Indiana football beats Maryland 42-28: Three things we learned

Indiana fans, myself included, were forced to confront the trauma of the last three seasons of hopeless, losing football.

Standing between the Hoosiers and a perfect 5-0 record today were all the demons that kept this program locked in the basement of the Big Ten for so long. Indiana turned the ball over. There were bad calls. Maryland scored on a defensive pass. This happened:

And yet somehow, Indiana won. By two touchdowns.

Here are three things we learned:

A new age

Just about every Indiana team I can remember watching would have lost that game. You only have to go back to 2022 to find a game in which Indiana threw an interception on the first drive, only to lose to a beatable Maryland team.

We had gotten a glimpse of this team’s resiliency before, like last week when the defense tightened up in the second half after a shaky start against the 49ers. That was an inferior opponent though, and the offense gave the Hoosiers a big enough cushion to find their footing in a low-pressure scenario.

Today was the first time all season that Indiana’s offense struggled, and boy did the defense step up. Maryland scored 0 points off of Indiana’s four turnovers, punting three times and turning it over on downs in the fourth quarter.

When the defense faltered a bit to start the second half, Rourke and the Indiana offense scored touchdowns on two of the next three drives to retake control of the game.

Neither side was perfect, but the offense came up with big plays when they needed them and the defense got enough stops to help Indiana cover the spread for the fifth consecutive week.

Kurtis Rourke

Rourke played what was undoubtedly his worst game as an Indiana Hoosier and still finished the game as one of the most important pieces in the 14-point victory.

His turnovers kept the score closer than it could have been, but Indiana wasn’t going to remain perfect in ball security this season. Rourke’s response to his own mistakes are what set him apart today.

Both of Rourke’s interceptions came in his first six passing attempts of the game. He started 2-6 with two picks, then rallied to finish 22/33 for 289 yards and three touchdowns.

It’s also significant that Curt Cignetti and Mike Shanahan stayed the course. Rourke’s second pick was followed by pass calls on the next seven snaps as part of a 12 play touchdown drive. Rourke completed six straight attempts before dumping it to Tyson Lawton for a one yard ‘rushing’ touchdown.

Rourke is everything that Indiana has lacked in experience and stability behind center, which is a big part of why this Hoosier team was able to take so many punches today. He’s a mentally tough quarterback leading a mentally tough team.

The defensive line

The whole defense turned in a solid performance today against what was one of the best offenses in the conference entering today. Holding a team to 28 is usually not the goal, but this is a team that’s scored at least 24 every game, and Indiana gave them too many extra possessions.

What really kept Maryland’s offense in check (aside from the multiple holding calls) was the defensive line though. Indiana sacked Billy Edwards Jr. five times today and made him uncomfortable throughout.

The line play also helped mitigate some of the breakdowns in the secondary, forcing Edwards to miss open Maryland receivers down the field. James Carpenter also stood out in the run game, registering three tackles, two for losses.

Take away Roman Hemby’s 75-yard ref-assisted carry, and the defense overall did well against the run after struggling a bit last week to stop Charlotte’s ground game.

This defense may not necessarily be the strength for Indiana this season, but the line showed today that it’s going to be disruptive and make it hard on opposing backfields. This will be a huge plus for the Hoosiers this season.