Indiana Overwhelms Charlotte 52-14, Improves to 4-0

/

Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times

Written by: TJ Inman

A week after drilling UCLA in Pasadena, the Indiana Hoosiers returned home and welcomed the Charlotte 49ers to Bloomington. IU fans worried about how this team would deal with success, something that has plagued Indiana football for ages but those concerns were quickly put to bed as the Hoosier offense scored on its first seven possessions en route to a 52-14 victory over Biff Poggi’s squad. Kurtis Rourke again exhibited complete control of the offense, completing 16 of 20 passes for 258 yards with one passing touchdown and 32 yards rushing plus one score. Indiana set a new school for points in a four-game stretch and the offense racked up 510 yards to Charlotte’s 256 yards. Charlotte was able to find some success, particularly on the ground, but IU’s double-whammy of a touchdown to end the first half and another one to begin the second half put the game out of reach and allowed Indiana to play second and third-stringers for the final 20 minutes of the contest.

It was a perfect start for Indiana as they forced a three-and-out from Charlotte’s offense, Myles Price returned the punt to midfield, Kurtis Rourke converted a third down with a pass to Miles Cross and TySon Lawton scored from eight yards out to cap a six-play drive that gave IU a 7-0 lead. The 49ers had to punt the ball again on their second possession and Price set the offense up with another nice punt return. Justice Ellison took over the drive with multiple runs for first downs before the drive stalled inside the ten-yard line. Nico Radicic hit the short field goal to give the Hoosiers a 10-0 lead. Charlotte responded with a good drive at the end of the first quarter as they turned to the ground game and moved down the field before scoring on third and goal with a run by CJ Stokes. As has been the case every time so far this season, the Indiana offense responded. A long completion to Myles Price ignited the drive and Justic Ellison finished it with a short run to make it 17-7. Charlotte kept it on the ground and drove it again with powerful runs and timely completions for Trexler Ivey as the quarterback connected with Isiah Myers to cut the lead back to three points. Indiana responded immediately with a great playcall that got Sam West wide open for a big gain and then a 12-yard touchdown scamper for Kurtis Rourke. This was a critical juncture in the game as IU forced a quick three-and-out as the clock ticked under two minutes and then a 19-yard touchdown pass to Ke’Shawn Williams with only 26 seconds remaining in the first half. The Hoosiers led 31-14 at the half and the offense had five scores in five drives.

IU turned the knife in the first possession of the second half as Myles Price had another big gain (37 yards) followed by a five-yard touchdown run for TySon Lawton. Just like that, the Hoosiers were ahead 38-14 and in complete control. Charlotte’s next drive was halted on fourth down as Jailin Walker stuffed a run to give IU the ball back and Kaelon Black broke loose for a long touchdown run that made it 45-14 and ended Kurtis Rourke’s afternoon. Tayven Jackson entered and IU began the fourth quarter with their first punt of the contest. Elijah Green added a touchdown run as the Hoosiers broke the 50-point barrier for the second time this season.

Indiana is now 4-0 and the Maryland Terrapins come to Bloomington next Saturday at noon. Hoosier Huddle will have ongoing coverage of another IU victory.

Key Takeaways

  • IU’s run defense, particularly in the first half, is a potential cause for concern as the season progresses. Charlotte had a few drives with a lot of success and they took advantage of Indiana’s hyper-aggressive defensive line. The Hoosiers settled in and ultimately held Charlotte to only 137 rushing yards but being more physical on the line will be a point of emphasis this week for Curt Cignetti.

  • IU’s offense continues to impress. Kurtis Rourke was, again, outstanding. It was the offensive balance that stood out this afternoon. IU got at least 20 yards rushing from five different players and at least 20 yards receiving from six different players. The blocking was exceptional all afternoon as well.

  • Through four games, IU still has zero turnovers. The Hoosiers are 4-0, have covered the spread in all four games and are now just two wins from bowl eligibility. That’s a heck of a start to the Curt Cignetti era.