers had a better result at the Rose Bowl compared to their first trip here in 1968, when they lost to Southern California 14-3 in the Granddaddy of Them All.
UCLA: Things will not get any easier for the Bruins, with LSU, Oregon and Penn State awaiting the next three weeks.
Up next
Indiana: Host Charlotte next Saturday.
UCLA: At 16th-ranked LSU next Saturday.