BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WDRB) — First they warned that if you Googled the history of Indiana University football you’d wonder why coach Curt Cignetti peppered the atmosphere with his blustery confidence.
Then the Hoosiers rolled to king-sized victories in their first four games.
So they looked at those victories and wondered: Yeah, who has Indiana beaten?
"That's going to be every single week," said IU center Mike Katic. "We know that. That's why we have a chip on our shoulder."
Then Cignetti’s team flattened Maryland, Northwestern and Nebraska and rose to No. 13 in the Associated Press Top 25. ESPN’s motormouth Pat McAfee fell in love with Cignetti and the story of the unlikely Hoosiers.
So this week they looked at Indiana’s 7-0 record and fired another blast of questions:
Could the Hoosiers remain unbeaten without the injured Kurtis Rourke, who had played as well as any quarterback in the Big Ten?
Could they do it against Washington, a program that played against Michigan in the national championship game last season?
Oh, and how would Indiana respond to the hot lights of ESPN’s College GameDay? Distraction City.
Former Michigan receiver Desmond Howard and Ohio State quarterback Kirk Herbstreit, two former players steeped in Big Ten history and Indiana’s consistent struggles, did not believe Indiana would do well.
They sat on the Game Day field set and predicted Washington would topple the Hoosiers Saturday at Memorial Stadium moments before kickoff.
Wrong.
Join the club. I predicted the Hoosiers would labor through Cignetti's first season with five total victories.
Without Rourke and despite several legitimate blasts of adversity, Indiana improved to 8-0 for the first time since 1967, dispatching Washington, 31-17. The Hoosiers won even though they were out-gained, 318-312.
"We're not off to a bad start, I guess," Cignetti said, with a wink.
"I told the team after the game that really good teams, championship teams, they find ways to win games. That's what we did today."
Sources say that 53,082 Indiana fans in Memorial Stadium winked back.
Not only is Indiana unbeaten, Cignetti’s team has now played 480 minutes of football without trailing for a second. Not one. They have won every game by at least 14 points.
They will journey to Michigan State next Saturday in position to become the first Indiana team to win its first nine games. The 1967 Rose Bowl team won its first eight before losing to Minnesota and then beating Purdue. Michigan (home), Ohio State (away) and Purdue (home), three programs that Cignetti famously flamed last December, loom after that.
"It means everything," Katic said. "I love this place with my whole heart, and I'm so grateful for everyone in this program that has helped me get to where I am.
"And I'm so, so proud of this team and these coaches and everything for, you know, breaking through and getting Indiana football back on top."
This one was different. It had to be different without Rourke, who played his way into the outside of the Heisman Trophy discussion before suffering the thumb injury last week against Nebraska.
The first half was not pretty. Indiana’s offense looked like an offense that needed Rourke to heal from the injury to his right thumb as quickly as possible. They failed to convert a fourth-and-one in the first quarter and then finished the half forced to take a field goal after being unable to score a touchdown on three plays from the Washington 1.
Cignetti said he had to junk the game plan in the second half and focus on running the football with more determination. Indiana did that well, running the ball for 132 of their 188 yards in the second half. Halfback Justice Ellison carried 29 times for 123 yards and a touchdown.
"Just like life, you can't pout," Ellison said. "It's nothing at all about Justice Ellison. It's about the team. I'll give everything to this program."
"Good win." Cignetti said."There are no bad wins. I thought it was really gutty, finding a way to win."
Backup Tayven Jackson had his moments but he's not the proven passer or leader that Rourke is. He found Omar Cooper for a 42-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. But although he completed 8 of his other 13 throws the completions were only worth 58 yards.
Indiana quarterback Tayven Jackson (2) runs during the first half of an NCAA college football game against the Washington, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Bloomington, Ind. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Jackson did not show the poise to work through his progressions as efficiently as Rourke, a 75% passer with 15 touchdown passes in seven games.
Jackson is a skilled runner, but Cignetti and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan seemed reluctant to let him try that. Understandable. The next two quarterbacks on the IU roster are Tyler Cherry and Alberto Mendoza, a pair of unproven true freshmen.
When Jackson opened the second half with a batted pass that resulted in an interception and an eventual Washington touchdown that cut Indiana’s lead to 17-14, the Hoosiers were faced with their first legitimate game pressure of the season.
Jackson responded — with poise and persistence. He directed Indiana 75 yards over 14 plays, including three third-down conversions, the first on a pass, the final two running the ball.
That put Indiana ahead 24-14. They added another touchdown in the fourth quarter, which was set up by a dazzling 65-yard punt return by Myles Price.
The Indiana defense took it from there, sending a crowd of 53,082 home with another snapshot of the most remarkable Indiana football season any of them could remember.
"It's unbelievable and it makes me so happy," Katic said. "Being here through the ups and downs. Seeing the student section. Seeing all the towels being waved ... It's just surreal."
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