Kurtis Rourke passed for 263 yards and four touchdowns, including two to Elijah Sarratt, while Amare Ferrell recorded two interceptions on Saturday. This helped No. 13 Indiana secure a 47-10 win over Michigan State and achieve its first 9-0 start in school history.
Rourke, who did not play in last week’s game against Washington due to surgery on his injured right thumb, showed no signs of trouble and completed 19 of 29 passes.
The Hoosiers (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter but then scored 47 points in a row to secure their ninth straight win by double digits. This marks only the third time in Indiana’s long history that the team has won nine games.
“It’s awesome,” Rourke said about the 9-0 start. “It’s just a great feeling. We’ve prepared for this moment since January, getting to know all the new guys, and really just start feeling everything out.
We knew we had a special team, but it’s just great to see it play out the way it is. And hopefully, we keep rolling.” Rourke, who was injured in the first half against Nebraska two weeks ago, played with a splint on his thumb nail and a glove to cover it.
“I had some things that minimized the pain starting the game,” Rourke said. “It was definitely a little bit sore with every throw. But something that I knew was going to come and I wanted to play through because you don’t get a chance to play football a lot.”
Michigan State (4-5, 2-4 Big Ten) took the lead in the first quarter with a 47-yard field goal from Jonathan Kim and an 18-yard touchdown pass from Aidan Chiles to Nick Marsh. Before Kim’s field goal, Indiana had not trailed in any game this season.
Rourke quickly responded by guiding the Hoosiers to touchdowns on three of their next four drives. After a 17-yard scoring pass to Zach Horton, Ty Son Lawton put Indiana ahead with a 1-yard run, and Rourke finished the first half with a 4-yard pass to Sarratt.
“We had to trail at some point,” Sarratt said. “I’m glad we overcame it now. Nothing changed on the sideline. We knew we were just going out there and trying to execute each time we went out there.”
In the second half, the Hoosiers added a blocked punt by D’Angelo Ponds that resulted in a safety, Rourke’s touchdown passes to Myles Price and Sarratt, a 29-yard field goal by Nicolas Radicic, and a 16-yard scoring run by Omar Cooper Jr.
“Michigan State came out and really made some impressive plays on offense, throwing and catching, and we responded with a nice touchdown drive,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said. “And then we got a couple turnovers on defense, which were huge.
“It was pretty dominant win, really, 47 straight points on the road against, I think, a good football team.”
Chiles completed 16 of 24 passes for 193 yards and two interceptions but had to leave the game in the third quarter after getting hit while throwing the ball away.
“We got embarrassed today,” Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith said. “It’s a terrible taste in our mouths, but that’s what you sign up for.”
