Kurtis Rourke leads Indiana to record-setting point total in 77-3 victory over Western Illinois

Updated Sep. 6, 2024 10:54 p.m. ET

Associated Press

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Indiana coach Curt Cignetti sent a message to his players this week.

He expected them to play their brand of football — from start to finish. They delivered in a record-breaking way.

Kurtis Rourke threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score — all in the first half Friday night — as the Indiana Hoosiers broke the school's single-game scoring record with a 77-3 rout of Western Illinois that didn't exactly come by design.

“I was trying to get a lot of people into the game. We were trying to run there and I wanted to give the third quarterback a chance to throw it once, so we did what we could to keep (the score) down,” Cignetti said. “But I didn't want them to play down to their standard and I thought we responded (to the message) really well.”

How lopsided was it?

The Hoosiers (2-0) broke the previous mark of 76 points, set in a shutout of Franklin College in 1901, on the extra point after Charlie Becker's 3-yard TD run with 9:10 to play. They also set a school record with 701 total yards and the margin was second all-time behind only that game against Franklin.

Cignetti also became the fourth Indiana coach since 1948 to win his first two games at the school.

Western Illinois (0-2) extended the longest losing streak in Division I football to 26 straight. The Leathernecks’ last win came Oct. 30, 2021.

This one was never close. Indiana scored TDs on each of its first six possessions, produced 415 yards on 38 plays in the first half and led 42-3 at halftime.

Rourke, the 2022 Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Year, was sensational in his second game with Indiana. He finished 15-of-17 passing for 268 yards, while rushing three times for 13 yards. Justice Ellison ran nine times for 117 yards and two TDs. Elijah Sarratt caught six passes for 137 yards, including a 71-yard TD.

“He was pretty sharp and the receivers were making plays," Cignetti said.

Andison Coby got the scoring started with a 38-yard TD catch on the fifth play of the game. Ellison's 2-yard TD run made it 14-0 before Sarratt's long scoring play. And Ty Son Lawton's 19-yard TD run gave Indiana a 28-0 lead late in the first quarter.

Western Illinois' only score came on a 31-yard field goal in the final minute of the first half.

“It’s unfortunate to get off to such a slow start here for two weeks in a row and not generate any momentum on either side of the ball,” Western Illinois coach Joe Davis said. “It just puts us in such a massive hole early that is hard to dig yourself out of.”

Ellison sealed it with a 47-yard TD run to open the second-half scoring and kicker Nicolas Radicic's record-breaking 11th extra point of the game gave Indiana the scoring mark.

“I thought we played physical, with a nasty attitude and we were never satisfied,” Cignetti said.

THE TAKEAWAY

Western Illinois: This season certainly has not started well for the only active FBS or FCS team with two straight winless seasons. Both of this season's losses came in blowouts, and the Leathernecks have lost eight of their last nine games by 39 or more points.

Indiana: The Hoosiers are off to a solid start that has been helped by a soft early-season schedule. Things get much tougher next week in their Big Ten opener at UCLA.

POWER OUTAGE

It wasn't just Western Illinois lacking power Friday night. During warmups at halftime, both of the stadium's scoreboards faded to black. After a short delay, the refs announced they would keep the official time on the field. A few minutes later, the scoreboards rebooted, showing about 10 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.

UP NEXT

Western Illinois: Visits former conference foe Illinois State next Saturday.

Indiana: Makes its first appearance at the Rose Bowl since 1968 next Saturday against UCLA.

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