The largest victory over an FBS opponent in program history and the most points surrendered by Purdue in its program history earned quarterback Kurtis Rourke his third Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week award in 2024, and linebacker Jailin Walker his first-career Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week award.
Rourke is also part of the weekly Dave O’Brien Award’s Dave’s 8, which makes him eligible for the national quarterback of the week honor.
Rourke joins Anthony Thompson (4; 1989) as the only Hoosiers to win three-or-more Big Ten weekly awards in a single season and is one of just four IU football players with three-or-more weekly offensive awards in a career. Thompson (6), Antwaan Randle El (6) and Kellen Lewis (5) join Rourke on the list.
Against the Boilermakers, Rourke completed 23-of-31 passes for 349 yards and a program-record-tying six touchdown passes. He connected with seven different pass catchers in the game and five of those hauled in touchdown passes. Rourke found Elijah Sarratt on eight occasions for 165 yards and two scores.
His six touchdown passes equal a mark set by Bob Hoernschmeyer (at Nebraska; 1943) and Tre Roberson (Purdue; 2013) atop the program’s single-game list. His 349 passing yards ranks him at No. 7 in the top passing performances in Bucket Game history and third-best from a Hoosier behind Richard Lagow (373; 2017) and Nate Sudfeld (350; 2015).
The 349 yards passing marked his fourth 300-yard passing game of the season, which ranks No. 3 in program history and pushed his season passing total to 2,827 yards to sit No. 7 on the single season list at IU. His six passing scores give him 27 on the year, which ranks tied for No. 2 in program history with Sudfeld (2015) and is just one shy of Lewis’ record 28 touchdown passes in 2007.
Walker earns his first-career player of the week honor after a five-tackle, two turnovers forced outing against the Boilermakers. All five of his tackles produced lost yardage with 4.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in the game. He added an interception and a forced fumble in the game.
His 4.0 tackles for loss are tied for No. 6 on the single game charts at Indiana and the third-most in a game by a Big Ten defender this season. He is the fourth Hoosier with multiple turnovers forced in a game this season, joining Rolijah Hardy (Western Illinois), D’Angelo Ponds (Washington) and Amare Ferrell (at Michigan State).
Walker’s effort on defense helped IU hold Purdue to a program-record for fewest yards of total offense in a single game at 67 yards. It also marked the first Indiana shutout of Purdue since 1945 and Indiana’s largest margin of victory over an FBS opponent in program history.
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