NOTEBOOK – Dominating Quarterback Play Sparks Hoosiers
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Kurtis Rourke has done this before, dominated before, played ruthlessly efficient quarterback before.
He just hadn’t done it as an Indiana Hoosier. Not like this.
Now that he has, earning Big Ten offensive player of the week honors in just his third Cream & Crimson game, consider the possibilities.
Against UCLA, Rourke found a zone few IU quarterbacks have ever reached, and there have been a lot of good ones over the years.
Rourke, a former Mid-American Conference offensive player of the year at Ohio University, completed 25-of-33 passes for 307 yards and four touchdowns without throwing an interception. He was at his best when IU needed it the most, going 9-for-9 for 128 yards on third downs to produce either a first down or a touchdown.
The result -- in addition to his first Big Ten honor, he also made the Manning Award Stars and Davey O’Brien Award Great 8 lists. He’s led the Hoosiers to a 3-0 start as they wrap up non-conference play by hosting Charlotte (1-2) Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
“I thought he played really well and did a nice job with his eyes and was accurate,” head coach Curt Cignetti said. “He played extremely well.
“We did a great job protecting. We had no sacks. Our receivers did a nice job of separating and made some really good catches.”
Not even a series of offensive penalties could stop Rourke or the Hoosiers, who only punted once, totaled 430 yards and averaged 6.9 yards per play. He was in total command of an offense he hadn’t seen until transferring to IU last December. He was especially effective with the run-pass option, instantly recognizing what was open and making good decisions.
It's what you need at the quarterback position; it’s why you can’t overstate the quarterback’s importance at any level; it’s why you seek out difference-making veterans in this transfer portal era.
Cignetti trusts Rourke, just as he did the previous one-year transfer quarterbacks he had at James Madison. Rourke’s 33 career starts at Ohio University, 8,479 career all-purpose yards and 61 total touchdowns started that trust. His leadership, commitment and production since becoming a Hoosier completed the process.
“Kurtis obviously had a track record before he came here,” Cignetti said. “It's not like you're teaching a young guy how to play the position. You’ve got older guys that know how to play the position and now you're just fitting them into your offensive structure and then building upon the things that they do well.
“At that position, there's just so many things that go into having an older guy. You can't put a value on it.”
Rourke led IU to its largest Big Ten road win since a 63-32 victory at Wisconsin in 2001. It was the Hoosiers’ first conference road victory since winning the Old Brass Spittoon at Michigan State in 2022.
The Hoosiers hadn’t won Big Ten offensive player of the week honors since receiver Ty Fryfogle and running back Stevie Scott III did it in three-straight weeks during the 2020 season. The last IU quarterback to win Big Ten offensive honors was Nate Sudfeld against Purdue in 2015.
Running back pass protection was a big reason for Rourke’s success, Cignetti added.
“It's critical if you're going to drop back and throw,” he said. “That's six-man protection, primarily. The running back has got to be a good receiver out of the backfield. He's also got to be able to block the blitz.
“Our guys did a great job Saturday. We were late on one or two (blitz pickups), but all in all, it was really good. You can't throw the ball if your backs can't protect.”
IU received votes in this week’s top-25 poll, but not enough to be ranked. That would change with more victories. The Hoosiers have three ranked teams on the schedule -- No. 3 Ohio State, No. 18 Michigan and No. 22 Nebraska -- along with six more home games.
The Hoosiers have to stay focused on the weekly challenge and the next opponent, Cignetti says.
“There's a standard we do everything to, and we want to keep improving as a team. We've got to have a great week of preparation. It starts with the staff. We have to stay humble and hungry as we prepare for this next opponent.”
Charlotte backup quarterback Trexler Ivey made the American Athletic Conference’s weekly honorable mention list after rallying the 49ers to a 27-26 win over Gardner-Webb last Saturday.
Ivey, a redshirt junior, completed 11 of his 12 passes attempts for 142 yards, two touchdowns, plus a 2-point conversion, and no interceptions, all in the fourth quarter, as the 49ers rallied from a 20-3 third-quarter deficit.
Ivey replaced starter DeShawn Purdie, a true freshman. Purdie completes 59.5 percent of his passes for 328 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
Max Brown, a redshirt sophomore, has also played. He completes 52.6 percent of his passes for 368 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.
“They've played three guys,” Cignetti says. “They played two guys in the last game. They brought in a guy (Ivey) in the fourth quarter, an older guy. We'll prepare for both, schematically, more so in terms of what they do, what they like to do.
“Maybe the younger guy has a little bit of a (more lively) arm and his mobility might be a little (better), but the older guy has got the experience, the moxie. He understands how to play.
“(Whoever plays) won't affect our game plan a whole lot.”
Also, Charlotte punter Michael O’Shaughnessy, a Michigan State transfer, made all-conference special teams player of the week after punting four times for 50.8 yards, with a long of 73 yards. Three of his punts were downed inside the Gardner-Webb 20-yard line.
Running back Hahsaun Wilson leads with 116 rushing yards and a 6.1-yards-per-carry average. He’s scored one touchdown.
Three receivers have caught at least 10 passes. Colin Weber leads with 14 for 143 yards. Fifteen players have caught at least one pass.
The 49ers opened the season losing to North Carolina 38-20 and James Madison 30-7.
IU won’t let the UCLA victory be a distraction for Saturday’s game, Cignetti said.
“All eyes are on Charlotte. They are a team that's proven capable of playing up at a very competitive level. Last year, they played Maryland, led at halftime, it was a one-score game in the fourth quarter. They played Florida and it was a ball game throughout the entire game. North Carolina this year was a one-score game in the third quarter.
“They have a lot of transfers. They have a lot of athletes. Their defensive line is big, and they can move. They’ve got a receiver that can really go.”
IU defensive lineman Mikail Kamara continues to disrupt opposing offenses. He was a big reason why the Hoosiers had 24 pressures on UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers.
Kamara, who played for Cignetti at James Madison, has developed into a dominating player over the past couple of seasons. In three games this season, he has three sacks, two quarterback hits, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, plus seven overall tackles.
“I noticed that in spring ball,” Cignetti said. “The biggest thing with him is he's been healthy. Because early in his career, he had a couple injuries. He started as a true freshman with two bad shoulders that were both surgically repaired so he missed the next season.
“Now that he's been on the field, he's gotten better every year. I saw him turn it up another level in spring ball, which is the natural progression you want to see in all the guys, that they build off the previous year. He's a good athlete. He's smart. He's crafty. And he plays really hard.”
IU’s fast start reflects a veteran roster of players from winning programs, including the 13 who played for Cignetti at James Madison. It has forced six turnovers and committed zero, the first time it’s gone three-straight games without a turnover since 1996.
“We do have a lot of guys on this team that have played a lot of football across the board,” Cignetti said. “We have a couple of new guys on the offensive line, but at all positions, we have a veteran outfit. We're veteran at defensive line and linebacker. (Amare) Ferrell is still kind of a younger guy (at rover), but other than that, we've got experience on defense, as well.
“In the second half, we had some adversity with the penalties on defense. Our guys kept their poise and responded. I thought that was great.”