IU football returned to Rose Bowl Stadium for the first time in 57 years two weeks ago.
So it was only fitting on Saturday against Maryland they followed the script of that 1967 season with their first 5-0 start since.
“5-0, that’s nice. 57 years is a long time man,” IU coach Curt Cignetti said after Indiana’s win over the Terps at Memorial Stadium Saturday.
In 140 seasons of football, Indiana has only reached five wins for the entire season 46 times, and it is just the third time ever they’ve started a season 5-0.
The only 5-0 season other than 2024 and 1967 was another 57 years earlier in 1910, when the Hoosiers won their first five but fell in week six and finished 6-1 under the direction of head coach James Sheldon.
The 1945 Big Ten champion Hoosiers did not lose a game the entire season but tied in week two to finish 9-0-1. That was one of four other seasons IU started 4-0-1, along with 1898, 1988, and 1990.
This is IU’s first five-game winning streak at any point during a season since 1987.
For his part, Cignetti says he isn’t worried about the past right now.
“I don’t know what the old Indiana was, other than what I watched on tape,” he said. “We are what we are. We have a blueprint and a plan and a philosophy of how to play the game.”
The Hoosiers reached the 5-0 mark courtesy of their 42-28 win over Maryland Saturday in front of 48,323 fans at Memorial Stadium. The crowd remained throughout the game despite a steady rain.
Quarterback Kurtis Rourke threw for 359 yards and three touchdowns, and Elijah Sarratt had seven receptions for 128 yards and a score for a Hoosier offense that eclipsed the 40-point mark for the fourth time in five games. They also went over 500 yards on the afternoon.
Indiana never trailed in their win over Maryland on Saturday, and they still haven’t trailed at any point during the season.
The Hoosiers travel to Northwestern next weekend.
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