Indiana football (9-0, 5-0 in Big Ten play) traveled to East Lansing on Saturday to do battle with Michigan State (4-5, 2-4 in Big Ten play) inside of Spartan Stadium.
The Hoosiers once again took care of business, toppling the Spartans 47-10 behind momentum-altering second quarter surge and strong play from Kurtis Rourke in his return.
Here's how it happened on a gorgeous afternoon in East Lansing.
INDIANA TRAILS, CONCEDES FIRST QUARTER POINTS FOR FIRST TIME THIS SEASON
Indiana entered its week 10 matchup with Michigan State having outscored opponents 87-0 on the season. The Hoosiers hadn't allowed a single first quarter point on the season, and they were one of two teams that hadn't trailed for a single second entering this weekend.
However, it was Michigan State that threw the first punch on Saturday in East Lansing. After the Spartans forced a Hoosier three-and-out to begin the game, Michigan State drove the ball 52 yards down the field before being forced to settle for a 47-yard field goal.
The Spartans weren't done with their statement opening quarter. After forcing a second consecutive Indiana three-and-out, Michigan State added to its early lead. Spartan quarterback Aidan Chiles continued his hot start with an 18-yard laser of a throw to wideout Nick Marsh to give Michigan State a 10-0 lead.
In the first 15 minutes of play on Saturday, Michigan State managed 128 total yards of offense to Indiana's 52, including out-gaining the Hoosiers 106-29 through the air.
The Spartans went 5-for-6 on third down, while the Hoosiers went 0-for-2. Michigan State also had essentially double the time of possession that Indiana did in the first quarter of play.
DOMINANT SECOND QUARTER SPARKS BLOWOUT
As rocky as the first quarter was for the Hoosiers, the second quarter looked like a completely different team. After trailing 10-0 at the end of the first quarter, Indiana had completely flipped the script. Heading into the halftime locker room, the Hoosiers were up 21-10.
In the second quarter, Indiana out-gained Michigan State 144-50 in total yards, scoring 21 unanswered points in the contest's second frame.
The shift for Indiana in the second quarter started on the defensive side of the ball. After the Hoosiers allowed seven first downs on the Spartans' first two drives of the, Indiana surrendered just four first downs in the entire of the second quarter.
The Hoosiers also got back to their turnover-producing ways in the second frame. Defensive back Amare Ferrell picked off Chiles not once, but twice in the second quarter -- although the Hoosiers' offense managed to capitalize with points on just one of those turnovers.
The age and experience of Indiana's roster showed through in the second quarter on Saturday. Facing their first deficit of the, the Hoosiers stayed poised, bouncing back to take a two-score lead into the halftime intermission.
As the game dragged, Indiana's defense continued to dominate. The Hoosiers allowing a singular point after the first quarter. As a team, Indiana tallied 7.0 sacks and 15.0 tackles for loss. Defensive end Mikail Kamara collected 2.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss by himself. After allowing 128 yards of total offense in the first quarter, Indiana's defense surrendered 77 yards in the final three quarters.
After perhaps the worst quarter of the season to open the game, Indiana flipped a switch in the second frame, dominating for the final 45 minutes on Saturday.
ROURKE SOLID IN RETURN FROM INJURY
Kurtis Rourke returned for the Hoosiers on Saturday after missing Indiana's week nine clash with Washington due to a right thumb injury that required surgery.
After starting 1-of-4 through the air on Indiana's first two drives of the game on Saturday, Rourke managed to rediscover his rhythm as the game wore on. The Hoosiers' sixth-year signal caller ended the game 19-of-29 (66%) for 263 yards and four passing touchdowns. Rourke's thumb injury didn't appear to impact his throwing ability much at all against Michigan State.
While he and the Hoosiers' offense didn't move the ball as effortlessly as they have for much of the season on Saturday, Indiana's offense still looked like a well-oiled machine for a majority of the contest. A lot of that has to do with how well Rourke played in his return for the Hoosiers.
FINAL STATS
Indiana is back at home next weekend to play host to Michigan on Saturday, Nov 9. The time and TV designation for that contest has yet to be announced.
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