BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) Kurtis Rourke threw for a season-high 359 yards and three touchdowns, and the Indiana Hoosiers defense shut down the Maryland Terrapins for the final 22 minutes, pulling away for a 42-28 victory Saturday.
Indiana (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) is off to its best start since 1967 and is unbeaten through its first five games for the third time in school history. The Hoosiers also have topped the 30-point mark in all five games, their longest streak since 2000.
Maryland (3-2, 0-2) suffered its first loss to the Hoosiers since 2020 despite getting three TD passes from Billy Edwards Jr. and a season-best 75-yard TD run from Roman Hemby.
Indiana never trailed on a soggy, windy day in Bloomington.
Rourke finished 22 of 33 but threw two interceptions in the first half and running back Kaelon Black lost a fumble in the first half – Indiana’s first three turnovers of the season. Elijah Sarratt caught seven passes for 128 yards and one TD.
Edwards was 26 of 41 with 289 yards while Hemby ran 19 times for 117 yards and had five catches for 48 yards.
The Hoosiers seized control late in the third quarter after Justice Ellison scored on a nifty 19-yard inside run to give Indiana a brief 21-14 lead. Hemby broke free on the next offensive snap to tie the score at 21.
Rourke broke the tie with a 13-yard TD pass to Elijah Sarratt with 40 seconds left in the third and the Hoosiers sealed the victory with a 12-yard TD pass from Rourke to Donaven McCulley. Ty Son Lawton added a 14-yard TD run to make it 42-21.
All Maryland could muster was a late 12-yard TD pass from Edwards to Hemby.
Myles Price opened the scoring for Indiana with a 1-yard TD run. Edwards tied the score with a 33-yard TD pass to Kaden Prather and the Hoosiers closed the half with back-to-back 27-yard passes from Rourke to Omar Cooper Jr. – the second a twisting catch in the end zone to make it 14-7.
Maryland tied it again on Dylan Wade’s 6-yard TD catch off a deflected ball.
Maryland: Edwards played well – when he wasn’t being sacked (five times), but it simply wasn’t enough Saturday. The bigger question might be Tai Felton’s status. The Terrapins’ leading receiver was not on the field at the end of the game.
Indiana: The Hoosiers’ milestone season under first-year coach Curt Cignetti continues. It’s been 57 years since they were 5-0 and it was another 57 years – in 1910 – that they were also 5-0. And they may not be finished with four more potentially winnable games up next.
Umpire James Shaw III took a big shot in the third quarter when he inadvertently blocked an Indiana defender trying to tackle Hemby in the hole on his long touchdown run. Shaw stayed down briefly, delaying the extra point. But after getting some water on the sideline during a commercial break, he returned to his normal position on the field and finished the game.
Indiana: Puts its perfect record on the line next Saturday at Northwestern.
Courtesy of IUHoosiers.com used with permission.
