Kurtis Rourke scores 4 touchdowns, Indiana spoils UCLA’s Big Ten debut, 42-13

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 start his tenure with three straight victories since Bill Lynch in 2007.

It was Rourke’s 10th career 300-yard game, with the previous nine coming at Ohio University, where he was named the 2022 Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Year. It was also his fourth game with at least four touchdown passes.

The 29-point victory is the Hoosiers’ biggest in the Big Ten since beating Northwestern 34-3 in 2019.

UCLA (1-1, 0-1) had a second straight tough game under first-year coach DeShaun Foster. After 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 they couldn’t recover.

Senior quarterback Ethan Garbers completed 14 of 23 passes for 137 yards and two turnovers (one fumble, one interception).

Two of Rourke’s TD passes came 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 pass from Rourke on a crossing route and ran 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 first 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 lost control of the ball when Ethan Garbers fumbled the ball and Indiana defensive lineman Mikail Kamara recovered it at the Bruins’ 17-yard line.

Cross had six receptions for 90 yards, including a one-handed catch for 33 yards, while being covered by UCLA’s Devin Kirkwood in the second quarter. On the next play, Justice Ellison recorded his third straight touchdown game when his one-yard run 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 finished the scoring with a 14-yard run.

The Bruins’ lone touchdown came in the second quarter when TJ Harden’s one-yard run with 42 seconds left brought the halftime lead to 21-7.

The takeaway

Indiana: The Hoosiers had a better Rose Bowl result than their first trip here in 1968, when they lost to Southern California 14-3 in the Granddaddy of Them All.

UCLA: Things won’t get any better for the Bruins, with LSU, Oregon and Penn State waiting in the next three weeks.

To be continued

Indiana: Hosts Charlotte next Saturday.

UCLA: vs. No. 16 LSU next Saturday.