Rourke has Hoosiers offence rolling
Published
Two games in, and Kurtis Rourke is already setting a new standard at Indiana.
The Hoosiers broke a 123-year-old school record for points in a single game in last Friday’s 77-3 win over Western Illinois, and added 701 total yards of offence – also the most in program history. Tack on a 31-7 victory over Florida International in Week 1, and Indiana has outscored its opponents 108-10 in a pair of wins to open the season.
Rourke, who transferred to Indiana for his final year of eligibility after five seasons at Ohio, can only stake a partial claim to the records from last weekend, only because he was lifted at halftime against Western Illinois.
Had he stayed in, things may have gotten even further out of hand. In two quarters, Rourke completed 15-of-17 pass attempts for 268 yards and a pair of touchdowns, leading Indiana up and down the field with ease. The Hoosiers scored 42 of their 77 points in the first half, and had 415 total yards before reaching the locker room.
It gets tougher from here on out. On Saturday, Indiana heads west to visit new conference foe UCLA, and has nine meetings with Big Ten opponents in the final 10 games – a stretch that’s certain to define the Hoosiers’ season, and determine whether or not they’ve actually turned a page under new head coach Curt Cignetti.
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A closer look at Rourke and Indiana, by the numbers:
3-24: Indiana’s record against Big Ten opponents since 2021
Remember how the upcoming stretch is certain to define the Hoosiers’ season?
This is why.
Here’s some reason for optimism: Indiana is actually a favourite this weekend on the road against UCLA, and has a reasonable chance to hang with schools like Maryland and Purdue, both of which it gets at home this season. Of the Hoosiers’ 10 conference matchups, only three are against teams that are currently ranked – No. 23 Nebraska (Oct. 19), No. 17 Michigan (Nov. 9) and No. 3 Ohio State (Nov. 23).
A lot can change between now and December, but Indiana has a genuine chance to win a handful of games. Get six, and they’re bowl eligible.
33: Years since Indiana’s last bowl game win
The year was 1991, and the Hoosiers – behind future Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion Trent Green – shut out Baylor 24-0 in the Copper Bowl (now known as the Guaranteed Rate Bowl). Indiana has been to six bowl games since, losing each time – most recently to Ole Miss in the Outback Bowl in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
70: Total outgoing and incoming transfers under Cignetti
Indiana’s shakeup this year only began at the head coaching position, with Cignetti bringing along 13 players from James Madison, which went 11-2 and won the Sun Belt last season. In all, the Hoosiers added 33 players via the transfer portal – Rourke being one of the headliners – and lost 37, which was the most of any Power Four school.
8: Quarterbacks selected in the NFL Draft out of Indiana
Rourke’s move from the MAC to the Big Ten grants him exposure in one of college football’s elite conferences, though historically it’s been a challenge for quarterbacks to work their way onto the NFL radar out of Indiana.
In the 90-year history of the NFL Draft, only eight Hoosier quarterbacks have been selected, with Green (of Copper Bowl fame) the only to have a significant impact.
One notable outlier: Michael Penix Jr. – drafted eighth overall by the Atlanta Falcons in April after finishing as a Heisman finalist and leading Washington to last season's CFP championship game – did play parts of four seasons with Indiana between 2018-2021.
53: Career touchdown passes for Rourke
Rourke has made the most of his 35 college starts, and his 53 career touchdown passes ranks second amongst Canadians in NCAA history, trailing only his brother, Nathan, who had 60 in four seasons at Ohio. If he stays healthy, Indiana’s 11 remaining regular-season games should be plenty for the younger Rourke to plant his flag atop the list.
Rourke’s best year came in 2022, when he threw 25 touchdown passes with just four interceptions, earning MAC most valuable player honours despite an ACL injury that ended his season in mid-November.
1: Rourke’s placement on the CFL Scouting Bureau’s list of 2025 draft-eligible prospects
Regardless of whether it’s north or south of the border, a pro career for Rourke is in the cards.
For the second straight fall, Rourke topped the list of CFL draft-eligible prospects prior to the start of the college football season.