Kurtis Rourke knows his performance in Indiana’s season-opener was just a starting point.
Rourke played a solid game, overall, against Florida International. He completed 15 of 24 pass attempts for 180 yards with a touchdown, and gained three rushing yards on six attempts, including two sacks. He was far from perfect, as he’s readily admitted, as he felt he missed some reads and some throws that could’ve led to a more fruitful day for IU’s offense.
And in reviewing tape from the game, he saw both things that he and Hoosiers did well and things to improve on.
“It was a good learning tape to watch,” Rourke said on Monday. “I think that for our first game, it wasn’t too bad, as an offense. But we’re really looking and trying to chase those middle three drives, they went down and scored every time and had really good, on all cylinders kind of thing were really working well. But yeah, it was good learning tape, and a lot to work on for this week.”
Rourke didn’t have to make a ton of big plays to lead IU to victory over FIU. Indiana’s running game paced the offense. Miles Cross’ one-handed catch for 30 yards was Indiana’s longest passing play of the game, and Rourke completed only two passes of 20 yards or more. He missed on a few downfield chances that could’ve made his stat line look even stronger.
The sixth-year senior had a few highlights. His escape from a sack made Cross’ big play on third and 21 possible, and he also made a nice throw on a fourth down wheel route to Justice Ellison. His touchdown throw to tight end Zach Horton required quick reflexes on the play action.
And for the most part, Rourke handled frequent pressure with poise. It ties into his calm demeanor on the field, one of his most notable attributes. He noted the importance of controlling emotions as a quarterback.
“I’ve always been someone who’s a little bit more calm,” Rourke said. “That’s the way that I best process the game and process the information. And whenever something happens, good or bad, I like to be able to stay on the same level, so that I can attack the next play, attack the next drive. And just be able to move on. It’s the hardest thing to do, is to be able to move on from a good or a bad play and just get ready for the next one.”
Rourke still has plenty to prove at Indiana. It’s clear he brings a veteran presence the team needed at quarterback, and he’s someone who can protect the football and give his weapons chances to make big plays. But it’s not yet clear how the Hoosiers will fare if they need Rourke to win a game with his arm.
The answer to that question will become clear, one way or the other, as the season rolls along. But with FCS opponent Western Illinois up next on Friday, Rourke won’t have to shoulder that amount of responsibility.
Western Illinois hasn’t won a game since 2021. Rourke shouldn’t have to spend long worrying about the result of this contest.
He said this week — like last week — is about continuing to sharpen up and get acclimated to full game speed before IU’s first conference game, at UCLA on September 14. It’s about developing a rhythm for the games that matter most.
“You can prepare as much as you want in the offseason and do as much live reps as you can, but until you hit the game and get that first hit, then you can be like, ‘Alright, we’re going now.’ Getting that rhythm down, timing down, game timing, all that,” Rourke said. “It’s good to have a couple games before conference play, in order to get that out of the way, but the sooner the better, and that’s what we’re striving for this week.”
For complete coverage of IU football, GO HERE.
The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”
- Find us on Facebook: thedailyhoosier
- You can follow us on Twitter: @daily_hoosier
- Seven ways to support completely free IU coverage at no cost to you.
