Hoosier Football Rivals Take Notice

By Nick Jenkinson/Excel H Sports

    The Indiana Hoosiers are 5-0 for the first time since 1967 with a 42-28 win over the Maryland Terrapins Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium before an announced crowd of 48,323 and even though the weather played a factor with the remnants of Hurricane Helene hanging around Indiana the crowd hung around and was treated to a 28-point second half performance from the Hoosiers who should be in the top 25 when the latest poll is released. Head Coach Curt Cignetti is 5-0 as the Hoosier Head Coach and when the Hoosiers travel to Northwestern Next Saturday afternoon they have a chance to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2020.

    Maryland is 3-2 overall and 0-2 in the Big Ten and the Hoosiers snap a three-game losing to skid to the Terrapins and Indiana leads the all-time series 8-5. Cignetti sent an email to the students before the game Friday asking them to show up and not leave early and be there until the clock hits zero. “Step in the right direction, but let’s sell it out. I thought it was good, but let’s make it great” Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti said after the game. Indiana has struggled with attendance for a long time and the weather did not help but if results keep going in the right direction there will be a packed in Memorial Stadium and not because Michigan and Ohio State are playing, and their fans buy the tickets.

    Kurtis Rourke got off to a rocky start throwing two interceptions during the first three possessions of the game. He bounced back and showed the poise and confidence going 22-33 for 359 yards and 3 touchdown passes. Rourke was sacked 3 times and fumbled the ball as the Hoosiers had 4 turnovers. Coming into the game Indiana along with Georgia and Louisville did not have offensive turnover. Elijah Sarratt caught 7 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown, Omar Cooper Jr had 4 catches for 83 yards and a touchdown along with 12-yard touchdown reception for Donaven McCulley. Rourke found 10 different targets on the day and the Hoosiers have scored 244 points through the first five games this season and this is the first time since 2000 that IU had scored 30 or more points in five straight games, and they went 2-3 in that stretch. The Hoosiers’ running game was strong with 42 carries 151 yards and 3 touchdowns from Justice Ellison, Ty Son Lawton and Myles Price. The Hoosiers finished 510 yards of offense, 28 First downs, 7-13 on third down conversions. Indiana controlled the ball for 30 minutes and 38 seconds and had 4 penalties for 38 yards. Cignetti was not pleased with the turnovers and had Indiana not committed four of them he thinks the outcome would have been different. “We really could have cleaned their clock (without the turnovers)” Cignetti said after the game.

    Maryland Quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. threw for 289 yards and 3 touchdowns completing 26 of his 41 passes. Roman Hemby had 10 carries for 117 yards and a touchdown, but the Terrapins were held 112 total rushing yards on 30 carries thanks to Indiana’s defense sacking Edwards 5 times. Maryland did not commit a turnover but finished 401 yards of offense and broke the four-game streak of the Hoosiers defense holding opponents to under 300 yards. Maryland had 19 First downs, 5-15 on third down conversions and 0-3 on fourth downs. Maryland had possession for 29 minutes and 22 seconds, but the Terps had 10 penalties for 93 yards and half of those called on Center Aliou Bah who had two snap infractions, holding penalties and a personal foul penalty. Kaiden Prather had 5 catches for 66 yards and a touchdown, Hemby was 5 for 48 with a touchdown and Dylan Wade had 3 catches for 15 yards and a touchdown. Billy Edwards Jr found eight different targets as Maryland’s top receiver Tai Felton had 5 catches for 38 yards and did not find the endzone.

   After a scoreless first quarter Indiana scored first and never trailed in the game even though Maryland tied three different times. The Hoosiers led 14-7 going into the locker room when Rourke found Omar Cooper Jr on a 28-yard touchdown pass with 37 seconds left. Maryland tied 21-21 with 7:21 left in the third quarter when Roman Hemby ripped off a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage after Indiana had scored on the possession before. Indiana responded at the end of third quarter when Rourke found Elijah Sarratt on a 13-yard touchdown pass with 40 seconds left in the third quarter. To make it 28-21. The Hoosiers made it 42-21 before Maryland scored with 2:55 left in the game when Edwards Jr found Hemby on a 12-yard touchdown pass.

   The Indiana defense gave up 28 points which is the most allowed in a single game all season, but the Hoosiers have allowed 65 points in 5 games which 13 points per game and the offense is averaging 48.4 points per game. This is just the third time that Hoosiers have started a season 5-0 in 1910 the Hoosiers were 5-0 before losing to Illinois 3-0 on November 5 at Jordan Field to finish that season 6-1. In 1967 Indiana started 8-0 before losing at Minnesota 33-7 on November 18 before beating Purdue 19-14 the following week to send the Hoosiers to the Rose Bowl and fell to USC 14-3 on New Years Day 1968 to finish 9-2. The Hoosiers are trending in the right direction and continue to make noise not only in the Big Ten but around the nation are taking notice of this team who has struggled for years but with a new coach with that has shown that he can change programs around and his players and staff beveling that they can accomplish big things at Indiana University. The Curt Cignetti era at Indiana University has just begun but the future looks very bright.